What to do when an app stops responding

Pause for a moment

If an app stops responding, wait a short time before clicking many times. The app may be busy saving, syncing or opening a large file.

Repeated clicking can make it harder to see what is happening.

Save anything you can

If the app still responds a little, save your work. If it offers recovery or autosave, make a note of what it says.

If the app is completely frozen, you may not be able to save the latest changes.

Close the app normally first

Try closing the app from its normal menu or close button. If it asks whether to wait or close, choose the option that best protects your work.

If the same app freezes often, check whether updates are waiting.

Force close only when needed

Windows and Mac both have ways to force an app to close. This can help when an app will not respond, but unsaved work may be lost.

After force closing, reopen the app and check whether it recovered your work.

Restart the computer if several apps are affected

If more than one app is frozen or everything feels slow, restart the computer from the normal power menu.

If the problem keeps returning, write down the app name, what you were doing and any error message.