What the spinning wheel means
Apple calls the spinning rainbow pointer the wait cursor, and says it "appears when a delay of more than a few seconds occurs" (Apple, Pointers in macOS). It shows over the app that's busy. Move the pointer over another app's window, the Dock or the menu bar: if it turns back into an arrow there, the rest of the Mac is working and the problem is that one app.
A busy app isn't always a frozen one. Saving a large file, exporting a video, opening a huge folder or waking a sleeping external drive can all show the wheel for a while. In Activity Monitor, an app that has stopped answering is labelled "(Not Responding)", and on macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27 Apple notes it also appears in red (Apple). If you can wait a little, do; it may finish on its own.
First, work out what's frozen
| What you see | What's stuck | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Spinning wheel over one app; the Dock and other apps work | That app | Force quit it (next section) |
| The pointer moves but clicks do nothing, or the Dock or menu bar don't respond | Finder, the Dock, or the app in front | Option-Command-Esc, then Relaunch Finder or force quit the app |
| A window says "Your system has run out of application memory" | Memory is exhausted | See that message explained |
| The pointer doesn't move and the keyboard does nothing | The whole Mac | Force it to shut down (below) |
One app is frozen: force quit it
Press Option-Command-Esc, select the app (it may be marked "(not responding)") and click Force Quit. You lose any unsaved changes in that app (Apple, How to force an app to quit on Mac). If the keyboard doesn't respond, choose Force Quit from the Apple menu instead, or Control-click the app's Dock icon. How to force quit on a Mac covers every method, including Activity Monitor and Terminal, and what to do when Force Quit itself doesn't work.
Finder or the Dock is frozen
Finder: open the Force Quit window with Option-Command-Esc, select Finder and click Relaunch (Apple). Finder quits and opens again; your files aren't affected.
The Dock: it isn't listed in the Force Quit window, because it's part of macOS rather than an app. Open Activity Monitor (Command-Space, type "Activity Monitor"), type Dock in the search field, select it, click the Stop button and choose Quit. macOS starts the Dock again by itself: on macOS 27.0.1, its launch settings tell macOS to keep it running.
The whole Mac is frozen
Give the Mac time to respond, then try Option-Command-Esc. If neither the pointer nor keyboard responds, force restarting a Mac explains the power-button procedure and keyboard limits. Forcing a shutdown loses unsaved work in every app. If the Mac restarts by itself with an error message, use the unexpected-restart checks to find the cause.
After a freeze: find the cause
A freeze that happened once and doesn't come back needs nothing more. If it happens again, macOS has probably kept a record.
- Read the reports. Open Console (in Applications › Utilities) and look under Reports in the sidebar. Crash Reports are "reports about apps or processes that crash"; Spin Reports have "details about app or process issues" and end in
.spin(Apple, View reports in Console). The app named in reports from around the time of the freeze is your lead, and the report is what its developer will ask for. - Work through Apple's list for apps that freeze (Apple, If an app freezes or quits unexpectedly): make sure the app is compatible with your version of macOS, try opening a different file in it, check for software updates, disconnect any accessory you just connected, and remove third-party plug-ins or add-ons.
- Check memory and space. Apple's list for a slow Mac starts with a startup disk short of free space and an app that needs more memory than the Mac has available (Apple, If your Mac runs slowly). Look at Memory Pressure in Activity Monitor's Memory tab and at System Settings › General › Storage (how to check storage explains what it shows).
The usual causes, and what helps
| Cause | Sign | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Memory running out | Memory Pressure yellow or red; freezes when many apps or tabs are open | Quit the biggest app you can spare; see how to clear RAM |
| Startup disk nearly full | Storage settings show little free space; swap can't grow | Free up space safely |
| One app's bug | Freezes always involve the same app | Update it; report it to the developer with the Console report |
| Heat | Hot Mac, loud fans, kernel_task high in Activity Monitor | See what kernel_task means |
| A new accessory or plug-in | Freezes started after connecting a device or installing an add-on | Disconnect or remove it, as Apple suggests |
If it keeps freezing
- Try safe mode. Apple says it helps show whether software that loads when the Mac starts up is the cause. The steps for Apple silicon are in how to start a Mac in safe mode.
- Try a new user account. If the Mac doesn't freeze there, the cause is in your account (login items, an app's settings), not in macOS or the hardware.
- Run Apple Diagnostics to check the hardware. On a Mac with Apple silicon, press and hold the power button until startup options appear, then press and hold Command-D; on macOS 26 and later you choose which test to run (Apple, Use Apple Diagnostics; our walkthrough).
- Contact Apple if it freezes in safe mode and in a new account, or Diagnostics reports a problem. Keep the reference code Diagnostics gives you.
How Tend helps
After a freeze, the question is what had been busy. Tend's free Energy & Apps page has an Energy over time card that ranks the apps using the most energy over the last 24 hours, in estimated watt-hours (7 and 30 days with Pro), so an app that had been running flat out stands out. Its free Memory page, in Advanced view, shows memory pressure and swap as they happen, and with Pro, Tend can alert you when an app has stayed above 80% CPU for 5 minutes.
Questions
How do I unfreeze my Mac?
If the pointer moves, press Option-Command-Esc, select the frozen app and click Force Quit. If nothing responds, press and hold the power button (the Touch ID button on laptops with Touch ID) for up to 10 seconds until the Mac turns off, then press it again to start up.
How do I stop the spinning wheel on a Mac?
Wait a little first, in case the app is finishing a task. If the wheel stays over one app, force quit that app with Option-Command-Esc. If it keeps coming back, check memory pressure and free disk space, update the app, and look in Console for spin reports about it.
Why does my Mac keep freezing?
Common causes are memory running out, a nearly full startup disk, one app with a bug, heat, and a newly connected accessory or plug-in. Console's Crash Reports and Spin Reports usually name the app involved.
Will force shutting down damage my Mac?
Apple recommends holding the power button when a Mac stops responding, so it's the expected way to recover. The cost is unsaved work in every open app, so try force quitting the stuck app first.
What is the spinning wheel on a Mac called?
Apple calls it the wait cursor. It appears when an app takes more than a few seconds to respond, and it only shows over the app that's busy.
For detailed steps on a specific task:
- How to start a Mac in Recovery mode
- How to reinstall macOS without losing your files
- Mac stuck on the Apple logo or a progress bar?
Related guides
How to force quit on Mac when an app won't respond
Every way to close a stuck app
“Your system has run out of application memory” on Mac
When memory runs out completely
Why is my Mac so slow? How to find the cause and fix it
Find what's slowing your Mac
What is kernel_task on Mac, and why is it using so much CPU?
When heat makes the Mac slow down
More detailed guides:
Sources
- Apple, Pointers in macOS
- Apple, How to force an app to quit on Mac
- Apple, Mac keyboard shortcuts
- Apple, If an app freezes or quits unexpectedly on Mac
- Apple, If your Mac runs slowly
- Apple, View reports in Console on Mac
- Apple, Quit an app or process in Activity Monitor on Mac
- Apple, If your Mac restarted because of a problem and If your Mac doesn't turn on
- Apple, Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac
See which apps used the most energy in the last day
Tend is free to download. Pro is $1.99 a month, $12.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $29.99 once.