Q&A for How to Fix a Frozen Mac

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What if my Mac still isn't working after I force reboot it?

Chiara Corsaro
Phone & Computer Repair Technician
Chiara Corsaro is the General Manager and Apple Certified Mac & iOS Technician for macVolks, Inc., an Apple Authorized Service Provider located in the San Francisco Bay Area. macVolks, Inc. was founded in 1990, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, and is part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN).

Chiara Corsaro

Phone & Computer Repair Technician

Expert Answer

If at that point you're still experiencing freezing issues, I would say as a precaution, especially if you do not have a backup, to turn your computer off completely. Because when you do experience slow performance issues sometimes—not to say every time—but sometimes that can be an indication of a hardware failure, specifically the hard drive, or even possibly the memory.

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Question

What should I do if my Mac isn't responding?

Community Answer

Manually restart it using the ON/OFF button.

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Question

What do I do if my Mac is freezing periodically?

Community Answer

Back up your hard disk using Time Machine! These periodic freezes are warning that the system is deteriorating. Save everything before it does.

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Question

My iMac screensaver is frozen but the arrow cursor will move. I have tried several ways to reboot but nothing works. Any advice?

Community Answer

Try to hold the shut down button for about 10 seconds until you hear it turn it off. Then turn it back on and wait.

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Question

How do I do an update?

Community Answer

Check out this article on updating a Mac.

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What if my screen is not frozen and my mouse moves, but when I click, the Mac doesn’t respond?

Community Answer

Hold the power button for around 5 - 10 seconds, then turn the Mac back on. It should fix the problem temporarily.

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