A frozen Mac is a rarified occurrence , but Macs ( like all computers ) run in oscillation , and sometimes the software get under one’s skin stuck in a loop . When this happens you may find an app like Word , or the whole of macOS , becomes unresponsive .
In this feature we look at what to do when your Mac immobilize , the birl beach - ball / rainbow wheel starts up , or you ca n’t move your mouse or cursor , ca n’t apply the keyboard , ca n’t pull quit , can’t shut down , ca n’t bend off , and ca n’t sign in . In the spoiled casing scenario you may be worrying about losing oeuvre , such as a document you are working on , in which pillow slip you may be wishing to regain a agency to unfreeze your Mac that wo n’t affect shutting it down .
We also run throughHow to shut down a MacBook or Mac .
Here are the five stair to take to unfreeze your Mac . We reckon at each in more detail below .
How to Force Quit a frozen app
The first job is to square up whether the whole of macOS is affected , or just one app .
fortune are , if you may still use your black eye and keyboard , the problem is being because of one app in particular . Often you ’ll descry this because the app ’s menus and icon are unresponsive , and you may see the rainbow wheel , also make out as the spinning beach globe , the ‘ spinning pizza pie of destruction ’ or just SPOD .
There are a few ways to determine whether the job is being due to an app . Quitting and restart the trouble app is usually the right way to dissolve your Mac .
Use one of the below options to end the app ( even if you do n’t know which one is causing the trouble ):
There is another way to control and close up an app :
Where’s Ctrl + Alt + Delete on a Mac?
Those with a microcomputer background may be familiar with the key combination : Ctrl + Alt + Delete , used to quit apps on a microcomputer , and be wondering what ’s the equivalent on a Mac ?
This will bring up the same Force Quit Applications menu mentioned above – it wo n’t just shut down an app .
We have an in - depthguide to Force step down on a Mac here , plus we look athow to Force Quit and resume the Finder here .
For the most part , if a individual diligence is the trouble ( typically because it ’s stuck in a loop and taking up too much computer memory ) you ’ll be able to say well because you ’ll get an warning signal ( something like the one pictured below ) informing you that the app quit by chance .
How to reboot your Mac if an app won’t force quit
If you’re able to not force - quit an app , or if macOS is completely unresponsive , take these steps in decree to reboot your macintosh
When you restart you may find the file you were working on opens , however you may regain it is damaged or corrupted . If that is the case , you should endeavor to recover what you’re able to from it , and transfer any contents to a new file ( then delete the file cabinet ) .
Read : How to recover a lost Word written document .
How to find out why your Mac crashed or froze
You should enquire the effort of the crash so you may deflect the same thing happening again . If you encounter frequent freezes , check the pursual :
How to report the issue
If you believe the cause of the job was a problematic app we ’d apprize that you hunt down a few check to verify that this is n’t an result that will reoccur .
Could the crash be caused by a virus or malware attack?
It ’s unlikely that the job wascaused by a virusas these are uncommon on a Mac . However , scam website , such as ones using the attackknown as ‘ safari - get ’ , have been recognize to charge malware on to visit Macs that causes them to open huge number of tipple e-mail or iTunes windows , overloading the organization storage and causing a whorl - up .
If that fathom familiar impediment ourMac security tipsandBest Mac antivirusarticles for more direction .
Wondering how many year your Mac should last for ? Read : How long do Macs last ?
