Frozen Mac- Understanding The Reasons For An Unresponsive System

Although Mac is one of the most reliable devices around, you can still experience glitches with it once a while. A frozen or unresponsive system during a busy working day is perhaps the most dreaded thing that you may have faced. The best advice in such a situation is not to panic because you can resolve the issue by following a simple set of instructions. However, getting your Mac up and running normally depends on the ability to understand the reason for the glitch so that you can apply the apt fix. If you are confused about the possible reasons for an unresponsive Mac, here are the most common ones.

A Cluttered Desktop

If your Mac’s desktop appears cluttered, you can expect it to be unresponsive sooner rather than later. Every icon on the desktop is an image and it is redrawn whenever you start the system. Obviously, this can slow down your Mac to a significant extent and ultimately freeze it too. A periodic desktop declutter can keep you safe from such a situation. Also, it makes sense to review and organize icons and files on the desktop. There are apps that help you group the files into categories by type, so the system no longer needs to draw a large number of 100 image-icons each time it starts up.

Multiple Apps Running at Once

Running too many apps simultaneously on your Mac is another reason that can land the system in trouble. If your Mac seems to slow down when multiple tabs or apps are open or even struggles running simple tasks, it may freeze anytime. You can uninstall apps to cut down the risk even before the system stalls, else you will have to do it when it actually freezes. Check the activity monitor to see the list of apps and the RAM and CPU power they are consuming. It is best to eliminate the ones you are not using and the heaviest ones as well. At times, there are specific apps that may be responsible for the freeze and crash. It makes sense to identify such apps and purge them for good.

No Space on the Hard Drive

Another reason for your Mac going unresponsive is the absence of space on the system’s hard drive. Too many files, probably with a large number of redundant ones, can overload the hard drive with time. It is advisable to follow a periodic maintenance and cleanup routine by checking the redundant ones and deleting them to clear up space. While this action would minimize the risk of freeze, it will also be effective for improving the performance of your device. The best part is that you need not do it manually because there are specialized tools that can automate the task. 

A proactive and preventive approach goes a long way in steering clear of freeze issues with your Mac and keeping it running optimally at all points in time. So you must implement these measures in routine, even if there aren’t any warning signs of an upcoming issue.