Apps crashing quickly after opening on MacBook Pro

Because Zoom, QuickTime Player, and OBS are all quitting shortly after opening, I would first try to determine whether the problem is limited to the individual apps or whether something else on the Mac is contributing. 

Reinstalling the apps may not resolve the issue if the cause is outside the apps themselves.

Start by restarting the Mac, checking that sufficient storage space is available, and installing any available macOS and app updates. 

Apple recommends checking for software updates when an app quits unexpectedly.

If an app freezes or quits unexpectedly on Mac

Next, check Activity Monitor while the problem is occurring to see whether any application or process is using an unusually high amount of CPU or memory. 

This may provide useful information, but high resource use alone does not establish the cause of the crashes.

Avoid force-quitting unfamiliar processes, as some are required by macOS or other applications.

View information about Mac processes in Activity Monitor

If nothing obvious appears, restart in Safe Mode and test the affected apps again. 

If their behaviour differs from a normal startup, that comparison may help narrow down the problem.

Start up your Mac in Safe Mode

You can also test the apps in a new macOS user account. I

f the behaviour differs between accounts, that may provide useful information about whether the issue is associated with the original user account.

If the apps continue to quit after these checks, run Apple Diagnostics to check whether the Mac reports a hardware issue.

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac

I would complete these checks before considering more extensive steps, such as reinstalling macOS.

If all else fails  and to Drill Down further and to avoid a game of 20 questions  

Download the Application Etrecheck  ( External Link ) directly from the Developer.

The Application is Not a " Silver Bullet "  and is  only a tool to examine the Hardware / Software used on this computer 

This is a Diagnostic Tool that makes no changes to the computer Hardware / Software used on this computer 

The application is free or paid from added features. 

The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. 

Post back the Full Report - Share Report >> Copy , then  paste  >>>> using the Additional Text Icon  <<<<

You list three apps that have a common functionality in that they all immediately look for your Mac's camera and microphone upon launching. A system-level issue in the privacy permissions will force them to instantly crash rather than asking for permission. This explains why standard deleting and redownloading didn't fix the issue, as your system files remained unchanged. It also explains why other apps launch normally.

This issue you are experiencing is most likely caused by a corrupted macOS audio/video permission database (TCC) or a faulty camera/microphone driver interface.

Follow these steps in order to resolve the issue:

Reset Camera and Microphone Permissions via Terminal

Since the Mac is failing to properly communicate privacy prompts to these video apps, forcing a total reset of the camera and microphone privacy database usually stops the immediate crashing.

• Close all open applications.
• Open the Terminal app (Spotlight search or in Applications > Utilities).
• Copy and paste the following command, then press return:

tccutil reset Camera

• Next, copy and paste this command and press return

tccutil reset Microphone

• Try opening QuickTime or Zoom again. Your Mac should now successfully prompt you to "Allow" access instead of crashing.

Disconnect External Peripherals

A corrupted driver for an external USB webcam, audio interface, capture card, or secondary monitor can freeze video-dependent apps instantly upon launch.

• Unplug all non-essential hardware (external webcams, mics, hubs, or monitors).
• Relaunch the apps using just your Mac’s built-in hardware to see if they stay open. 

Clear Hidden App Cache Files

When you dragged the apps to the Trash, their hidden library settings were left behind. If those settings are corrupted, the newly downloaded apps will continue to crash.

• For Zoom: Open Finder, press Cmd + Shift + G, paste ~/Library/Application Support/ and delete the zoom.usfolder.
• For QuickTime: Open Finder, press Cmd + Shift + G, paste ~/Library/Containers/ and delete any folders named com.apple.QuickTimePlayerX.

Test in Safe Mode

If the steps above do not work, restart your Mac in Safe Mode. That process performs some system cleanup and clears caches, and also disables 3rd party extensions that may cause problems. 

• Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support
• If the apps open successfully in Safe Mode, a third-party background software (like a virtual camera plug-in, audio router like Loopback, or antivirus) is causing the crash

Building on some of what my colleague  👍  has brought forwards.

The fact that Zoom, QuickTime Player, and OBS all crash within a few seconds suggests it may be useful to look for something they have in common, but the symptoms alone do not identify the cause.

First, make sure macOS is up to date in System Settings > General > Software Update.

Apple recommends checking for software updates when troubleshooting camera problems. (Apple Support)

Since reinstalling the apps did not help, test whether other apps that use the camera or microphone are affected.

Try FaceTime or Photo Booth for the camera and Voice Memos for the microphone.

Then check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and Microphone to make sure the affected apps have permission. 

Apple documents these settings here: Control access to the camera on Mac and Control access to the microphone on Mac.

If the permissions appear correct, you can reset them in Terminal with:

tccutil reset Camera

and then:

tccutil reset Microphone

Afterward, try opening one of the affected apps again.

If you use an external webcam, microphone, audio interface, capture device, or USB hub, disconnect the non-essential devices and test again.

If the problem remains, start the Mac in Safe Mode and test the apps there.

Apple provides the procedure here: Start up your Mac in safe mode

If the apps still crash, the crash reports would be the next useful information to examine because they may identify the process or component involved.

jokemf wrote:

<Report Here!.log>

Here's my report!

The EtreCheck report does not indicate a hardware, storage, or memory problem that would explain applications crashing immediately. 

Because QuickTime Player, Zoom, and OBS all crash shortly after launching, I would look for a common macOS, user-account, or third-party software issue rather than continue reinstalling the applications. 

Apple’s guidance for apps that quit unexpectedly starts with restarting the Mac and ensuring macOS and the affected apps are up to date. Apple — If an app on your Mac stops responding, closes unexpectedly, or won’t open

After restarting, test QuickTime Player first. 

If it still crashes, start the Mac in Safe Mode and test QuickTime again. 

On an Apple-silicon Mac, shut down, hold the power button until Startup Options appears, select the startup disk, hold Shift, then choose Continue in Safe Mode. Apple — Start up your Mac in safe mode

Before testing OBS further, check System Settings >> General >> Login Items & Extensions. 

EtreCheck specifically reports “System extension blocked” and identifies OBS Virtual Camera as “Waiting for authorization.” 

If macOS presents an option to authorize the extension, follow that prompt and then restart the Mac if requested. 

This is directly relevant to OBS, although the report does not establish that the extension is responsible for the QuickTime or Zoom crashes. Apple — Change Login Items & Extensions settings on Mac

If QuickTime works in Safe Mode but crashes during a normal startup, investigate third-party software that loads during startup. 

The EtreCheck report shows Logitech Options+ and RightSight running, along with several other third-party background components. 

Temporarily disabling nonessential login items and background software can help determine whether one is involved. Its presence in the report is not, by itself, evidence that any particular application is causing the crashes.

If QuickTime also crashes in Safe Mode, test it from a new macOS user account. 

If it works there, the problem is more likely associated with the original account's preferences or user-level software. If it crashes there as well, a system-wide cause becomes more likely.

After reproducing the crash, open Console >> Crash Reports and locate the newest QuickTime Player report. 

The Exception Type, Termination Reason, and crashed-thread information can provide substantially more useful evidence about the cause than EtreCheck alone. Apple — View reports in Console on Mac

I would not erase the Mac or reinstall macOS yet. 

The logical progression is restart >> resolve/check the pending OBS extension authorization >> test QuickTime >> Safe Mode >> investigate third-party startup software if Safe Mode changes the behaviour >> test a new user account if necessary >> examine the crash report.