What is what to do when macbook freezes?

When your Macbook freezes, here's what you can try, starting with the least disruptive options:

• Wait it out: Sometimes, a freeze is temporary, especially if your Macbook is doing something processor-intensive. Give it a few minutes to see if it resolves itself.

• Force Quit: This is your first line of defense.

  • Press Command + Option + Escape keys simultaneously. This opens the Force Quit Applications window.
  • Select the unresponsive application and click "Force Quit". If the Finder itself is frozen, try force quitting it. It will relaunch automatically.

• Use the Activity Monitor: If you can't identify the freezing application, use the Activity%20Monitor to see which processes are consuming the most resources. You can then force quit the offending process from within Activity Monitor. (Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor).

• Force Restart: If Force Quit doesn't work, try a force restart. This is more drastic as it doesn't allow the system to shut down cleanly.

  • Press and hold the power button until the Macbook shuts down (usually 5-10 seconds).
  • Wait a few seconds, then press the power button again to restart. Be aware that unsaved data may be lost.

• Safe Mode: If the problem persists after restarting, boot into Safe%20Mode. This loads only essential kernel extensions, potentially isolating the cause of the freeze.

  • Shut down your Macbook.
  • Press the power button to turn it on.
  • Immediately press and hold the Shift key until you see the Apple logo.
  • If the Macbook runs fine in Safe Mode, a third-party extension or startup item is likely the culprit. Restart normally and troubleshoot those items.

• Check Disk Space: A full hard drive can cause performance issues, including freezes. Make sure you have at least 10-20GB of free space.

• Check for Updates: Outdated software or macOS can contribute to instability. Go to System Preferences > Software Update to check for and install any available updates.

• Hardware Diagnostics: Run Apple Diagnostics to check for hardware problems.

  • Disconnect all external devices except the power adapter, keyboard, mouse, and display.
  • Shut down your Macbook.
  • Turn on your Macbook and immediately press and hold the D key until you see a progress bar or a language selection menu.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions.

• Reinstall macOS: As a last resort, you can reinstall macOS. This will erase your hard drive, so be sure to back up your important files beforehand. You can reinstall from Recovery Mode. This can be accessed by starting up your Mac and immediately pressing and holding Command (⌘)-R until you see the Apple logo.

• Contact Apple Support: If none of the above steps resolve the issue, there may be a more serious hardware or software problem. Contact Apple%20Support for assistance.