Blank screen when open/saving files unless I restart

Question

Blank screen when open/saving files unless I restart

Sometimes when I try to open or save a file from an application (like MS Word), I get a blank or black screen that doesn't show any of my files. Sometimes it looks like this:

Sometimes it looks just like normal except the sub-window that shows the file viewer doesn't show up.

It works normally right after I restart my computer.

I've also noticed that when I try to open a text editor, such as Sublime, I get a completely white screen and nothing shows up when I type. When I open PDFs in Preview, sometimes images don't show up either.

I have a 15-inch MacBook Pro Retina, Mid 2014. I'm currently running OSX 10.12.3. I'm pretty sure this only started when I updated to Sierra from El Capitan. I ran diagnostics and no problem was found. What can I do to fix this?

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014), macOS Sierra (10.12.3)

Posted on Feb 20, 2017 4:29 PM

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Answer 1

Eric Root

Level 10

684,525 points

Feb 20, 2017 8:40 PM in response to katastrophe445

Yes.

Try running this program in your normal account, then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by etresoft, a frequent contributor. Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. On the screen with Options, please open Options and check the bottom 2 boxes before running. Click “Share Report” button in the toolbar, select “Copy Report” and then paste into a reply. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown.

Etrecheck – System Information

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Answer 2

Feb 20, 2017 4:52 PM in response to katastrophe445

Do you have a backup of your data? Then I would suggest a reinstall of macOS.

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Answer 3

Feb 20, 2017 4:57 PM in response to moritz.goeppl

I don't have a recent backup from before I updated. Would that still work?

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