How to Force Restart a Frozen Mac
Having your Mac freeze on you can be very annoying. Typically, it is easy to restart, but sometimes this might not be an option. It is possible for the system to freeze so hard that it becomes entirely unresponsive – no matter what you press or click, it will not register. In these situations, you need to know how to safely restart or turn off the device without risking losing data or hardware damage.
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How to Know if a Freeze is Bad?
It might be difficult to differentiate between regular freezes and hard freezes. Some of the common symptoms of a serious freeze are an unresponsive mouse, inability to open the Activity Monitor, loud fans, or black screen. Thankfully, there is an easy solution to this:
How to Force Restart Mac?
There are two ways to take care of the issue. The first way is to hold down the Power button, regardless if you are using an iMac or a MacBook. After you hold it for a few seconds, it should turn off. After this, press the button again to start your Mac.
Alternatively, you can hold down the Command + Control buttons while pressing and holding the Power button. This should force restart your Mac in just a few seconds.
How to Fix the Freezes?
Keep in mind that having your Mac freeze is not necessarily a symptom of a serious issue. Sometimes apps simply bug out, and you should not worry if this happens once every few weeks. However, if it is a regular occurrence, then you should start troubleshooting. The first step is to run an anti-malware scanner to check for viruses. For additional tips, head to the How to Troubleshoot Frozen Mac Apps or Mac Won't Shut Down posts.
