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Disable Siri system services

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Works with any Mac

  • macOS only
  • Single action
  • Impact: Medium
  • Bash (Shell script)
  • Administrative (sudo) access required
  • Fully reversible

Overview​

This script disables system Siri and its related services to prevent voice data collection and processing on your Mac.

Disabling these services stops Siri from:

  • Collecting voice data 1
  • Processing voice commands 1
  • Running in the background 2 3
  • Sending data to Apple's servers 1

This improves your privacy by preventing voice data collection and processing. It also enhances system performance by stopping these background services. However, you will not be able to use Siri or voice commands.

Caution

After running this script, you will not be able to use Siri or any voice commands on your Mac.

Technical Details​

The script disables two main components:

  • com.apple.assistantd: A background service that handles Siri's core functionality 1 2 3
  • com.apple.Siri.agent: A service that manages Siri's user interactions 2 3

This script requires disabling System Integrity Protection (SIP) 2 3, which is a security feature that protects system files from modifications.

Tips & Tricks

    Use with Caution

    This script is only recommended if you understand its implications.

    Some non-critical or features may no longer function correctly after running this script.

    Reversible

    This action is completely reversible, you can restore your changes to the initial/default state.

    The restore/revert methods provided here can help you fix issues.

Apply Now​

Choose one of three ways to apply:

Download script​

Download and run the script directly
Direct application
Offline usage
Easy-to-apply

How to download and run
  1. Download the script file by clicking on the  
    Apply protection
      button above.  Use  
    Undo protection
     button above to restore changes.
  2. If warned by your browser, keep the file.
  3. Open the downloaded file.
  4. Once it's done, press any key to exit the window.
  5. Restart your computer for all changes to take affect.

Apply with privacy.sexy​

Guided, automated application with safety checks
Recommended for most users
Includes safety checks

Open privacy.sexy

How to use privacy.sexy

privacy.sexy is free and open-source application that lets securely apply this action easily with optionally more advanced options.

  1. Open or download the desktop application
  2. Search for the script name: Disable Siri system services.
  3. Check the script by clicking on the checkbox.
  4. Click on Run button at the bottom of the page.

Run commands​

Copy and run commands manually
Requires technical knowledge
Apply changes
if [ $(/usr/bin/csrutil status | awk '/status/ {print $5}' | sed 's/\.$//') = "enabled" ]; then
>&2 echo 'This script requires SIP to be disabled. Read more: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/disabling_and_enabling_system_integrity_protection'
fi
# com.apple.assistantd
launchctl disable "user/$UID/com.apple.assistantd"
launchctl disable "gui/$UID/com.apple.assistantd"
sudo launchctl disable 'system/com.apple.assistantd'
# com.apple.Siri.agent
launchctl disable "user/$UID/com.apple.Siri.agent"
launchctl disable "gui/$UID/com.apple.Siri.agent"
sudo launchctl disable 'system/com.apple.Siri.agent'
How to run commands
  1. Open Terminal app.
  2. Copy the code above.
    To restore changes, choose Revert code above.
  3. Paste the code into Terminal.
  4. Press Enter to apply the code.
  5. Optionally, restart your computer.
    Some scripts requires restarting your computer to take affect.

Similar Guides​

Guides below work together with this guide to protect your privacy.

This action belongs to Disable Siri. This system preference gives you practical advice on how to disable Siri to keep personal data safe using your privacy maintenance on macOS. With this point, this handbook explains the procedure to undo the customization. Fostering accountability and transparency begins with online privacy assurance. R... Read more on category page ▶

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