1. Mac Freezes On Boot
2. Mac App Store Freezes App

As Mac OS X users, we have something to be happy about when it comes to app crashes and freezes: rarity. Typically you can work on your Mac for hours at a time without a single issue. However, a crashing app certainly can happen, leading to lost productivity, time and, worst of all, lost work. Log out of your Mac App Store app account and restart your Mac. Relaunch Civilization V and your downloadable content should then display properly within the game. Right click Civilization V from the Steam Library menu and select Properties. Under the Local Files tab, select Verify Integrity of Game Cache. If you frequently encounter freezes, you might want to do the following: Check if your Mac has sufficient free hard disk space. Check if there are any uninstalled or pending updates in the Mac App Store. Perform manual updates for apps downloaded outside of the App Store. Update your macOS and disconnect all external peripherals.

As Mac OS X users, we have something to be happy about when it comes to app crashes and freezes: rarity. Typically you can work on your Mac for hours at a time without a single issue. However, a crashing app certainly can happen, leading to lost productivity, time and, worst of all, lost work. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to recover from a crashed app, as well as prevent the issue in the first place.

How to fix a crashing app after the macOS upgrade

App crashes after the the macOS update is more than a common problem. Some apps freeze or malfunction, some won’t launch, some show no signs of life whatsoever. Why it happens? The most probable reason is that the app is simply not ready for the latest macOS Catalina. Something in its depth turned out to be incompatible with the new macOS.

Now, what can you do to fix an app crashing? Three things.

1. First, see if you have the latest version of the app by clicking on its name it the top menu and choosing Check for updates.
2. Second, visit developer’s website (or App Store page) and see if they’ve issued a statement about Catalina compatibility.
3. Finally, some crashed apps on macOS Catalina can be fixed by running maintenance scripts. Download CleanMyMac X, launch it, find Maintenance tab and run the scripts.

What happens when an app craches: under the hood

Now let's go deeper into the nature of crashed apps, but first, let’s identify the difference between a crashed macOS app and a frozen one. While these terms are often used interchangeably, there is a notable difference.

Crash

A crash happens when a piece of software stops working altogether, and then closes on its own. In other words, the app quits when you did not tell it to. When this happens, you'll typically see a message noting that the application has 'unexpectedly quit” just as its windows disappears. It’s pretty frustrating — especially if you end up losing all your work.

Freeze

A freeze is when software stops functioning, but continues to run. You can still see its windows, and its Dock icon still indicates that it’s running. However, no amount of clicking or tabbing around will do anything. A frozen app doesn’t quit like a crashed app does, it simply becomes unresponsive. Often no error messages accompany the freeze. Again, it’s a frustrating experience (if you want to know how to deal with it, check out this post on how to fix frozen apps).

When software freezes, you force it to quit, so that you can re-launch and hopefully get on with your work. With crashes, meanwhile, the problem is the app quitting on its own. In this article, I’ll discuss recovering from app crashes, as well as steps that help prevent them in the first place. Let’s get started.

What to do when a Mac OS X app crashes

The good news here is that a crashed app rarely brings down your entire Mac, as the trouble is restricted to that particular piece of software. That means we have a chance to recover. Let’s start with the simplest solutions.

First, just relaunch the app. When an app crashes, you’ll typically see a dialog box that says the software “unexpectedly quit” and you’ll have several options to deal with it, including “Relaunch”. Give that a click and cross your fingers that the crash doesn’t happen again. Oftentimes, you’re good from there. If not…

Try restarting your Mac. “Turn if off and back on again” is almost a punchline at this point, but it usually works. Shut down, restart and try again. Very often this simple task will set things right. If not, it’s time to try something just a little more involved.

Reinstall the app. Deleting the misbehaving app and grabbing a new copy gives you a fresh version to work with. That is, if you delete all of the app’s related files.

See, when you drag an app to the Trash, you aren’t deleting everything. Some leftover parts remain, and if the troublemaker is among them, your problem could persist. It’s a waste of time to delete an app via drag-and-drop, reinstall and then have it crash again. To make things right, you need to get rid of the app’s bits and pieces before you reinstall it, and this is where software like CleanMyMac X comes in handy.

An app that’s simply dragged to the Trash leaves behind a pile of associated files that you don’t see, like caches, preferences (often the culprit in crash-y apps), saved states, and more. You might not even know they’re there, but CleanMyMac X does. It’s smart enough to find the whole lot, safely remove them, and ensure that a newly installed app is just that: a complete fresh start.

In fact, you don’t even have to launch CleanMyMac X to thoroughly and safely delete an app. Simply right-click (or Control-click) the app’s icon and select “Uninstall with CleanMyMac” from Services in the resulting contextual menu. Easy!

Another wise move is to make sure there are no conflicts between the app and the Mac OS. When Apple pushes an update of its operating system to your Mac, that might interfere with your app’s performance, if the app or its add-ons are incompatible with this particular OS X version.

CleanMyMac can help you out here, too. Download it for free, go to its Uninstaller module and find the misbehaving app in the list. If you see a note that this app is incompatible with your system, it means you need to update the app, because your current version doesn’t work on the latest OS X.

How can you stay on top of aging apps? Apple makes it easy with software purchased through the Mac App Store. Simply launch the App Store app, go to the Updates tab, and you’ll see all available app updates. Find the one you need in the list, click the Update button, and you’ll get the latest version to your Mac. It’s a bit different with software acquired outside the App Store: you’ll have to visit the vendor’s website to see if there’s a new version available.

If nothing indicates that the troublemaker app is incompatible with your system, the problem could be with its add-ons or preferences. What you can do in this case is reset the app to its initial state. Again, go to the Uninstaller module in CleanMyMac X, select your app, and click Application Reset. CleanMyMac will make that app just the way it was when you first installed it.

What to do when an app crashes at launch

So far I’ve addressed what to do when an app crashes as you’re using it. But what about the frustrating scenario of an app going down as soon as you launch it? No warning, no dialog box, just a bounce or two in the Dock and that’s it. In this case, it’s time to repair disk permissions.

What’s does fixing permissions actually mean? Think of your Mac’s hard drive as a tree with many branches. The top level of your drive is the tree’s trunk, and the branches represent information about files and folders. These branches, or “nodes,” store information like the location of data and permission rules, among other things. Normal computer use changes this information, and can lead to a conflict or other issue that generates crashes and the inability to use your system. This is what a permission fix addresses.

To repair disk permissions (for OS X prior to El Captian), go to the Utilities in your Mac’s Applications folder and launch Disk Utility. Next, click First Aid. It’ll ask for confirmation and get to work, comparing existing permission files with defaults to find any conflicts.

Or, if you want a slightly simpler way, you can fix the permissions with CleanMyMac X Maintenance Scripts. Just open the Maintenance tab, hit Choose Tasks and then Repair Disk Permissions. This helps resolve improper app behavior like crashing and keeps all of your disk’s files and folders in proper order. And that’s just one of the maintenance tasks available in CleanMyMac X, just try it.

A crashing app is no fun. Fortunately, a little understanding and proactive behavior can keep them to a minimum. CleanMyMac X makes it easy to do just that. Happy computing, and may your apps never crash again!

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Summary :

Is your app freezing your Mac computer? Are you stuck at Spinning Pinwheel of Death (SPOD) when using your Mac? Does your mouse or keyboard stop working on your Mac? All these situations can be classified as Mac frozen. MiniTool Software will show you some solutions in this article to help you fix a Mac that has no response.

Mac Is Unresponsive: Are Your Bothered by This Issue?

Mac frozen is a rare issue. But this does not mean that this problem will not happen to you. No matter you are using an iMac/iMac Pro, or a MacBook Air/MacBook Pro, this problem is likely to happen. When your Mac has no response, do you know how to fix it?

As per different situations of Mac unresponsive, solutions vary. In this article, we will show you some cases of Mac frozen along with some effective methods to fix a frozen Mac.

Different Cases of Mac Frozen

1. Spinning Pinwheel of Death
2. Your Mac Computer Has No Response
3. Your Mouse or Keyboard Can’t Move
4. Your Mac Is Attacked by Malware

Case 1: Spinning Pinwheel of Death

The spinning pinwheel is a variation of the mouse pointer arrow. It is used in Apple's macOS, indicating that the current working application is busy. Spinning Pinwheel of Death (SPOD) means that the app is not responding and the pinwheel keeps spinning and spinning. Yes, an app is freezing your Mac. It is the most common issue as to Mac frozen.

In this case, you can move your mouse or curse, but you can’t close the freezing app by clicking the close button on the top-left corner of the app. If you are facing this situation, you can take one of these measures to solve the issue:

How to Fix a Frozen App on Mac?

1. Force quit the app
2. Restart your Mac computer
3. Update your software

Fix 1: Force Quit the App

You can click the Apple menu and select Force Quit. Then, you will see the Force Quit Applications interface (you can also use the Command-Option-Esc shortcut to call out Force Quit Applications). Next, you need to select the frozen app and click Force Quit to close it.

Fix 2: Restart Your Mac Computer

If the above method can’t help you quit the frozen app, you can just reboot your Mac by going to the Apple menu > Restart. The app will be closed during the process.

Fix 3: Update Your Software

An outdated macOS or app can also cause a Spinning Pinwheel of Death. To rule out this possibility, you can update both your macOS and software to see whether the issue can be solved.

1. Update macOS:

Go to Apple menu > System preferences > Software Update. Another way is to go to the Apple menu > About This Mac > Software Update.

2. Update the Software Downloaded from the App Store:

Go to Apple menu > App Store > Updates.

Case 2: Your Mac Computer Has No Response

Another situation is that your Mac is unresponsive. Many factors can cause this problem like low free disk space, insufficient RAM, hard drive failure, old Mac, etc.

How to fix a frozen Mac? This part will show you some effective methods. No matter your MacBook Air keeps frozen, MacBook Pro has no response, or iMac is not responding, you can use these methods to fix your device.

How to Fix an Unresponsive Mac?

1. Force restart your Mac
2. Unplug any peripherals
3. Free up disk space
4. Repair Mac hard drive
5. Upgrade RAM
6. Start up your Mac in Safe Mode
7. Replace your old Mac computer

Fix 1: Force Restart Your Mac

Rebooting your Mac can fix some temporary issues that may cause Mac frozen. Since your Mac has no response this time, you need to force restart it.

Way 1:

The direct and simplest method is to hold the Power button for a while until your Mac shuts down. Then, you can press the Power button again to boot your Mac.

Way 2:

You can also hold down the Control-Command keyboard combination while pressing the Power button to force restart your Mac.

Fix 2: Unplug Any Peripherals

The connected peripheral devices may not be compatible with your macOS. You can unplug all peripherals to see when your Mac computer can go back to normal.

Mac Freezes On Boot

If external hard drive freezes computer when plugged in, how to fix? We introduce some solutions in this post, and you can choose one to help you out.

Fix 3: Free up Disk Space

Perhaps, the available free disk space on your Mac is less, making your Mac run slowly almost have no response. So, you need to clear up disk space on your Mac.

Fix 4: Repair Your Mac Hard Drive

If the above methods don’t work for you, you need to consider whether there is something wrong with the hard drive. You can use the snap-in tool, Disk Utility, to repair the hard drive.

First, you need to force close and then restart your Mac. If the machine can boot normally, you should not do anything else but go to Finder > Applications > Utilities to open this tool. Then, select the drive you want to repair and click First Aid to start the diagnosing process.

This tool can check for your drive and automatically fix the found error on it.

Bonus: How to Recover Data from Your Mac Computer?

There should be a lot of important files on your Mac computer hard drive. If you lose some of them by mistake, do you want to get them back? If yes, you can use free Mac data recovery software, Stellar Data Recovery for Mac, to have a try.

In this post, we will show you some best and free Mac Data Recovery software that is useful for you to get your lost and deleted Mac data back.

This software has a trial edition. You can use it to scan the drive that has previously saved the lost data and then you can check whether you can find your needed files from the scan results. You can go to the MiniTool official download center to download and install this software on your Mac computer.

Next, you can follow this guide to recover your Mac data:

1. Open Stellar Data Recovery for Mac.
2. On the Select What To Recover interface, you can select the data types you want to recover and click Next to continue.

3. On this interface, this software asks you to select the drive you want to recover from. Besides, if you want to perform a deep scan, you can turn on the button for Deep Scan (on the bottom-left corner of the software).
4. Click Scan to start the drive scanning process.

5. After scanning, you can see the scan results are categorized by three types: Classic List, File List, and Deleted List. You can just select one according to your situation. For example, if you only want to recover the deleted files, you can switch to the Deleted List section to find your needed files.

Besides, you can also preview the scanned files by double-clicking on one file.

If you can find the files you want to rescue after checking the scan results, you can upgrade this software to a full edition. After that, you can select your needed files and then recover them to a suitable location (this location should not be the original path of the files, otherwise, the lost files may be overwritten and become unrecoverable).

You can go to the MiniTool official site to select a suitable edition based on your needs.

However, if your Mac computer hard drive fails and the machine is unbootable, you will need to use the bootable edition of Stellar Data Recovery for Mac to rescue your files. This article can be helpful: What to Do If Your MacBook Won’t Turn On? (Multiple Methods)

Fix 5: Upgrade RAM

Another reason for your Mac frozen is that it has not enough Random Access Memory (RAM). In a situation like this, it is a big burden for your Mac to work when it has to deal with a lot of work. The best way to get rid of this issue is to upgrade Ram.

This Apple official post tells you how to select a proper RAM based on your MacBook model and how to install a new RAM: MacBook Pro: How to remove or install memory. This post shows you how to do the job on iMac: Install memory in an iMac.

Fix 6: Start up Your Mac in Safe Mode

Booting into Mac Safe Mode can also find and solve issues on your computer.

1. Since your Mac has no response now, you first need to force close it by pressing and holding the Power button for a while until the machine shuts down.
2. Press the Power button and press & hold the Shift key at the same time.
3. When you see the login screen, you can release the Shift key.
4. Log in to your Mac.
5. Perhaps, you will see the login screen twice. It is normal. Then, you can see Safe Boot on the top-right corner of the screen.
6. After accessing the Safe Mode, you can operate your Mac to check if it can work normally. If yes, this issue should be solved. You can reboot your Mac to make a confirmation.

Fix 7: Replace Your Old Mac Computer

If all the above methods can’t fix your frozen Mac, you should consider whether you are using an old Mac.

How old is an old Mac?

• If you are using an iMac, an 8-year old one should be old enough.
• If you are using a Mac laptop, a 5-year old one should be old enough.

If your Mac computer is too old, there is no point in fixing the computer. You’d better replace it with a new one.

Case 3: Your Mouse or Keyboard Can’t Move

If you can’t remove your mouse and keyboard, you can press and hold the Power button for a while to force close your Mac. After a few seconds, you can press the Power button again to start your Mac computer and then check whether you can use the mouse and keyboard as normal again.

Case 4: Your Mac Is Attacked by Malware

This situation rarely happens. But you should not ignore this situation.

For example, when you visit a website, a phishing scam can redirect you from a legitimate website to a fake website and then tell you that your computer is attacked by a virus. The scam will offer you Mac Defender 'anti-virus' software to remove the so-called virus. This software is a Mac Defender malware. Here is a guide on how to remove this malware: How to avoid or remove Mac Defender malware in Mac OS X v10.6 or earlier.

Bottom Line

After reading this post, you should know which situation of Mac frozen you are facing and how to fix it using different methods. Moreover, if you need to recover your lost Mac data, you can try Stellar Data Recovery for Mac.

If you have other related issues, you can let us know in the comment. You can also send an email to [email protected]. We will reply to you as soon as possible.

Mac Frozen FAQ

1. Press the Power button and press & hold Command-R at the same time.
2. Release these two keys when you see an Apple logo, spinning globe, or other startup screens.
3. If asked, you need to enter your password and then you will enter the Mac recovery mode.

Mac App Store Freezes App