OSX – How to check if SMB service is running.

To check if the SMB service (file sharing) is running on your Mac from the Terminal,
use the launchctl list command and filter for smbd: 

bash

sudo launchctl list | grep smbd

Interpreting the Output

• Service is running: If the command returns a line containing com.apple.smbd, the service is loaded and likely running. The output will also show a status code, typically 0 if it is running successfully.
• Service is not running: If the command does not return any lines, or the status code is non-zero, the service is not currently active. 

Alternative Check: Active Connections 

You can also check for active SMB network connections,
which indicates the client is at least trying to use SMB: 

• View active connections and SMB version: 
  Use the following command to list details about current SMB connections, including the protocol version being used:

<code>sudo netstat -tulnp | grep ":445" 

• Check for port 445 activity (SMB port): 
  This checks if the SMB port is open and being used on your Mac:  

<code>smbutil statshares -a

Graphical User Interface (GUI) Method:

For a non-terminal method, you can check the status in System Settings:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
2. Navigate to General > Sharing.
3. Look at the toggle switch next to File Sharing. If it is on, file sharing (including SMB) is enabled.
4. Click the information icon (i) next to File Sharing, then click Options to verify that “Share files and folders using SMB” is specifically checked.