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Quick Answer

Press Option + Command + Escape to open the Force Quit menu, select the unresponsive application, and click Force Quit.

How to Fix a Slow Mac (The Spinning Beach Ball) ​

Applies to: macOS (MacBook, iMac, Mac mini)
Article Type: Troubleshooting
Last Updated: 2026-07-10

Summary ​

Macs are famous for their speed, but if you keep seeing the "Spinning Beach Ball of Death" (the rainbow-colored cursor that spins endlessly when you click something), your Mac is struggling to process the commands you are giving it. This usually means you are out of RAM (Memory) or your Hard Drive is completely full. This guide walks you through finding the culprit and getting your speed back.

Prerequisites ​

  • Save all your current work before beginning, as you will likely need to restart the computer.

Instructions ​

Step 1: Force Quit Frozen Apps ​

If a single app (like Microsoft Excel) is frozen, you do not need to restart the whole computer.

  1. Press these three keys simultaneously: Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + Escape.
  2. The "Force Quit Applications" window will appear.
  3. Select the app that says (Not Responding) in red letters next to it.
  4. Click Force Quit. The app will immediately close.

Step 2: Use Activity Monitor to Find the Culprit ​

If the whole Mac is slow, you need to see exactly which program is hoarding the computer's resources.

  1. Press Command (⌘) + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search.
  2. Type Activity Monitor and press Return.
  3. Click on the Memory tab at the top.
  4. Click the column header that says Memory to sort the list from highest to lowest.
  5. If Google Chrome is using 8 GB of memory, that is your problem. You have too many tabs open. Close the app to free up resources.
  6. Click the CPU tab to see if an app is working at 90-100% capacity. If a random background app you aren't even using is maxing out the CPU, click it, then click the X icon at the top of the window to force it to stop.

Step 3: Check Your Storage Space ​

If your Mac's hard drive is 99% full, the computer literally does not have enough physical space to "think," which causes massive slowdowns.

  1. Click the Apple Logo  in the top-left corner of the screen.
  2. Select System Settings (or System Preferences).
  3. Click General, then click Storage.
  4. A colored bar will calculate how much space you have left.
  5. If you have less than 10 GB of free space, your Mac will be slow.
  6. Look at the recommendations below the bar, or manually delete large files from your Downloads folder and empty the Trash.

Step 4: The Official Restart ​

Mac users are notorious for closing the laptop lid at the end of the day and never actually restarting the computer. A Mac needs to reboot at least once a week to install background security updates and clear out temporary system cache files.

  1. Click the Apple Logo .
  2. Select Restart...
  3. Uncheck the box that says "Reopen windows when logging back in." (If you leave this checked, all the problematic apps will launch again immediately).
  4. Click Restart.

Troubleshooting ​

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Mac is hot and fan is extremely loudHeavy processingYou are likely doing something intense (like a Zoom call while exporting a video). Close all other apps
Activity Monitor won't even openTotal system lockupHold down the physical power button (or Touch ID button) on the keyboard for 10 seconds to force a hard shutdown
Mac is still slow after a restart and clearing spaceHardware failureIf you have 50GB of free space, you restarted, and it's still crawling, the SSD may be failing. Ask IT to check the drive's health and arrange a repair — provide the serial number from Apple menu > About This Mac