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Oh no! It\u2019s the dreaded colourful spinning circle icon on your Mac screen! You may have been here before as Macs lean towards a temporary freeze \u2013 even when they\u2019re known as some of the best computers on the market. So, why is your Mac freezing?<\/a> Well, it could be any number of reasons from a full hard drive to old hardware. But whatever the problem is, you can be sure that we know the best ways to unfreeze your Mac<\/a> as well as tips and tricks to keep it performing the way you want it to.<\/p>\n It\u2019s never fun when your Mac temporarily freezes, especially when you\u2019re in the middle of working on something important, or better yet, catching up on the latest episode of Game of Thrones! Thankfully, full-on Mac crashes rarely happen<\/a>, but even a short freeze can be ultra-frustrating.<\/p>\n Before you start thinking that the time is nigh for an upgrade, there are plenty of things you can do to stop your Mac from freezing. But before we get a-fixin\u2019, it\u2019s best we understand what\u2019s happening. There are plenty of ways to repair your Mac, there are even more reasons why it\u2019s freezing in the first place.<\/p>\n The main culprits are:<\/p>\n In addition to these, there are usually two kinds of issues when your Mac freezes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Say hello to the multi-coloured spinning icon again \u2013 lovingly known as the Spinning Beach Ball of Death<\/a>, whatever you want to call it\u00a0when you see this icon, it means you\u2019ve got an application error.<\/p>\n Here’s what to do if you encounter a frozen app:<\/p>\n The app is now closed. Whew! Now you can either launch it again\u00a0or delete the app and reinstall it.<\/p>\n This occurs when your entire Mac system slows down and becomes unresponsive. There\u2019s no beach ball of death, just an unusable mouse and keyboard.<\/p>\n If OS X is completely unresponsive<\/a>, then follow these steps in order:<\/p>\n If that doesn’t work, cry<\/a>. Just kidding! Simply press and hold the Power button on your Mac until it switches off. Press and release the power button to turn it back on again.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve restarted your Mac you may find that a file you were working on was damaged or corrupted. Recover what you can from it, and transfer any contents to a new file. Then delete that time-wasting file!<\/p>\n If your Mac is suffering from either of the two kinds of freezes or even both if you\u2019re really unfortunate, there are some basic precautions you can follow to minimise the occurrences of these darn things. While many of the following tips might seem obvious to you, you\u2019d be surprised to know how many people neglect their Macs. Over time, these small issues tend to get worse, leaving you with more than just a frozen Mac, but rather a broken Mac<\/a>. So, it\u2019s wise to take the necessary precautions in taking care of your Mac.<\/p>\n First things first, start with a quick hardware check to make sure that everything is working the way that it should. This will help highlight any issues that could possibly be contributing to system problems.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to do it:<\/p>\n In addition to this hardware scan, there are a few more steps you should be taking to ensure your Mac doesn\u2019t freeze.<\/p>\n When applications start to freeze or crash it\u2019s time to tidy things up! Start with the following:<\/p>\n Just keep in mind that Macs don’t usually need to be defragged<\/a>. This is because the Mac OS X file system was designed to automatically defragment files on its own. The process is otherwise known as Hot File Adaptive Clustering (HFC). What a mouthful!<\/p>\n We know that it can be hard staying on top of the latest updates as they come hard and fast at us daily, but we highly recommend that your Mac OS and all applications you use are up to date with the latest versions. Updating all of your applications will help fix performance, increase security and iron out any compatibility flaws between Mac OS and your apps. Lucky for you, Macs automatically check for OS updates<\/a> and the App Store alerts you to the most recent versions of the apps you use.<\/p>\n So often the insufficient RAM in your Mac<\/a> will cause applications to run slowly because your computer has to work hard to free up the memory space it needs. This is one of the most common causes of system freezes, and it\u2019s so easily avoidable. By adding more memory you\u2019re giving your Mac the best chance to be the best Mac it can be! Having more memory at your fingertips will also allow you to have several applications running at once, without any issues with speed.<\/p>\n As you know, no computer likes to operate with minimal disk space, and Macs are no different. If you have close to no space left this will certainly increase your frequency of system crashes, slowdowns, and freezes. To free up some space on your hard working hard drive<\/a>, do the following:<\/p>\n So, turning your Mac off and on again<\/a> may seem like the most ridiculous advice you\u2019ve ever heard when it comes to a frozen Mac, but trust us, it\u2019s for real. Restarting your Mac boots its OS and you can boot in safe mode if you want to test your Mac. More often than not, a restart will fix whatever ails your Mac. But, as with most things you\u2019ve got to do it right. To boot into safe mode, simply hold down the shift key when turning on your Mac. There\u2019s no indication in the text that you\u2019re in safe mode, but clues such as a slower system response and wonky animations will tell you\u2019re there! Keep in mind that a forced shutdown by holding the power key should only ever be used in cases where nothing else is working.<\/p>\n Sometimes a software problem is caused by another app with which it is incompatible. While most Mac applications are just apps in the Applications folder, they are still able to place additional files elsewhere on your computer. Removing any unused software<\/a> will make sure potential incompatibilities are avoided while freeing up precious disk space too. To get rid of your apps you can simply trash them through the Applications folder or even the Launchpad.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an urban legend that states that Macs are exempt from the viruses that so often afflict PCs. Unfortunately, that\u2019s a myth. Your Mac can be infected with malware<\/a> even though Apple\u2019s built-in malware detection and file quarantine capabilities make it less likely that you\u2019ll download and run any malicious software. There\u2019s no software that\u2019s able to catch everything though, especially considering how often new malware, virus and even spyware<\/a> is developed. It\u2019s always best to be vigilant when downloading software from unknown sources.<\/p>\n So before you go calling the experts about your broken Mac<\/a>, run through the following checklist.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve done all of the above and you\u2019re still experiencing Mac freezes, it\u2019s time to get in touch. We\u2019re New Zealand\u2019s most trusted Apple repair experts<\/a>, and we\u2019re here to help. Get in touch today!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Further Reading:<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.dummies.com\/how-to\/content\/what-to-do-when-your-mac-freezes.html<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/osxdaily.com\/2014\/10\/06\/force-reboot-frozen-mac\/<\/a><\/p>\nFrozen Mac -Tell me WhYYYYYYYYY!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Application Freeze<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n
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System Freeze:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Make it Stop!<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Perform Regular Housekeeping<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Keep Apps Fresh <\/em><\/h3>\n
Install More Memory<\/em><\/h3>\n
Free Up Some Space<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Power Cycle<\/em><\/h3>\n
Remove Unused Apps<\/em><\/h3>\n
Yuck, Viruses<\/em><\/h3>\n
Troubleshooting Checklist<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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