CrackMacMacBook screen frozen? How to unfreeze it and stop it happening
Press Command-Option-Escape and force quit the app that's stuck. If the pointer doesn't move and nothing responds, hold the power button for about ten seconds until the Mac turns off, then start it again. Unsaved work in the frozen app is lost either way, so try the force quit first.
Step by step
- Wait ten seconds. A spinning wheel often clears on its own.
- Force quit the app. Command-Option-Escape opens the Force Quit window. Select the app marked "not responding" and click Force Quit.
- Force quit from the Dock. Option-click or right-click the app's icon and choose Force Quit.
- Restart from the keyboard. Control-Command-Power restarts the Mac without asking.
- Hold the power button. About ten seconds turns the Mac off when nothing else works.
Is it frozen, or is the screen broken?
Press Caps Lock. If its light changes, the Mac is running and only the picture is stuck or missing. If the pointer moves but part of the screen never changes, that part of the panel is damaged and showing a stuck image. See one side of the screen black.
If it keeps freezing
- Check storage. System Settings, General, Storage. Below about 10 percent free, macOS slows down and stalls.
- Check memory. Activity Monitor, Memory tab. A red or yellow memory pressure graph means too much is open.
- Update macOS and your apps.
- Try safe mode. If the Mac doesn't freeze in safe mode, a login item or background app is the cause.
- Note what was running. Freezes that always happen in the same app point to that app.
If the damage runs along one edge, CrackMac can keep windows, menus and the pointer off it. There's a free 30-minute trial.
Quick answers
How do I unfreeze my MacBook?
Press Command-Option-Escape to force quit the app that's stuck. If nothing responds at all, hold the power button for about ten seconds until the Mac turns off, then turn it on again.
Why does my Mac keep freezing?
Usually one app, full or nearly full storage, too little memory for what's open, or a problem after an update. Activity Monitor and safe mode help find which.
Not frozen, just partly dead?
If the screen responds but one strip of it never changes, the panel is damaged there. CrackMac keeps windows, menus and the pointer off that strip so the rest of the screen works like a normal one.
- Works on macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
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