MacBook 10 froze and cannot force quit apps

My MacBook 10 froze up. I can use the building mouse, but I can’t even force shut any apps open.

iPhone SE, iOS 26

Posted on Jul 14, 2026 7:24 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 14, 2026 7:43 AM

To shut down the Mac, press and hold the power button until the computer turns off. This will take 6-10 seconds or so. Then you can reboot the computer and try again to use it.


Shut down or restart your Mac - Apple Support


3 replies

Jul 19, 2026 5:58 PM in response to Family6six

Welcome and thank you for reaching out. 🤗


If you have any antivirus software installed, then remove it A.S.A.P. as they interfere with the system operations and performance.


If you don’t have anything like that installed, then try the following:


First, let’s see if this issue happens in Safe Mode:


  1. Shut down your Mac.
  2. Press and hold the power button on your Mac. As you continue to hold the power button, your Mac turns on and loads startup options. When you see Options, release the power button.
  3. Select your startup disk. It's named Macintosh HD, unless you changed its name.
  4. Press and hold the Shift key, then click the “Continue in Safe Mode” button below your startup disk.
  5. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.


If the strange behaviors do not occur, then it may possibly be a software issue.


If the issue doesn't continue in safe mode:

Leave safe mode by restarting your Mac normally, then try to reproduce the issue.


If the issue doesn't return, it might have been resolved by the other things that safe mode did at startup, such as checking your disk and clearing caches.


If the problem persists, then let’s try this:


Need more help?


Additional help:


Good luck! 👋🏼😉

Smiliñ 😎 Brian | Community Volunteer

Jul 19, 2026 9:29 PM in response to Family6six

"MacBook 10 froze and cannot force quit apps: My MacBook 10 froze up. I can use the building mouse, but I can’t even force shut any apps open."

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Accessing Force Quit:

You've titled you Post with MacBook, but your provided device is iPhone SE. So, if a Mac, exit this app with [command + tab]

Try the Following: [command + tab] Use it to Access your Mac when Something is Not Responding - User Tip


MacBook 10 froze and cannot force quit apps

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