Mac Support Tips For Understanding Common macOS Issues

There are good reasons why many people use a Mac. But, one of the most common reasons is that it works perfectly for them since they don’t have to deal with updating drivers, spending hours fixing problems caused by bloatware, or getting rid of viruses.

However, things can go wrong, even on a Mac. So, it’s essential to understand common MacOS issues and how to solve them.

Luckily for Mac users, getting support for fixing problems has never been easier today with the latest technological developments and the presence of many support providers out there. Jean van Wyngaardt, who runs a Mac Support company in London, says, “We’re finding more and more businesses are looking to support a mix of Mac and PC’s within their network. The reality is almost all major developers of software provide both PC and Mac versions, making it easier and easier to focus on security and central management of all devices. This is pretty good news for business owners, they have a huge range of options available to them, both through Apple and PC technologies which are highly reliable, business-centric and secure.”

In this post, you’ll learn Mac support tips for understanding common macOS issues.

Restarting Your Computer

Probably heard about it many times already: people making suggestions like turning your computer off and turn it on again if something has gone wrong. Such a proposal has merit and should be the first thing that any Mac user should perform when signs of trouble arise.

Restarting your computer allows your operating system to boot again. If there’s something that causes the Mac to slow down, crash, or a particular function to not work properly, a restart will fix it most of the time.

However, please take note that restarting your device should get carried out gracefully. It means shutting down cleanly or restarting your Mac through the correct menu. While a forced shutdown is also useful, it should only get implemented when all else fails.

What does a power cycle fix? The answer is almost everything. If you think that your Mac is acting strange, restart it. In a modern age where most people already use a portable computer, it’s easy to forget that. Now and then, turning your device on and turning off again is a way of troubleshooting it.

Booting In Safe Mode

If your device fails to boot and you ended up staring at a gray startup screen or blank screen instead of the desktop, then you have to try to boot in safe mode.

When using the safe setting, the operating system will boot using the bare minimum of drivers and software required and will check your startup disk to repair any issues in the directory that could be the cause why the computer fails to start up.

It’s easy to boot in safe mode. You only have to press and hold the shift button and wait for the Apple logo to appear, followed by the login screen. Once the Apple logo disappears, you can then release the Shift key and wait for the login screen to come into sight next. Please take note that it can take up to a few minutes before you can get to the login screen as the system runs its diagnostic checks on the hard disk of your device.

Now, when it’s time to start your Mac using the standard settings, do it without holding any keys.

Putting Your Device into Recovery Mode

Another common issue encountered by Mac users is a folder with a question mark that appears when starting their devices. At first glance, you might think that the disk of your computer has failed, but before panicking, know that there could be another explanation, which you might be capable of fixing.

A folder with a question mark means that your device failed to find the startup disk and therefore preventing the booting process. You can fix such an issue by putting your device into recovery mode and by choosing the right startup disk – the Macintosh HD. Not unless you’re going to boot using an external drive.

If, for instance, you can’t find your disk using the recovery mode, it’s time to repair your drive by using Disk Utility.

Mac devices are expensive, so you have to make sure that you’ve exhausted quick fixes like putting your device into safe or recovery mode before doing any significant repair. Take care of your iPhone and Mac computer by doing a regular checkup of your device.

Calling Up The Force Quit Menu

Calling up the force quit menu is an option you can take when an app becomes unresponsive and causes your Mac to freeze. When an app hangs and your device freezes, it won’t let you perform any action on the computer.

You can call the force quit menu by hitting a combination of the Command-Option-Escape keys. You then have to highlight the unresponsive app and hit the button to force quit it.

 

Conclusion

The issue that causes your Mac to malfunction or misbehave isn’t always obvious, and you’ll have to exert some effort to isolate the problem. The support tips discussed above will aid your attempts to understand common macOS issues and resolve them to the best of your ability.

If you fail to fix the problem yourself, you can always ask for assistance from a Mac support company.