Dec 16, 2024 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
This is a query from one of the many Mac users who can’t seem to unfreeze their Mac system. It might surprise you, but a lot of Mac users also suffer from a similar situation on a daily basis. Chances are that your Mac can also be frozen on startup screen or an application like Word can be frozen on Mac as well.
Don’t worry – while the problem might seem tedious, it can easily be resolved by following some smart solutions. In this post, we will teach you what to do when Mac freezes, so that you can resolve the problem and access all the macOS features again. Let’s get to know about these solutions in detail!
This is a query from one of the many Mac users who can't seem to unfreeze their Mac system. It might surprise you, but a lot of Mac users also suffer from a similar situation on a daily basis. Chances are that your Mac can also be frozen on startup screen or an application like Word can be frozen on Mac as well.
Don't worry – while the problem might seem tedious, it can easily be resolved by following some smart solutions. In this post, we will teach you what to do when Mac freezes, so that you can resolve the problem and access all the macOS features again. Let's get to know about these solutions in detail!
Even though macOS is highly efficient, it might malfunction at times out of the blue. Before we discuss solutions to unfreeze Mac, let's quickly have a look at what could have caused this issue in the first place.
Now when you know what could have caused your Mac to be frozen, let's dive in and learn how to fix this issue.
Most of the time, a Mac screen gets frozen unexpectedly while running a faulty or malfunctioning application. Also, if the application has stopped running out of the blue, then it can tamper with your Mac's functionality as well. In this case, you can forcefully close the application to unfreeze Mac.
Apart from being a faulty application, there could be different reasons for an Apple Mac to be frozen. If even after closing or removing an application, your Mac computer stays frozen, then you should try to forcefully shut it down.
The safe mode in Mac works quite similar to that of Windows. When we restart Mac in safe mode, it would only load the essential applications and processes. It even restricts the network connection to ensure that the system remains secure. Therefore, if your Mac freezes randomly, then consider following these steps to boot it in the safe mode instead.
If you think there is an issue with your Mac system, then you should take the assistance of its Disk Utility. This is an inbuilt feature in Mac that can help us repair macOS, reinstall it, or perform an extensive scan of the system. If you are lucky, then you would be able to fix Mac screen frozen by running macOS Utilities.
If your Mac system is running low on free space, then it can also cause it to slow down. Sometimes, the system can be so packed that it might not have enough space to run any process or application as well. As a result, the system shuts down, or Mac mouse freezes in between. You can consider the following suggestions to make more free space on your Mac.
Apart from some general problems related to Mac frozen screen, your system can encounter specific issues too. Here are some of these particular problems related to Mac with their easy solutions.
The Mac cursor frozen is one of the most common issues that you might also encounter. If you are using a USB mouse, then make sure it has working batteries or no physical damage. Also, get your touchpad checked and clean it from any dirt or debris. If there is any accessibility or software issue, then consider these suggestions.
The quickest way to fix your Mac cursor frozen is by visiting the System Preferences > Accessibility settings. Go to the "Display" tab and increase the cursor size. You can also enable the option to view mouse cursor on shaking.
You can also choose to reconfigure the mouse from the start as well. To do this, just visit the "Mouse" panel under System Preferences. From here, you can configure the point and click options. Also, go to the gestures tab to enable/disable any feature.
MS Word is one of the most widely used applications out there, which can help Mac users in different ways. Though, if you are running an old version of Mac or if there is a conflict in its command, then it can make Word frozen on Mac as well. The good thing is that you can easily fix it in the following manner.
Both the template and auto-recovery files are considered quite important in Word. Though, these files can also tamper with the functioning of Mac at times. To fix Word frozen on Mac, click on Go > Go to Folder on the main menu and enter ""~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery/". This will load the AutoRecovery folder from where you can delete the recovery Word files on Mac.
Subsequently, you can also reset the temp files related to Word as well. To do this, go to Word Preferences > File Locations and select the "User templates" option. Now, click on the "Reset" button.
If you are running an outdated version of MS Word on your Mac, then you are bound to face unwanted issues with it. To avoid this, just launch Word and go to Help > Check for Updates. Here, you can enable the automatic check and install feature as well. Again, click on the "Check for Updates" button to download the recent Word update.
Safari is the default browser on Mac and is widely used by many to access the web seamlessly. Though, just like any other application, it can also malfunction on your system. Whenever Safari freezes on Mac, consider following these suggestions.
If there is a lot of saved data and browsing history on Safari, then it can make the browser run slower than ever. Therefore, if Safari freezes Mac way too often, then you should get rid of it instead. Just launch Safari on Mac and go to its History > Clear History and Website Data to do the same.
Just like other popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox, even Safari supports tons of extensions. Though, some third-party extensions can be a bit unreliable and might corrupt your browser itself. To resolve this, just launch Safari, and go to its Preferences > Extensions. Just select the extension you want to get rid of and click on the "Uninstall" button to remove it.
If your Mac has been frozen, then you must have heard from people to update its OS in order to resolve the conflict. But what would happen if Mac gets frozen while installing the update? In most of the cases, it is resolved with the following fix.
Simply force-restart Mac whenever it gets stuck while updating by long-pressing the power button. While it restarts, press and hold the Shift key to boot it in the recovery mode. From here, choose to reinstall the macOS update again. Just click on the "Install" button to download the fresh copy and get rid of the old update.
NVRAM is the non-volatile RAM in a system that stores vital information about the OS and its processes (like display, volume, and screen resolution). Therefore, if your Mac freezes up constantly during its update, then consider resetting its NVRAM instead. To do this, restart the Mac and press the Command + Option + P + R keys at the same time. This will automatically reset its NVRAM while restarting your Mac.
If while turning on, your Mac freezes unexpectedly, then you must be alarmed. There might be a problem with its bootstrap loader or BIOS that should be fixed immediately. Here's what you can do if Mac keeps freezing during the startup process.
Internet recovery works quite similarly to the normal recovery mode on Mac. Once you connect to a stable network, it will perform the needed steps to unfreeze Mac. To put your Mac in the recovery mode, restart it first. While it boots, press the Option + Command + R keys at the same time. Now, connect your system to a working network and start the internet recovery.
If your Mac has been frozen on startup, we recommend taking the assistance of the startup manager. This will let you manually decide how and from where you wish to boot your Mac. If you want, you can take the assistance of an external drive to boot your Mac as well. Firstly, restart your Mac and press the Power + Option keys at the same time once you hear the startup chime. This will load the startup manager so that you can select a disk to load the startup program.
Just like Mac is getting frozen during the startup, it might encounter some issues during the login screen as well. A lot of users find it hard to login to their user account after starting Mac. If your Mac screen freezes during the login, then consider following these tips.
Chances are that there could be an issue with the macOS as well, causing this error. To resolve this, restart your Mac and press the Command + R keys during the startup to enter the recovery mode. From the available macOS Utilities, click on the "Reinstall macOS" option. Simply follow the basic on-screen instructions to reinstall the OS on your Mac and fix it.
Whenever our Mac freezes randomly, it might cause a lot of issues and unwanted problems – one of them is the unexpected loss of our data. Chances are that you might be working on an important document when Mac was frozen, causing its unavailability. If you wish to get back your lost data, then take the assistance of Recoverit Mac Data Recovery. It is a freely available data recovery application that runs on every major Mac version. It can extract all kinds of lost, deleted or inaccessible content under various scenarios. This includes your photos, videos, audios, documents, zipped files, and so much more.
To understand how to retrieve deleted notes on Mac using Recoverit Data Recovery, the following steps can be followed:
Firstly, launch Recoverit Data Recovery on your Mac and select a location to scan. We will mark the internal storage of Mac to scan in this case.
As the application would start the data extraction process, you are expected to wait for a while for it to complete. Try not to close the application until the process is completed.
In the end, the application will display all the data extracted from the source into different categories. You can just preview your photos, videos, etc. and select the files you wish to save. Click on the "Recover" button in the end and save them to a trusted location.
By now, you must be able to learn what to do if your Mac freezes randomly. Though, if you wish to avoid this situation altogether, then why not follow these tips.
That's a wrap, folks! After reading this in-depth guide, you would be able to fix a Mac screen frozen issue for sure. Now when you know how to unfreeze Mac, you can easily overcome this unwanted issue. Also, if you don't want to lose your important data, then give Recoverit Data Recovery a try. A highly advanced data recovery tool, it will make sure that you never experience a sudden loss of your important files again. Keep this free data recovery application for Mac handy, as it can be of great help in recovering your important files.
Even though macOS is highly efficient, it might malfunction at times out of the blue. Before we discuss solutions to unfreeze Mac, let’s quickly have a look at what could have caused this issue in the first place.
Now when you know what could have caused your Mac to be frozen, let’s dive in and learn how to fix this issue.
Most of the time, a Mac screen gets frozen unexpectedly while running a faulty or malfunctioning application. Also, if the application has stopped running out of the blue, then it can tamper with your Mac’s functionality as well. In this case, you can forcefully close the application to unfreeze Mac.
Apart from being a faulty application, there could be different reasons for an Apple Mac to be frozen. If even after closing or removing an application, your Mac computer stays frozen, then you should try to forcefully shut it down.
The safe mode in Mac works quite similar to that of Windows. When we restart Mac in safe mode, it would only load the essential applications and processes. It even restricts the network connection to ensure that the system remains secure. Therefore, if your Mac freezes randomly, then consider following these steps to boot it in the safe mode instead.
If you think there is an issue with your Mac system, then you should take the assistance of its Disk Utility. This is an inbuilt feature in Mac that can help us repair macOS, reinstall it, or perform an extensive scan of the system. If you are lucky, then you would be able to fix Mac screen frozen by running macOS Utilities.
If your Mac system is running low on free space, then it can also cause it to slow down. Sometimes, the system can be so packed that it might not have enough space to run any process or application as well. As a result, the system shuts down, or Mac mouse freezes in between. You can consider the following suggestions to make more free space on your Mac.
Apart from some general problems related to Mac frozen screen, your system can encounter specific issues too. Here are some of these particular problems related to Mac with their easy solutions.
The Mac cursor frozen is one of the most common issues that you might also encounter. If you are using a USB mouse, then make sure it has working batteries or no physical damage. Also, get your touchpad checked and clean it from any dirt or debris. If there is any accessibility or software issue, then consider these suggestions.
The quickest way to fix your Mac cursor frozen is by visiting the System Preferences > Accessibility settings. Go to the “Display” tab and increase the cursor size. You can also enable the option to view mouse cursor on shaking.
You can also choose to reconfigure the mouse from the start as well. To do this, just visit the “Mouse” panel under System Preferences. From here, you can configure the point and click options. Also, go to the gestures tab to enable/disable any feature.
MS Word is one of the most widely used applications out there, which can help Mac users in different ways. Though, if you are running an old version of Mac or if there is a conflict in its command, then it can make Word frozen on Mac as well. The good thing is that you can easily fix it in the following manner.
Both the template and auto-recovery files are considered quite important in Word. Though, these files can also tamper with the functioning of Mac at times. To fix Word frozen on Mac, click on Go > Go to Folder on the main menu and enter ““~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery/”. This will load the AutoRecovery folder from where you can delete the recovery Word files on Mac.
Subsequently, you can also reset the temp files related to Word as well. To do this, go to Word Preferences > File Locations and select the “User templates” option. Now, click on the “Reset” button.
If you are running an outdated version of MS Word on your Mac, then you are bound to face unwanted issues with it. To avoid this, just launch Word and go to Help > Check for Updates. Here, you can enable the automatic check and install feature as well. Again, click on the “Check for Updates” button to download the recent Word update.
Safari is the default browser on Mac and is widely used by many to access the web seamlessly. Though, just like any other application, it can also malfunction on your system. Whenever Safari freezes on Mac, consider following these suggestions.
If there is a lot of saved data and browsing history on Safari, then it can make the browser run slower than ever. Therefore, if Safari freezes Mac way too often, then you should get rid of it instead. Just launch Safari on Mac and go to its History > Clear History and Website Data to do the same.
Just like other popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox, even Safari supports tons of extensions. Though, some third-party extensions can be a bit unreliable and might corrupt your browser itself. To resolve this, just launch Safari, and go to its Preferences > Extensions. Just select the extension you want to get rid of and click on the “Uninstall” button to remove it.
If your Mac has been frozen, then you must have heard from people to update its OS in order to resolve the conflict. But what would happen if Mac gets frozen while installing the update? In most of the cases, it is resolved with the following fix.
Simply force-restart Mac whenever it gets stuck while updating by long-pressing the power button. While it restarts, press and hold the Shift key to boot it in the recovery mode. From here, choose to reinstall the macOS update again. Just click on the “Install” button to download the fresh copy and get rid of the old update.
NVRAM is the non-volatile RAM in a system that stores vital information about the OS and its processes (like display, volume, and screen resolution). Therefore, if your Mac freezes up constantly during its update, then consider resetting its NVRAM instead. To do this, restart the Mac and press the Command + Option + P + R keys at the same time. This will automatically reset its NVRAM while restarting your Mac.
If while turning on, your Mac freezes unexpectedly, then you must be alarmed. There might be a problem with its bootstrap loader or BIOS that should be fixed immediately. Here’s what you can do if Mac keeps freezing during the startup process.
Internet recovery works quite similarly to the normal recovery mode on Mac. Once you connect to a stable network, it will perform the needed steps to unfreeze Mac. To put your Mac in the recovery mode, restart it first. While it boots, press the Option + Command + R keys at the same time. Now, connect your system to a working network and start the internet recovery.
If your Mac has been frozen on startup, we recommend taking the assistance of the startup manager. This will let you manually decide how and from where you wish to boot your Mac. If you want, you can take the assistance of an external drive to boot your Mac as well. Firstly, restart your Mac and press the Power + Option keys at the same time once you hear the startup chime. This will load the startup manager so that you can select a disk to load the startup program.
Just like Mac is getting frozen during the startup, it might encounter some issues during the login screen as well. A lot of users find it hard to login to their user account after starting Mac. If your Mac screen freezes during the login, then consider following these tips.
Chances are that there could be an issue with the macOS as well, causing this error. To resolve this, restart your Mac and press the Command + R keys during the startup to enter the recovery mode. From the available macOS Utilities, click on the “Reinstall macOS” option. Simply follow the basic on-screen instructions to reinstall the OS on your Mac and fix it.
Whenever our Mac freezes randomly, it might cause a lot of issues and unwanted problems – one of them is the unexpected loss of our data. Chances are that you might be working on an important document when Mac was frozen, causing its unavailability. If you wish to get back your lost data, then take the assistance of Recoverit Mac Data Recovery. It is a freely available data recovery application that runs on every major Mac version. It can extract all kinds of lost, deleted or inaccessible content under various scenarios. This includes your photos, videos, audios, documents, zipped files, and so much more.
To understand how to retrieve deleted notes on Mac using Recoverit Data Recovery, the following steps can be followed:
Firstly, launch Recoverit Data Recovery on your Mac and select a location to scan. We will mark the internal storage of Mac to scan in this case.
As the application would start the data extraction process, you are expected to wait for a while for it to complete. Try not to close the application until the process is completed.
In the end, the application will display all the data extracted from the source into different categories. You can just preview your photos, videos, etc. and select the files you wish to save. Click on the “Recover” button in the end and save them to a trusted location.
By now, you must be able to learn what to do if your Mac freezes randomly. Though, if you wish to avoid this situation altogether, then why not follow these tips.
That’s a wrap, folks! After reading this in-depth guide, you would be able to fix a Mac screen frozen issue for sure. Now when you know how to unfreeze Mac, you can easily overcome this unwanted issue. Also, if you don’t want to lose your important data, then give Recoverit Data Recovery a try. A highly advanced data recovery tool, it will make sure that you never experience a sudden loss of your important files again. Keep this free data recovery application for Mac handy, as it can be of great help in recovering your important files.
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