Quick Summary
The Spinning Beach Ball (also known as the Spinning Wait Cursor) indicates that an application is not responding and the system is busy. It usually signifies that an application is stuck or consuming too many resources, preventing you from interacting with it or other applications.
Common Causes
- Application is Overloaded: The application is trying to perform a complex task or process a large amount of data, exceeding its current capacity.
- Software Bug: A flaw in the application's code can cause unexpected behavior, leading to a freeze or endless loop.
- Resource Contention: Insufficient RAM, CPU processing ability or a full hard drive can cause applications to compete excessively for resources, leading to freezes.
- Incompatible Software/Drivers: Outdated or conflicting software or driver versions can cause instability and application freezes.
- External Device Issues: A faulty or incompatible external device (e.g. external hard drive, printer, USB device) can cause the system to freeze when the application tries to interact with it.
Step-by-Step Fixes
Method 1: Force Quit the Application
Step 1: Press Command + Option + Escape keys simultaneously. This will open the Force Quit Applications window.
Step 2: Select the application that is exhibiting the spinning beach ball cursor.
Step 3: Click the 'Force Quit' button. Confirm your decision if prompted.
Method 2: Restart Your Mac
Step 1: Click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Choose 'Restart' from the dropdown menu.
Step 3: Allow your Mac to restart completely. This will often resolve temporary glitches.
Method 3: Check Activity Monitor for Problem Processes
Step 1: Open Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor).
Step 2: Click the 'CPU' tab and sort processes by '% CPU' to identify resource-intensive processes.
Step 3: Click the 'Memory' tab and sort processes by 'Memory' to identify processes using significant RAM.
Step 4: If you identify a problematic process (besides the application you already know is frozen and other macOS core processes), select it and click the 'X' icon in the upper-left corner of the Activity Monitor window, then click 'Force Quit' to terminate the process.
Method 4: Update Your macOS and Applications
Step 1: Click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Choose 'System Settings' (or 'System Preferences' on older versions of macOS).
Step 3: Click 'General' in the sidebar, then 'Software Update'. If updates are available, follow the on-screen instructions to install them.
Step 4: Open the App Store and check for updates to your installed applications. Install any available updates.
Method 5: Free Up Disk Space
Step 1: Click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Choose 'About This Mac'.
Step 3: Click 'Storage'.
Step 4: Review storage usage and identify large files or applications that you can remove (back up important files before deletion).
Step 5: Empty your Trash bin.
Method 6: Run Disk Utility First Aid
Step 1: Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility).
Step 2: Select your startup disk from the sidebar.
Step 3: Click 'First Aid' in the toolbar.
Step 4: Click 'Run' and follow the on-screen instructions to repair your disk.
Step 5: Once it finishes, 'Done'.
Method 7: Check for Malware
Step 1: Install and run a reputable antivirus or anti-malware software.
Step 2: Perform a full system scan to check for and remove any malicious software.
Method 8: Test in Safe Mode
Step 1: Shut down your Mac.
Step 2: Start up your Mac and immediately press and hold the Shift key. Keep holding the Shift key until you see the login window.
Step 3: Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.
Step 4: Test the affected application in Safe Mode. If the issue disappears in Safe Mode, it indicates a problem with a third-party extension, login item, or software.