MacOS freezes - what to do?

This practical tip shows you what you can do when Mac OS freezes.

Mac OS Freezes: The Reasons

If Mac OS or individual programs freeze, this rarely has anything to do with the hardware. This is usually a known problem with Mac OS X. If you want to know more exactly what went wrong, you can view the crash reports under Programs -> Utilities -> Console -> Files.

Mac OS frozen: a single program does not work

Sometimes only a single program stops working. In this case, end it with a simple key combination.

• Use the key combination CMD + ALT + ESC to open the "End Process Immediately" dialog box.
• Select the program that is no longer responding and end the process.

Mac OS X freezes - mouse and keyboard still work

If the Mac hangs, check whether the mouse and keyboard are still responding.

• If the system is frozen and you can still use the mouse and keyboard, exit the Finder with CMD + ALT + ESC. This will reload the user interface.
• If this does not lead to the desired success, you can log out of the system with the key combination CMD + SHIFT + Q. Logging out is similar to restarting, but is a little faster.

Mac OS freezes - what to do?

If the mouse and keyboard also stop responding, the only thing left to do is restart the system.

• Hold down the power button until the Mac shuts down. Then restart the computer if the problem is usually resolved.

In another practical tip, we will show you how to update your system under Mac OS X.