Unfreeze My Macnewinnovations

If an application freezes or your computer is generally misbehaving, try these tips to escape with minimal disruption. Use Force Quit when an application is unresponsive. Choose Force Quit from the Apple menu or press Command+Option+Esc keys. Click the name of the deviant application (it probably has not responding next to its name).

Imagine this: you’re working happily on your Mac when the dreaded beach ball of death appears. A program stops responding or worse, the macOS (or OS X) itself refuses to do anything but stare at you, blankly. You have a frozen Mac app or an OS X freeze. Mac OS not responding can lead to lost productivity or even lost work. Let's go over why it happens, what to do when your Mac freezes or when an Mac OS app stops responding, as well as some tips for preventative maintenance.

  1. To do this, restart your Mac and press and hold the Shift key immediately after you hear the startup tone. Then, release the Shift key when the Apple logo appears and Safe Boot will appear on the Mac OSX startup screen. An Apple Hardware Test might also be in.
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We’ll go over frozen apps first, so if your whole Mac freezes, you can jump to the part about fixing a frozen Mac.

Fixing a frozen app: Why Mac OS apps freeze

There can be a few reasons why apps freeze on Mac. First, sometimes an app freezes on its own, and sometimes it takes down the whole Mac with it. Here's what could be happening:

  1. Apps freeze in the background.
    This could mean there are some apps running that you didn't open, they opened themselves. Probably, they're featured in your startup items, so they automatically launch when you start your Mac. If this happens repeatedly, you need to check what apps are running in the background and launch with the startup.
  2. Processes freeze in the background.
    This one is different from apps. One app may be running multiple processes, also system processes can be running on their own.
  3. Too many apps and processes running.
    Same logic as with the previous issue. But the question here is how many is too many? There is no definite answer to this, it very much depends on the hardware capacity of your Mac. You can read how to check it and fix it below.
  4. Mac system is too cluttered with junk to run even simple tasks.
    This is fixable, you can get a Mac optimizing app like CleanMyMac X for the job. Run a scan to find and remove the stuff you don't need, and there's a high change your apps will stop freezing after that.

What to do if an app freezes on your Mac

A frozen app becomes unresponsive and brings your work to a halt. In the worst case scenario, it can lead to lost work or a corrupted file. Fortunately, there are several options to try, and most are quite simple. Here’s what you can do when a program freezes on your Mac. First, you need to quit it. Then, if the app keeps freezing when you launch it, try the next options.

How to quit a frozen or unresponsive program

Quitting and then re-starting an app is a good way for Mac OS to handle a crash. You can do this from the OS X Dock or from the Force Quit window. To force-quit an app from the OS Dock, follow these simple steps:

  1. Click anywhere outside of the program
  2. Right-click (or Control-click) on the frozen app’s icon in the Dock. A menu appears.
  3. Hold down the Option key on your keyboard so that Quit in that menu changes to Force Quit.
  4. Select Force Quit.

That’s it. The app is instantly closed. Re-launch it and try again. If you prefer to work with the Dock hidden — or if the Dock itself is unresponsive — you can simply bring up the Force Quit dialog box to perform the same task.
Here’s how:

  1. On your Mac’s keyboard, hit the Option, Command and Escape keys simultaneously (alt + ? + esc).
  2. The Force Quit dialog box appears with a list of running programs.
  3. Select the frozen app and then click Force Quit.
  4. The software will stop running and you’re free to re-launch it at this point.
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If you’re using a maintenance utility like CleanMyMac X, it has freezes covered. When CleanMyMac spots an unresponsive app, a notification window with a Quit button pops up, so you could force-quit the app without rummaging around in its menu.

CleanMyMac keeps an eye on other performance issues, too, so if you'd like to get alerts like this one when anything goes wrong, download CleanMyMac X for free and give it a try.

How to fix Mac apps that keep freezing

First, check what apps are running in the background and launch with the startup.
To do it go to Settings > Users and Groups > Login items.
Uncheck anything you think might be causing trouble. In fact, just to be sure, uncheck every app and restart your Mac.

Now, find out which process or program is causing the problem. How to see what programs are running on Mac in general? You need launch Activity monitor.
How to find Activity Monitor on Mac: You can do it via the Spotlight Search or just open Launchpad and type it in.
How to open Activity Monitor in Finder: launch it from Applications > Utilities folder > Activity Monitor.

When it opens, you'll probably see hundreds of processes in each tab, but the ones you need now are CPU and Memory tabs. Click on the % CPU sign to sort processes by their influence on your Mac's work. The heaviest ones will show up on the top. They could be your main issue, but don’t rush to deal with them. Some, like kernel, are important system processes and you shouldn’t mess with them.

How to kill a process on Mac OS

However, sometimes your problem does lie within a specific process, you can force quit it (Apple doesn't call it 'to kill a process on Mac', they make it sound fancy). But we're not at Apple HQ, so here's how to kill a Mac OS process:

  1. Open Activity Monitor.
  2. You see a list of processes. You can sort them by clicking on %CPU or % Memory in relevant tabs.
  3. Find the process you want to kill and choose it.
  4. Click on the octagon with an X sign.
  5. Done.

Occasionally the problem isn’t with the Mac app, but with the Mac OS itself. If you’re experiencing troubles regularly, it’s time to ask why your Mac keeps freezing. There are several possible reasons, so let’s start with the simplest potential solution.

First, the file you were working with at the time of the freeze may be the issue. To help determine if this is true, try opening a different file with that app and work with it for a while. If it behaves normally, quit and then go back to the file you were working with at the time of the crash. If the errant behavior persists, you may have found your problem. Salvage what you can into a new file.

Make sure that your software and OS X are up-to-date. This is easy to do with software purchased from the Mac App Store. The same goes for OS X. Launch the Mac App Store on your Mac, and you’ll see the list of pending updates, including any for the OS X itself. For third-party software purchased outside of the App Store, visit the manufacturer’s website.

What to do if Mac OS X freezes

If you cannot force-quit a program, or if the Mac OS is completely unresponsive, it’s time for the most obvious action — a reboot.
You can bring up the Restart/Sleep/Shutdown dialog box instantly by hitting Control plus the Power button. Option four, Shut Down, is selected by default.
Alternatively, you can press and hold the Power button for 1.5-2 seconds to bring up the same dialog box. If things aren’t hopelessly messed up, you’ll get a chance to save your work before your Mac shuts down. If that still doesn’t work, a more drastic option is available.

How to force reboot a frozen Mac

Press Command ?, Control and Power (on earlier MacBook models, use the Media Eject key instead of the Power button) to restart your Mac immediately. Note that you won’t have the option of saving anything in this scenario, but it will definitely reboot your icy Mac.

Once your Mac has restarted, you might find that the hard restart has corrupted the file you were working on. Salvage what you can from it and create a new file.

How to fix a frozen Mac

How To Unfreeze Macbook Pro

After the reboot, ensure that your Mac has enough free hard drive space for the OS X, and enough free RAM to do what you want. CleanMyMac X can help you here, too. It removes all the useless files that take up space on your hard drive: app leftovers, mail attachments, cache files, and so on. That way, you can free up additional disk space for the OS X without deleting any of your own files. Plus, CleanMyMac X keeps tabs on how much RAM you’re using and lets you free some up with a tap.

Finally, if system cleanup also fails to fix the problem, you can try to run a clean install of your Mac OS. Just follow the instructions: How to clean install macOS Sierra 10.12

Note: If you don’t know which system your Mac runs, click the apple icon in the top left corner and choose About this Mac. You’ll see the name on the popup window.

That’s it, we hope this guide has helped you fix a frozen Mac. Remember, with day-to-day maintenance, your Mac can offer years of reliable work. On the rare occasion of a frozen program or even frozen OS X, these tips will help get you working and productive again. And software like CleanMyMac X can do some of the monitoring and maintenance for you, so you can focus on what needs to be done.

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Although Macs are reliable computers, these machines are still only computers and susceptible to a variety of errors that stop them from booting up. There are a few steps to follow when this happens, however. First off, a Mac that doesn't start up needs a different approach than a Mac that won't turn on. It may sound like we are talking about the same thing, but there is a huge difference. A Mac that won’t turn on means the power button has no effect and, once it is pressed, does not activate the start up process. If this is the problem then there is likely an issue with the machine receiving power. The focus of this article is on any startup issues, so we’re assuming that your Mac does turn on.

Flashing Folder With a Question Mark

The usual scenario is that when you press the power button, you'll hear a startup chime (if your Mac is from early 2016 or earlier), it initializes its BootROM and memory, then performs a power-on self-test (POST) and a BootROM test. If an Apple logo appears on a gray or black screen, it means that the system has found the startup file “boot.efi” on the startup disk. After that, a progress bar appears, followed by the login window.

If you see a flashing folder with a question mark instead of the Apple logo, that means your Mac couldn't find either a local or network-based startup disk. In this situation you should wait a few seconds to see if macOS succeeds, and if it doesn't continue startup then do the following:

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  1. Turn off your Mac by pressing the power button for a few seconds.
  2. Press the power button again to turn it on, and immediately press and hold the Command + R keys to start your Mac in macOS Recovery. Hold these keys until you see an Apple logo or globe. Wait until the macOS utilities windows appears and, if prompted, select a Wi-Fi network to connect to the internet.
  3. When the macOS Utilities window appears, click on the Apple menu, and select Startup Disk.
  4. Select your startup disk, and click Restart.

If you don't see the startup disk in the Startup Disk window, you may have issues with your hard drive, so it's time for Disk Utilities to step in and fix the issue:

Unfreeze
  1. From the macOS Utilities, select Disk Utilities.
  2. In the Disk Utility window, select your startup disk from the left side (usually carries the name of Macintosh HD), and click on the First Aid tab.
  3. Click on “Repair Disk” to verify and repair issues with the hard drive.
  4. Wait for the repair to finish, then quit Disk Utility.
  5. Now click on the Apple menu, select the startup disk, and click Restart.

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If you don't see the built-in startup disk in Disk Utility or the app indicated, there is a bigger hardware issue and your Mac might need a repair, so book an appointment with an Apple Genius or Apple Authorized Service Provider to get help.

Boot Using Safe Mode

Unfreeze My Mac New Innovations Reviews

Unfreeze My Macnewinnovations

If your Mac freezes on the startup screen randomly and can't get past the gray screen, a safe boot may help. During safe boot your Mac performs certain checks, such as verifying the startup disk and attempting to repair directory issues if needed, loading only the essential kernel extensions and preventing Startup Items and Login Items from launching. Also, safe boot clears caches for the fonts, kernels and other important system files, as well as disabling user-installed fonts. To start up in safe mode you need to restart your Mac and immediately press and hold the Shift key, and release it only when the login window appears.

Check for any further or repeat problems in safe mode. If not, reboot your Mac without pressing any keys. If the problem reappears, you might have issues with incompatible login items. Use a Mac optimization app such as CleanMyMac, MacKeeper or the like to disable these features.

If the issue doesn't come back, it was likely caused by a cache or directory issue with your startup disk that macOS was able to fix in safe mode. Use the Mac optimization app to clean your Mac of junk files and caches from time to time in order to avoid any issues caused by corrupted cache files.

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