Mac screen fades and freezes when changing programs

I am running 14.1.2 on a MacBook Pro and ever since the last update, now every single time I switch between programs or finder or apps (which might be hundreds of times a day), the screen fades out several shades and freezes for about 3 seconds before it comes back to life. It is driving me batty. I have tried shutting down and re-starting and that doesn't solve it. The IT people in my organisation have no clues as to what is causing it or how to fix it. Anyone else having similar issues or have solutions for a fix? Thanks

MacBook Pro 15″, OS X 10.11

Posted on May 24, 2024 5:17 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 24, 2024 5:35 PM

You are way behind on macOS update patches.....Sonoma is now at 14.5. Install the latest updates to see whether they may have fixed the issue.


Otherwise, run the third party app EtreCheck and post the complete report here so we can examine it for clues.


You can try booting into Safe Mode to see if that makes any difference. If Safe Mode works properly, then most likely you have an issue with some third party software that is installed. Typical culprits are anti-virus apps, cleaning/optimizer apps, and third party security software.


You can also try creating a new macOS user account. Log out of the main user account and log into the new user account. If it now works as expected, then something with your main user account has a problem....perhaps a corrupt .plist preference file, or a configuration issue. Your IT staff may need to try this option depending on whether they allow their employees to have admin privileges.


Make sure to disconnect all external devices in case one of them is causing a problem.


If there is sufficient Free storage space on the internal boot drive (need at least 80GB+, ignore the "Available" value), then you (or the IT staff) can try creating a new APFS volume (make sure to give it a unique name). Then install a fresh copy of macOS into the new APFS volume. Do NOT install restore from a backup (or migrate), do NOT install any third party software, and do NOT sign into your AppleID/iCloud. You need to test a fresh copy of macOS under these conditions. If you still have the issue even under these conditions, then most likely you have a hardware issue of some sort. Make sure to reselect the default Startup Disk System Settings before deleting the new APFS volume once you are done testing. This option allows you to easily test a clean OS without disrupting your main OS.


You can try running the Apple Diagnostics to see if any hardware issues are detected. Unfortunately the diagnostics rarely detect issues even when a confirmed hardware failure is known to exist, but it never hurts to try it.


3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 24, 2024 5:35 PM in response to lynley272

You are way behind on macOS update patches.....Sonoma is now at 14.5. Install the latest updates to see whether they may have fixed the issue.


Otherwise, run the third party app EtreCheck and post the complete report here so we can examine it for clues.


You can try booting into Safe Mode to see if that makes any difference. If Safe Mode works properly, then most likely you have an issue with some third party software that is installed. Typical culprits are anti-virus apps, cleaning/optimizer apps, and third party security software.


You can also try creating a new macOS user account. Log out of the main user account and log into the new user account. If it now works as expected, then something with your main user account has a problem....perhaps a corrupt .plist preference file, or a configuration issue. Your IT staff may need to try this option depending on whether they allow their employees to have admin privileges.


Make sure to disconnect all external devices in case one of them is causing a problem.


If there is sufficient Free storage space on the internal boot drive (need at least 80GB+, ignore the "Available" value), then you (or the IT staff) can try creating a new APFS volume (make sure to give it a unique name). Then install a fresh copy of macOS into the new APFS volume. Do NOT install restore from a backup (or migrate), do NOT install any third party software, and do NOT sign into your AppleID/iCloud. You need to test a fresh copy of macOS under these conditions. If you still have the issue even under these conditions, then most likely you have a hardware issue of some sort. Make sure to reselect the default Startup Disk System Settings before deleting the new APFS volume once you are done testing. This option allows you to easily test a clean OS without disrupting your main OS.


You can try running the Apple Diagnostics to see if any hardware issues are detected. Unfortunately the diagnostics rarely detect issues even when a confirmed hardware failure is known to exist, but it never hurts to try it.


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Mac screen fades and freezes when changing programs

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