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Solving “Application Not Responding” Problems

Issue Description 

Apps freeze, stop responding, or display spinning beachball cursor. 

Common Causes 

  • App bugs or memory leaks 
  • Insufficient RAM 
  • Disk or permission issues 

Step-by-Step Solution 

Step 1: Force Quit the App 

  • Press Command + Option + Esc 
  • Select the app → Force Quit 

 

Step 2: Check System Resources 

  • Open Activity Monitor 
  • Review CPU and Memory tabs 
  • Quit apps consuming excessive resources 

 

Step 3: Restart the App or Mac 

  • Relaunch the app 
  • Restart Mac if issue persists 

 

Step 4: Update or Reinstall the App 

  • Install latest version 
  • Reinstall if freezing continues 

Explore Further 

  • Check Console logs for app crashes 

Prevention & Best Practices 

Avoid running outdated apps on new macOS versions.