Recurring WindowServer issue on Intel MacBook

Question

Level 1

4 points

Recurring WindowServer issue on Intel MacBook

Hiya all,

Currently having a reoccurring issue on my 2020 MacBook Pro 13 inch 4 port (MacBookPro16,2) where WindowServer will hang and crash when using a full screen application for too long.

Persistent issue from at least Sonoma, currently rocking Tahoe and seems to be sporadic.

Not noticed any particular trend of it happening (i.e. if a restart hasn't been done in a few days), however recently got my first "WindowServer" crash dialog after being logged out while using Logic. Would previously happen commonly running MC Java Edition full screened, running it windowed solves the issue for some reason? However now happens occasionally with other full screen applications such as running a video in Nightly.

any help would be much appreciated, kinda lost at the moment on it.

one thing to mention is I've not had this issue on my M2 Air at all, it's exclusive to my i5 Pro.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 26.2

Posted on Dec 23, 2025 5:28 AM

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Answer 1

leroydouglas

Level 10

199,056 points

Dec 23, 2025 12:13 PM in response to theferret124

< Runtime: 7:14 > you would expect run time to be less then 3 minutes...

System modifications - There are a large number of system modifications running in the background.

re: WindowServer - Window management, compositing, and event routing daemon

—you have a VPN — Uninstall all third party apps that are Cleaners/Optimizers/VPN/Anti-Virus

all known to cause issues on the macOS

—Virtulabox two VM(?) Never had any luck with VirtualBox...

—VMFusion

—Wacom known to cause some issue

— a Fan control(?) why...

For your third party app—if in doubt search the developers website or contact their: Support/Help/FAQ/Known issues/compatibility/updates…

Contact a third-party vendor - Apple Support

To trouble shoot further you can:

—A SafeBoot Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support will sort many anomalies

Does a quick disk repair before it fully boots up, and certain system caches get cleared and rebuilt, third party system modifications and system accelerations are disabled temporarily.

Login and test. Reboot as normal and test. Caches get rebuilt automatically.

This test will tell you if third party interference; most extensions etc are not loaded in safe boot mode.

—Test issue in another user (or guest user) account Change Users & Groups settings on Mac - Apple Support

This will tell you if it a universal issue or isolated to your user/admin account.

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Answer 2

theferret124 Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 24, 2025 11:37 AM in response to leroydouglas

addressing your points:

fan control was previously used for when one of my fans was sounding unhealthy, something ended up being blocked inside as it was resolved when I had my batt replaced. since been removed.

Wacom has since been removed, in part due to not using a tablet with my Mac anymore.

VMFusion has since been removed as I prefer Virtualbox

VBox, two programs were interim as I needed to convert an image to a VHD, and I use VBoxManage for that. VPNs, I use Tailscale frequently to access shares while away from home, ProtonVPN used for when I need to mask.

HOWEVER, even after having uninstalled fusion, fan control and Wacom, while doing troubleshooting steps listed, I still get a runtime of ~6 1/2 minutes and had WindowServer crash on me multiple times in Safe Mode when trying to use Launchpad, one time was immediately on re-login.

I'll remove the VPNs when I can and see if any changes happen, doubtful of it but worth a shot. Will update when I've done so. Have removed Mbam since and re-run with similar results so the report hasn't been updated.

I've attached all 3 logs from EtreCheck, testing in safe mode, normal "unsafe" mode, and in a different user account. I would attach a WindowServer log however it exceeds the max char limit on the Additional Text option. If anyone could direct me how to attach it, would be appreciated !!

EtreCheck - unsafe Mode

EtreCheck - Safe Mode

EtreCheck - Other User Account

at this point think my install might just be buggered, so as ideal as it would be to get it fixed, I think I'd probably be better off wiping and reinstalling.

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Answer 3

Mac Jim ID

Level 9

61,466 points

Dec 24, 2025 11:57 AM in response to theferret124

Performing a Factory Reset is the way to go and only restore data, not the Applications. The same fan control daemons and Wacom drivers are still launching on startup and running after you thought they were removed. With a clean system verify you no longer receive the WindowServer crash, then add software one at a time and you will know then that it is due to the third party software. WindowServer is often a catch all for when a crash occurs on your system as another process crashing will bring down the WindowServer.

Multiple VPN's have always been problematic where even 1 may cause problems. I like MalwareBytes for a single scan, but would not recommend having it running constantly on your computer.

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Answer 4

Tesserax

Level 10

158,058 points

Dec 24, 2025 12:11 PM in response to theferret124

I have had the chance to review your first report. The good news is that there seems to be no major hardware failures or critical system issues. Your MacBook Pro itself is healthy, the SSD is in excellent condition, memory pressure is normal, and macOS is fully supported. That said, there are several software-level issues that align closely with the crashes and performance problems you’ve been experiencing.

The most significant contributor appears to be third-party system software, particularly tablet drivers and virtualization components.

Wacom services are crashing repeatedly, and there are still multiple Wacom background processes running.
In addition, there are remnants of other tablet software (XP-Pen) that are no longer installed correctly. These drivers integrate deeply with macOS graphics and input systems, which can directly trigger WindowServer crashes and UI instability.
I recommend fully uninstalling all tablet drivers (Wacom and XP-Pen) using the vendors’ official uninstall tools, rebooting, and then reinstalling only the latest Wacom driver version confirmed to support Tahoe.

Virtualization software is another likely factor. The system shows legacy kernel extensions from VirtualBox and crash history related to VMware Fusion. Even when “not loaded,” older kernel extensions can destabilize newer macOS releases.

There is also a very high number of background agents, helpers, and system modifications running at login. Items from Adobe Creative Cloud, VPN software (multiple VPN frameworks at once), audio licensing services, and hardware utilities are all loading simultaneously. This explains the unusually high system load, Spotlight reindexing spikes, and WindowServer CPU usage.

Finally, some cleanup is needed. There are orphaned launch agents referencing missing files, older unsigned components, and developer simulator disk images mounted in the background. These don’t indicate malware, but they do add unnecessary complexity and overhead.

To recap, my recommended next steps for you are:

1. Fully remove and reinstall Wacom software (after removing all tablet drivers).

2. Uninstall unused virtualization software.

3. Reduce login items and background agents to essentials only.

4. Perform a cleanup of orphaned launch agents and legacy components.

5. Reboot and allow Spotlight to finish reindexing uninterrupted.

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