“Your computer restarted because of a problem” on Mac

What the message means

Apple describes it plainly: rarely, a software or hardware issue requires the Mac to restart, and when it starts up again you may see a message that it restarted because of a problem (Apple, If your Mac restarted because of a problem). People search for it as "your computer restarted because of a problem"; Apple writes it as "was restarted".

The usual name for what happened is a kernel panic. The kernel is the core of macOS that manages memory, processes and hardware. When it meets an error it cannot safely carry on from, it stops and restarts. Unsaved work can be lost, and a kernel panic can risk file corruption. A single panic does not by itself establish a hardware fault.

A single panic, especially after installing something or with an accessory plugged in, can be a one-off. What matters is whether it repeats, and whether it repeats in a pattern: with the same app open, the same device connected or the same task running.

If macOS names an app

Apple notes that if your Mac suspects a particular app caused the restart, it may ask whether you'd like to move that app to the Trash. That's the most useful hint you'll get. Click Move to Trash, then check the developer's site for an update that supports your version of macOS before installing it again (Apple).

Check your software

Apple's order of steps for software:

1. Install all available updates. macOS in System Settings › General › Software Update, and your apps too; drivers and utilities that hook deep into the system matter most. How to update all your apps covers apps from outside the App Store.
2. Use safe mode to see whether software that loads at startup is involved. If the Mac stays up in safe mode and panics again after a normal restart, look at login items and background helpers. How to start a Mac in safe mode has the steps for Apple silicon.
3. Reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery if it continues. Apple says reinstalling doesn't remove your apps or personal data, though a backup first is wise (Apple, How to reinstall macOS).

Check connected devices

A faulty cable, hub, dock or drive can cause panics too. Apple's test (Apple):

1. Shut down and disconnect everything except power: drives, hubs, docks, printers. On a desktop Mac, keep only a display, keyboard and mouse or trackpad.
2. Use the Mac for as long as it usually takes for the restart to happen.
3. If it stays up, reconnect one device at a time, testing after each, until the problem returns. That device, or its cable or driver, is the cause.
4. If it still restarts with nothing connected, test the hardware with Apple Diagnostics, with the devices still disconnected.

Read the panic report

After a panic, macOS shows an alert once you're logged in, offering to send the report to Apple. Its Report… button shows the text first. Eclectic Light, which documents these closely, advises copying the whole report into a text document before sending it, because reports sent to Apple are processed automatically and the alert can't be brought back once it's gone (Eclectic Light, Dealing with a kernel panic).

Most of a panic report is for engineers, but a few lines are useful to anyone:

• The first line after "panic" sometimes names the cause in words, or the component that failed.
• "Panicked task" names the process that was running at the moment. It can be an innocent bystander, so treat it as a clue, not a verdict.
• Kernel extensions: do not treat a single secure-boot field as proof that no third-party extension was loaded. Apple documents that Reduced Security can permit approved legacy kernel extensions. Give the report and the names of installed drivers to Apple or their developer; a driver name alone is not a diagnosis.
• The date and time, to match against what you were doing and what was connected.

Reports macOS kept are usually in /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports, with "panic" in the file name. In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder, paste the path and press Return. Reading them changes nothing. Send the report to the developer of any app or driver it mentions, and keep it for Apple Support if the restarts continue.

Test the hardware

If panics continue with nothing connected and after a macOS reinstall, run Apple Diagnostics: shut down, press and hold the power button until the startup options appear, then press and hold Command-D. On macOS 26 and 27 you choose which tests to run; start with Mac Resource Inspector. How to run Apple Diagnostics explains the screens and the reference codes. Take any codes, and your saved panic reports, to Apple or an authorized service provider.

If the panics come when the Mac is working hard and running hot, mention that too. Why is my MacBook so hot? covers what's normal and how to find the app behind the heat.

If it keeps restarting

Apple warns that if the problem makes the Mac restart every time it tries to start up, it may eventually shut down instead. Then:

1. Disconnect everything except power, and try once more.
2. Start up from macOS Recovery: shut down, press and hold the power button until Loading startup options appears, click Options, then Continue (Apple, How to start up from macOS Recovery).
3. Run First Aid in Disk Utility on the startup disk, then reinstall macOS from the same window. Mac maintenance links the recovery tools; Disk Utility First Aid explains the repair order.
4. Contact Apple if it still won't stay up. If the Mac doesn't turn on at all, Apple's separate steps are in If your Mac doesn't turn on.

How Tend helps

After an unexpected restart, the question is what the Mac was doing beforehand. Tend's free Energy & Apps page has an Energy over time card that ranks the apps that used the most energy over the last 24 hours (7 and 30 days with Pro), so you can review saved energy totals for that period. This is context about your apps, not an exact trace of the moments before a crash or a diagnosis of its cause. With Pro, Tend can also alert you when the CPU stays above a temperature you choose, which helps if the restarts seem to follow heat.

Questions

Related guides

Sources

• Apple Developer Technical Support, kernel-panic risks, Apple engineer reply, checked 23 October 2026.
• Apple Platform Security, Securely extending the kernel in macOS, checked 23 October 2026.
• Apple, If your Mac restarted because of a problem (27 May 2026)
• Apple, How to reinstall macOS and How to start up from macOS Recovery
• Apple, If your Mac doesn't turn on
• Eclectic Light, Dealing with a kernel panic (third party)

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