Mac app keeps crashing or freezing? 8 fixes to try

2 min read · 8 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

An app that shows the spinning wheel for minutes, or closes without warning, can usually be brought back with a few steps. If only one app is affected, the fault is in the app or its files, not in the Mac.

Menu names are from recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings.

Step by step

1. Force the app to quit

   Click the Apple menu in the top left corner and choose Force Quit, or press Option, Command and Esc together. Select the app and click Force Quit. Changes you had not saved may be lost.

   Done

2. Open it again

   If the app closed by itself, a window appears with a Reopen button. Click it. Otherwise open the app from the Dock or the Applications folder.

   Done

3. Restart the Mac

   Choose Restart from the Apple menu. This clears memory and stops background parts of the app that may still be stuck.

   Done

4. Update the app and macOS

   Check that the app is made for your version of macOS. Install updates for the app from the App Store or from its maker, and updates for macOS under System Settings, General, Software Update.

   Done

5. Try a different file

   Open another document in the app. If the app only fails with one file, that file is damaged, and the app itself is fine.

   Done

6. Unplug new devices

   If the trouble began after you connected a printer, a drive or another device, disconnect it. It may not be compatible with your version of macOS.

   Done

7. Remove plug-ins and add-ons

   Extensions from other makers can stop working after an update of the app or of macOS. Remove them, or switch them off in the settings of the app, and test again.

   Done

8. Reinstall the app

   Delete the app and install it again. How to delete it completely: how to uninstall apps on a Mac.

   Done

Good to know

If several apps crash, test the hardware, including the memory: how to run Apple Diagnostics on a Mac.

Safe mode shows whether software that starts with the Mac is causing the crashes: how to start a Mac in safe mode.

More detail on the first step: how to force quit a frozen app on a Mac. If the whole Mac hangs: Mac keeps freezing or showing the spinning wheel.

In short: Force Quit, reopen, restart, update, other file, unplug devices, remove plug-ins, reinstall.