iMovie doesn't start anymore (spinning beachball)

Question

iMovie doesn't start anymore (spinning beachball)

When starting iMove the main app view is coming up and after 2-3 seconds the spinning beachball appears.

I already tired a lot, e.g.

Waiting for some hours if the beach ball disappears
Reinstalled iMovie
Tried another user account on the same machine
SMC- and PRAM-Reset
(Manually) removed iMovie app, settings, library, folder,...
Save mode
Network on/off

Is there anything else I forgot?

There are 300GB of free space available - MacBook Pro 3GHz, 16GB (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014).

Thank you very much for any help.

Tobias

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Oct 14, 2020 1:33 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

tobias.stoeger Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 21, 2020 3:11 AM in response to Rich839

After two intensive phone sessions with the Apple Support Team, iMovie is working again.

Finally deleting some global system files (3rd party libs, caches,....) solved the problem - don't ask me about the details ;-)

Thanks to everyone for your help!

Tobias

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Answer 2

Oct 14, 2020 6:48 AM in response to tobias.stoeger

See if there's anything here you haven't tried.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206157

Was iMovie working normally before the problem started?

Have you installed any dodgy apps like CleanMyMac, Chrome etc. recently.

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Answer 3

Rich839

Level 8

47,322 points

Oct 14, 2020 8:40 AM in response to tobias.stoeger

Hi, tobias.stoeger,

Possibly you have a hardware problem. Try running the diagnostics program on your Mac. Here's a link that describes the process.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202731

-- Rich

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Answer 4

Oct 14, 2020 4:06 AM in response to tobias.stoeger

No guarantees but try this:-

If FCP X or iMovie start behaving unexpectedly in any way for no apparent reason, the problem could be caused by corrupt preference files.

The cure for this is to delete the preferences.

Hold down the Cmd and Option keys as you launch FCP X or iMovie and a window will appear asking if you wish to delete the preferences.

Click “Delete Preferences” and FCP X or iMovie will open in the default (as-new) mode with no projects etc. on the interface.

You will have to navigate to any project you were working on and reopen it.

Deleting preferences is completely safe and because of its simplicity it should be the first thing you do when troubleshooting.

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Answer 5

Oct 14, 2020 7:10 AM in response to tobias.stoeger

Think about dodgy apps you may have installed.

Dodgy iMovie Library!

There could be a corrupted iMovie Library on your hard drive causing iMovie to freeze/crash.

Delete any Library or at least temporarily change its name so that iMovie will not recognise it or attempt to open it.

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Answer 6

Rich839

Level 8

47,322 points

Oct 14, 2020 9:59 AM in response to tobias.stoeger

If you have tried all of the procedures mentioned above, with no success, you might benefit from contacting Apple Support and discussing it with one of the savvy techs there. They have the capability of remotely accessing your computer that we cannot do here. To contact support, click on the Contact Support item in the upper right hand corner of this forum's screen, and navigate to a place where you can add in your phone number.

-- Rich

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