How to Fix Frozen Apps on Your Computer

Nothing is more frustrating than being in the middle of work, streaming, or gaming when an app suddenly freezes. The spinning wheel (or complete unresponsiveness) can waste minutes—or even hours—if you don’t know how to fix it quickly. Fortunately, most frozen apps can be resolved in under 5 minutes with the right steps.

Here’s an up-to-date, step-by-step guide that works on Windows 10/11, macOS Sonoma/Ventura/Sequoia, and even Linux in 2025.

1. Try the Quick Keyboard Shortcuts First (10-Second Fixes)

Before doing anything drastic, try these universal shortcuts:

Windows

• Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Opens Task Manager directly
• Alt + F4 → Closes the active frozen window
• Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B → Restarts your graphics driver (great for games and video apps)

macOS

• Command + Option + Escape → Force Quit menu
• Command + . (period) → Attempts to stop the current action
• Option + Command + Power button → Quick restart without shutdown menu

90% of temporary freezes resolve with one of these shortcuts.

2. Force Quit the Frozen Application Properly

If shortcuts fail:

Windows

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
2. Under “Processes” or “Details” tab, find the frozen app
3. Right-click → End task (use “End process tree” if it has background services)

macOS

1. Command + Option + Esc
2. Select the unresponsive app (marked with “Not Responding”)
3. Click “Force Quit”

Pro tip: On macOS, you can also click the Apple logo → Force Quit for the same menu.

3. Restart the App (The Most Underrated Fix)

Close the program completely, wait 10 seconds, then relaunch it. Many freezes are caused by temporary memory leaks that clear when the app restarts.

4. Check for System-Wide Resource Issues

Frozen apps are often a symptom, not the problem. Open your system monitor:

Windows → Task Manager (Performance tab) macOS → Activity Monitor (CPU & Memory tabs)

Look for:

• CPU usage consistently above 95%
• RAM usage at 99–100%
• Disk usage at 100% (common with old mechanical HDDs)

If resources are maxed out:

• Close background apps (browser tabs are the #1 culprit in 2025)
• Restart your computer
• Upgrade RAM if you frequently hit 100% usage (16 GB is the minimum sweet spot now; 32 GB recommended for multitasking)

5. Update the Problematic App & Your System

Outdated software is the leading cause of freezes in 2025.

• Windows: Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates
• macOS: System Settings → General → Software Update
• Individual apps: Check the Microsoft Store, Mac App Store, or the app’s own “Check for Updates” menu

Many freezes after the Windows 11 24H2 update or macOS Sequoia were fixed by subsequent patches.

6. Reinstall or Reset the App

Still freezing after updates?

Windows

• Settings → Apps → Installed apps → [App name] → Advanced options → Reset (keeps data) or Repair
• If that fails, uninstall and reinstall from Microsoft Store or official website

macOS

• Delete the app (drag to Trash) and reinstall from the App Store or developer site
• Clear cached data: ~/Library/Containers/ or ~/Library/Application Support/[AppName]

7. Advanced Fixes That Solve 95% of Remaining Cases

• Run Windows Memory Diagnostic (search in Start menu) – bad RAM causes random freezes
• Reset SMC & NVRAM/PRAM on Mac (Google your exact Mac model + “reset SMC”)
• Disable hardware acceleration in the app (Chrome, Discord, Spotify, and most Electron apps have this option)
• Update graphics drivers (NVIDIA GeForce Experience, AMD Software, or Intel Arc Control)
• Scan for malware – Windows Defender full scan or Malwarebytes (free)

8. When to Consider Hardware Issues

If multiple apps freeze daily even after all the steps above:

• Overheating (clean dust from fans)
• Failing SSD/HDD (check health with CrystalDiskInfo on Windows or Disk Utility on Mac)
• Faulty RAM (run MemTest86 overnight)

How to Never Deal with Frozen Apps Again

• Keep Windows/macOS fully updated
• Never run with <16 GB RAM in 2025
• Close unused browser tabs and apps
• Use an SSD instead of HDD
• Restart your computer at least once a week
• Update graphics drivers monthly

Follow these steps, and you’ll turn a 30-minute meltdown into a 30-second fix.

Have a specific app that keeps freezing (Chrome, Photoshop, Discord, etc.)? Drop it in the comments—I’ll tell you the exact setting that usually solves it!