An app tries to start, but immediately says goodbye – the problem is rare in current versions of macOS, but not impossible. The silent farewell makes analysis challenging because it usually occurs without explanation. The cause can be varied: an outdated app, problems with a document that was last opened, defective default settings or macOS security concerns can permanently prevent the program from starting. However, with the right approach, an error can usually be corrected quickly. (System-wide) causes
Occasionally it is not the app itself, but a conflict hidden in its own configuration that causes it not to start. It’s worth taking a look at Settings/General/Storage to check the fill level of the boot drive. It is not uncommon for an overfilled SSD to prevent a program from starting – at least ten percent should always remain free. In order to resolve possible problems in the current runtime system, a one-time restart is also recommended.
Update program
In many cases, a program error occurs not only for you, but also for other users – and the developer has already fixed the cause in a newer version; but the early crash means you don’t get to the point where the app searches for a new version on its own. So open the Mac App Store and download any pending updates. If you use a package manager like Homebrew, use “brew upgrade –cask” to ensure that it updates all apps installed through it. If you downloaded the app directly from the developer’s website, check there for a new version and install it manually. Don’t worry: documents and settings are never part of the program and your data cannot be lost.
Open document issues
Occasionally it’s not the app that’s the problem, but rather the last document you opened. She may try to open it again, which will cause another crash. In this case, a trip to the system settings can help: Under “Desk & Dock” in the “Window” section, activate the “Close window when exiting an app” function. Then try opening the affected app twice.
You can prevent a broken file from causing repeated crashes in the Desktop & Dock settings.
App preferences
Most programs store program-specific settings in one of two locations: ~/Library/Preferences or ~/Library/Containers/[App-Name]. They often have a reverse URL spelling; Apple’s settings file for the “Music” program is named “com.Apple.Music.plist”. As a test, you can temporarily move these files elsewhere or rename them to check whether this solves the error.
More complex problems
If these simple tools didn’t help, it’s worth checking out the Console utility. Unlike many other error messages, program crashes are displayed here even if you have not previously activated recording. Click “Crash Reports” on the left and select an entry in the top right to see more details at the bottom. Under “Path” you will find the source of the error – look for the errors that are related to the program that is causing problems. “FinderSync,” for example, has less to do with the macOS Finder and is more a component of the “Synology Drive” program.
The cause is only revealed in the details of a crash report.
The error report in the console can help to identify a problem. However, this is not an easy task, explains Howard Oakley in a blog post on the subject of app crashes. He also refers to Apple’s developer documentation – these offer, among other things, tips on finding the cause of console messages.
Incorrect signature
In rare cases, says Oakley, an error in the app signature, i.e. Apple’s notarization system, can also be the cause. To find out, he recommends the free Apparency, which helps with troubleshooting. In the rare cases that an app comes with a faulty signature but is both fully trustworthy and essential to your needs, you can use two command line commands to remove the signature and add a local ad hoc signature:
codesign –remove-signature Applications/Example.app
codesign –sign – Applications/Example.app
However, in such a case, Oakley emphasizes, it would be better to contact the original developer and ask for an updated version of the app – with a valid certificate.
