How to Solve the Issue of Mac Constantly Crashing [macOS Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur]

Has your Mac been crashing lately, and you're unsure of the cause? Apple Macs have a reputation for crashing, which is a prevalent issue, especially with Intel-based Macs.

Since Intel Macs are less powerful compared to Apple silicon and not as optimized, the issue of Mac crashes is more common in Intel-based MacBook models.

Translation into English:

If your Mac keeps crashing and you're seeking a solution to fix it, we've got you covered. Keep reading to find out how to stop those pesky crashes.

Causes: Why Your Mac Keeps Restarting/Freezing

There are several reasons why your Mac might be constantly crashing, and there are steps you can take to address this issue. By preventing these crashes from occurring, you can avoid the inconvenience of having to fix your Mac later on.

But you can take steps to prevent your Mac from crashing in the future.

1. macOS Update Issue

If you recently encountered an issue, such as being stuck with an older version of macOS until Apple releases an update with bug fixes,

2. Low Space on the Startup Disk

If your storage is running low, your Mac Ventura might not start up, launch applications, or perform specific commands or tasks. When your Mac is low on space, you should delete files or applications to free up space on your Mac's SSD. Doing this will prevent your Mac from crashing, as it will have more room on the drive to store and process data.

3. Insufficient CPU for Handling CPU-Intensive Tasks

If your Mac is outdated or you're running too many resource-intensive applications, it might struggle to function properly. When this happens, your Mac can crash because it's unable to cope with the demand.

Close a few applications by launching them and pressing CMD + Q, or by pressing Option + Command + ESC, then selecting "Force Quit."

4. Poor Race Conditions for Accessing System Resources

This is another issue that users often fail to realize. Every application requires your PC's resources to function properly.

Even if you're not running many resource-intensive tasks and simply have numerous lighter programs open in the background, this can gradually consume your Mac's resources, eventually causing it to crash.

5. Incompatible Software and Hardware

If you're using a very old Mac or an Apple silicon-based Mac, your system might crash due to incompatible software. Here's an explanation: Although Apple silicon Macs have been in the market for a while, numerous applications are still in the process of being updated to support these newer machines. Rosetta is a technology that facilitates the translation of apps designed for Intel-based Macs to run on Apple silicon Macs.

And let's say you're using an older Mac and attempting to install modern applications that require substantial resources. In that scenario, your Mac might crash because the hardware is not compatible with running resource-intensive programs.

Solutions: Identify and Resolve the Issue of Mac Constantly Crashing

So if your Mac keeps crashing, how do you resolve the issue, and what steps can you take? There are 7 approaches you can attempt to address this problem. Let's follow through!

Solution 1: Restart Your Mac

Restarting your Mac shuts down all processes and boots your computer without any previously running tasks in the background.

If your Mac is experiencing crashes or you're encountering issues, restarting it will resolve them.

Here's how to restart a Mac: 1. Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of the screen. 2. From the dropdown menu, select "Restart." 3. A confirmation dialog box may appear asking if you want to restart. Click "Restart" again to proceed. 4. Your Mac will then shut down and turn back on automatically. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut: - Press and hold the "Command" + "Control" + "Power" buttons simultaneously. Release them when the restart process begins. If your Mac is unresponsive, you can perform a forced restart: - Press and hold the "Power" button for about 10 seconds until the Mac turns off. Then press the "Power" button again to turn it back on.

Step 1. Click on the Apple logo in the menu bar at the top of the screen.

Click on the Apple Logo

Step 2. Next, choose "Restart."

Select the "Restart" option. 

Step 3. Give your Mac some time to close all applications and restart.

Solution 2: Reinstall macOS

As previously mentioned, if your macOS update didn't proceed correctly or if you experienced issues during the process, it can lead to your Mac crashing or encountering other performance problems.

To resolve this issue, you can reinstall macOS. Follow these steps to reinstall macOS:

Step 1. Restart your Mac.

Step 2. On an Apple silicon Mac, press and hold the power button until the startup options window appears after your Mac starts up, and then choose "Options."

Step 3. In the utility window, choose "Reinstall macOS" and click "Continue."

Step 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish reinstalling macOS.

Solution 3: Run Apple Diagnostic

Run the Apple Diagnostics to see what's causing your Mac to crash.

Here's how to run Apple Diagnostics: 1. **Shut Down Your Mac**: First, turn off your Mac completely by clicking the Apple menu in the top left corner and selecting "Shut Down." 2. **Boot into Diagnostics Mode**: Press and hold the `D` key while your Mac is starting up. Keep holding it until you see the Apple logo or a language selection screen. Release the `D` key when you see either of these. 3. **Wait for the Utility to Load**: Apple Diagnostics will load and begin running automated tests on your Mac's hardware, such as the memory, processor, and internal peripherals. 4. **Follow On-Screen Instructions**: If prompted, select your language and wait for the diagnostics to start. The process may take a few minutes. 5. **View Results**: Once the tests are complete, Apple Diagnostics will display any issues it found along with a brief description and recommended actions. Note down the error codes if provided. 6. **Take Action**: If there are no issues, you'll see a message saying so. If issues are detected, follow the on-screen instructions or contact Apple Support for further assistance. You can also choose to restart your Mac by selecting "Restart" from the menu. 7. **Exit Diagnostics**: To exit Apple Diagnostics, simply restart your Mac as you normally would. Remember, Apple Diagnostics is only available on Macs released after 2013. For older models, use the older "Apple Hardware Test" instead, which can be accessed by pressing and holding the `D` key while starting up from an installed macOS, not from the recovery partition.

• Restart your Mac and press and hold the "D" key while it boots up.
• The Apple Diagnostics utility will appear and run automatically.
• Once it finishes gathering information, it will display any issues found and their potential causes.

Solution 4: Run Disk Utility First Aid Before attempting any data recovery, it's essential to check the health of your storage device. You can do this using macOS's built-in Disk Utility app. Here's how: 1. Open **Disk Utility**. You can find it in the **Applications** folder > **Utilities** folder. 2. In the left sidebar, select the drive you want to check (not the individual volumes or partitions). 3. Click on the **First Aid** tab at the top. 4. Click the **Run** button next to **Verify Disk**. This will scan for any issues with your drive. 5. If errors are found, click **Repair Disk**. It's important to note that repairing the disk may not always recover lost data, but it's a necessary step before attempting recovery. After running First Aid, if your files are still missing, proceed to the next solution.

This process can address issues with your device's disk or volume. If your Mac is continually crashing, this simple maintenance procedure could be helpful for you.

Here's how you can accomplish this:

• Restart your Mac and press and hold CMD+R.
• In the macOS Utilities window, select "Disk Utility" and click "Continue."
• Select your SSD or the fusion drive, and then click on the "First Aid" tab.
• Click "Run" and then "Continue."

Solution 5. Reset NVRAM and SMC To troubleshoot your Mac's issues, you can try resetting the NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory) and SMC (System Management Controller). These steps are applicable for most Intel-based Macs: **Resetting NVRAM:** 1. **Shut down** your Mac. 2. Press and hold the following keys together: **Command (⌘)**, **Option (⌥)**, **P**, and **R**. 3. Turn on your Mac while keeping the keys pressed. 4. Continue holding the keys until you hear the startup sound **twice**. 5. Release all the keys simultaneously. **Resetting SMC:** For **MacBook models with a removable battery:** 1. Shut down your Mac. 2. Disconnect the power adapter (if plugged in). 3. Remove the battery. 4. Press and hold the **Power button** for 5 seconds. 5. Release the power button. 6. Reinsert the battery. 7. Connect the power adapter. 8. Turn on your Mac. For **MacBook models without a removable battery (from Mid-2009 onwards):** 1. Shut down your Mac. 2. Connect the power adapter (if not already connected). 3. Press and hold the **Left Shift + Control + Option** keys along with the **Power button**. 4. Release all keys and the power button at the same time. 5. The MacBook will turn on. 6. Let it boot up normally. After completing both resets, check if the issue has been resolved.

You might be able to prevent your Mac from crashing by resetting the NVRAM and SMC.

Here's how to perform an NVRAM reset: 1. Shut down your computer completely. 2. Locate the following keys on your keyboard: Command (⌘), Option (⌥), P, and R. 3. Press and hold these four keys together before turning on your computer. 4. Keep holding the keys until you hear the startup sound for the second time. 5. Release all the keys simultaneously when you hear the second startup sound, indicating that NVRAM has been reset. After the NVRAM reset, your computer will start up normally with the default settings restored.

Step 1. Restart your Mac and simultaneously press and hold the CMD + Option + P + R keys.

Step 2. Hold down the keys until you see the Apple logo.

Step 3. You've now reset the NVRAM, and your Mac should boot normally.

The System Management Controller, abbreviated as SMC, is responsible for numerous functionalities on a Mac. Within the Mac's motherboard, there is a component called the System Management Controller. To reset the SMC, follow these steps:

Step 1. Restart your Mac and press and hold the Shift + Option + Control + R keys together.

Step 2. Continue holding until the Apple logo appears.

Step 3. Your SMC has now been reset, and your Mac should start up normally.

Solution 6. Boot into Mac Recovery Mode

To prevent your Mac from crashing, follow these steps to boot it into Recovery Mode, which allows you to reset your Mac in a stable and secure manner: 1. **Shut down your Mac**: First, ensure your Mac is turned off by clicking the Apple menu in the top-left corner and selecting "Shut Down." 2. **Restart your Mac**: Press the power button to turn it back on. 3. **Press and hold the key combination**: As soon as you hear the startup sound, press and hold the Command + R keys together. Keep holding them until you see an Apple logo, a spinning globe, or a progress bar appear on the screen. This indicates that you've successfully entered Recovery Mode. 4. **Wait for the Utilities window**: Your Mac will now load the Recovery System. This may take a few minutes. Once it's done, a window titled "Utilities" will appear. 5. **Reset your Mac**: From the Utilities window, you can choose various options to troubleshoot your Mac. To reset it, click on "Disk Utility," then select your main drive (usually named "Macintosh HD"). If necessary, click the "First Aid" tab and run a disk repair. If the issue persists, you might want to consider reinstalling macOS by selecting "Reinstall macOS" from the Utilities window. 6. **Exit Recovery Mode**: After completing the necessary steps, restart your Mac as usual by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "Restart." Your Mac should now be in a more stable state. Remember, if you encounter any issues during this process or if the problem persists, don't hesitate to seek assistance from Apple Support or a certified technician.

Recovery Mode for Intel-based Macs

• Click on the Apple logo in the menu bar and select "Restart."
• Press and hold the Command (Cmd) and R keys simultaneously.
• Continue holding until you see the Apple logo appear.

**Recovery mode for Apple Silicon Macs:** To enter Recovery mode on an Apple Silicon Mac, do this: 1. **Turn off your Mac**: Press and hold the power button until it shuts down. 2. **Boot into Recovery mode**: Press and hold the power button again until you get the startup options screen. You'll see a globe, the Apple logo, and a disk selection choice. 3. **Pick your language**: Use the arrow keys to highlight your language, then hit Return. 4. **Choose Recovery**: On the next screen, you'll see a menu bar with "Utilities." Click that, then select "Restart..." from the drop-down. 5. **Wait for it to finish**: Your Mac will restart and go into Recovery mode. The progress bar might take a while to show up, so hang tight. 6. **Use Recovery tools**: In Recovery mode, you can access stuff like Disk Utility, reinstall macOS, or contact Apple Support. These tools help fix or restore your system. If you need **Internet Recovery**, let go of the power button when you see the progress bar or "Loading installer data..." message. That'll connect your Mac to Apple's servers to download the recovery system over the internet.

Restart your Mac, and then press and hold the power button. Click on the gear icon, and then click on "Continue." Enter your password and follow the on-screen instructions accordingly.

Solution 7. Free Up More Space on Your Mac

This one is pretty self-explanatory: if a computer's hard drive is full, it's going to be stressed out, and therefore will perform poorly. Get rid of any apps you're not using and files that are no longer useful to free up space on your Mac.

This will allow your Mac to run more smoothly, and you shouldn't experience any further crashes.

Bonus Tip: Recover Data When Mac Crashes

File loss is a common occurrence when computers malfunction. When your Mac experiences a crash, you might lose your files or data that was saved due to corruption. Furthermore, repeated crashes can result in an inability to boot up your Mac altogether.

Fortunately, you can recover deleted files on Mac with the assistance of an advanced and robust data recovery software — tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

You can utilize the Data Recovery Wizard tool to retrieve data from a non-functional MacBook or recover lost files due to malfunctions, fix damaged photos, mend corrupted videos, and perform many other tasks.

The steps below will guide you through booting your Mac and recovering your data using the tool Data Recovery for Mac.

First, you need to enter Recovery Mode on your Mac:

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Step 1. Launch the Tool in Recovery Mode

From the top menu, choose "Utilities" then "Terminal." Enter the command sh <(curl https://d3.tools.com/mac/boot.sh) and press "Return." Wait for the application to launch, which may take a few minutes.

Notice: If your terminal shows "No such file or directory" or "Host unresolved", make sure you've typed the command correctly, verify that your Mac has a stable internet connection, and confirm that your macOS version is macOS 10.15 or later.

**Step 2. Select the Volume on Your Mac Hard Drive** At this stage, you'll need to pick the specific volume or partition on your Mac's hard drive that you want to recover data from. Here's how to do it: 1. In the Disk Utility app, you'll see a list of drives and volumes connected to your Mac. Typically, the main hard drive is labeled "Macintosh HD," but it might have a custom name if you've changed it. 2. On the left sidebar, locate and click on the hard drive icon (the top-level entry) to expand the view and display its partitions or volumes. 3. Identify the volume from which you want to recover data. This could be the primary partition ("Macintosh HD") or an additional volume you created. 4. Once you've found the right volume, click on it to select it. The selected volume will be highlighted. 5. With the correct volume chosen, move on to the next step to commence the data recovery process using your selected software.

Choose the volume where your lost data is stored and click "Search for lost files". The tool software will promptly locate all recoverable data on the selected volume.

Step 3. Select the Lost Data You Want

The tools software categorizes the scanned recoverable data by file type and storage path. To locate the data you desire, click on "Type" or "Path" in the left panel. Afterwards, simply check the boxes in front of the data you wish to recover.

Step 4. Recover and Save Data on an External Disk This step involves retrieving and saving your data onto an external hard drive after the recovery process. 1. **Connect the External Disk**: First, connect the external hard drive to your computer using a USB cable or the appropriate connection method. 2. **Open the Data Recovery Software**: Launch the data recovery software that you have installed on your computer. 3. **Select the External Drive**: In the software, choose the external hard drive as the destination for the recovered files. Make sure it's properly recognized by the software. 4. **Scan for Lost Data**: Initiate a scan of the source device (your internal hard drive or other storage device) where the data was originally stored. The software will search for deleted, lost, or damaged files. 5. **Preview and Select Files**: Once the scan is complete, browse through the listed files and preview them if possible. Select the files you want to recover and save to the external disk. 6. **Start the Recovery Process**: Click on the 'Recover' or 'Save' button to begin transferring the selected files to the external hard drive. Be patient, as this process may take some time depending on the size of the files. 7. **Monitor the Progress**: Keep an eye on the progress bar to ensure the transfer is proceeding smoothly. Do not disconnect the external drive during this process. 8. **Verify the Recovered Files**: After the transfer is complete, disconnect the external hard drive safely and check the recovered files to ensure they are intact and usable. 9. **Backup Your Data Regularly**: To prevent future data loss, establish a routine to back up your important data regularly on the external hard drive or other reliable storage solutions. By following these steps, you can successfully recover and save your valuable data onto an external disk, providing a secure backup and preventing potential data loss.

Click the "Recover" button, and a pop-up window will appear, asking you to "Select a target location to save." Choose the external disk as the new destination for your recovered data.

Final Thoughts

Running resource-intensive applications on your Mac can cause it to crash, particularly if it's old or has insufficient power. If your Mac still crashes despite this, ensure you have the latest macOS update and upgrade to the most recent version. If none of these seem to help, try the solutions mentioned above to prevent your Mac from crashing.

Mac Keeps Crashing FAQs 1. What does it mean when my Mac keeps crashing? When your Mac keeps crashing, it means that the operating system or an application is encountering errors or instability, causing it to unexpectedly shut down or display the infamous "kernel panic" screen. 2. How do I know if my Mac is crashing? Your Mac may crash if you experience sudden restarts, the spinning beach ball cursor that doesn't go away, frozen applications, or the appearance of a "Force Quit" dialog box. 3. Why is my Mac crashing frequently? Frequent crashes can be due to software issues (outdated or incompatible apps), hardware problems (insufficient RAM, failing hard drive), overheating, malware infections, or system corruption. 4. How can I troubleshoot a crashing Mac? - Restart your Mac in Safe Mode to identify and resolve software issues. - Update macOS and all applications to their latest versions. - Check for malware with an antivirus tool. - Verify and repair disk permissions using Disk Utility. - Test memory with Apple's Memory Diagnostics Tool. - Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) and NVRAM or PRAM. 5. Should I reinstall macOS to fix crashes? Reinstalling macOS can help if other troubleshooting steps fail. However, ensure you back up your data first using Time Machine or another backup method. 6. Can hardware issues cause my Mac to crash? Yes, hardware issues like a malfunctioning graphics card, insufficient RAM, or a damaged power supply can contribute to crashes. A hardware diagnostic test may be necessary. 7. What should I do if my Mac crashes while starting up? Try booting into Recovery Mode (press Command + R during startup) to access utilities like Disk Utility for repairing the startup disk. 8. Are there any log files I can check for crash reports? Yes, you can find crash reports in /Library/Logs/CrashReporter/ or use the Console app to view system logs and diagnose issues. 9. When should I contact Apple Support for help? If you've tried multiple troubleshooting steps and your Mac still crashes, it's time to contact Apple Support or visit an Apple Store for professional assistance. 10. Is it possible that third-party software is causing the crashes? Yes, third-party apps or extensions might conflict with macOS, leading to crashes. Try disabling or removing recently installed apps to see if they're the culprit.

Here are a few additional explanations regarding why your Mac might be crashing, which we believe you might find helpful:

1. Why does my Mac keep shutting down?

If your Mac repeatedly shuts down, it's probable that your Mac is experiencing a software issue. Alternatively, your Mac's ability to boot up could be impaired due to hardware problems, software issues, or even design flaws specific to certain Mac models. Furthermore, your Mac might occasionally get stuck on a black screen if it has incompatible drivers.

2. How to resolve the issue of Mac randomly shutting down?

The straightforward solution to prevent your Mac from randomly shutting down is to keep it up to date with the latest macOS update.

Translate into English:
• Boot into Mac Recovery Mode.
• Reset your Mac's NVRAM.
• Reformat the Mac Startup Disk.
• Restart macOS.

3. Why does my Mac keep crashing and restarting?

Running too many resource-intensive tasks, a software error, or other issues with your MacBook can cause your Mac to crash and restart.

4. How to resolve the issue of the Mac constantly crashing to a black screen?

Avoid running too many resource-intensive applications simultaneously or allowing them to remain open in the background. This will help prevent your Mac from crashing.