Software causing kernel panic

If Mac runs well in safe mode, go ahead and update or uninstall non-essential software. Some applications open immediately after your Mac starts up or after you log in your account. The ones that launch on startup are called launch agents, and those that open at login are login items. Both can put serious pressure on the system, and if there are too many of them — they could cause a kernel panic. Solve this issue by disabling launch and login items.

All you have to do is select all items or specific items on the list and click the Remove button. Note that this action will not delete your apps, it will simply stop them from launching automatically. If you have any suspicious external kexts running, you should remove them because they could be the ones causing kernel panic.

You can do it with Terminal:. Both apps are free to try with Setapp , a superb productivity toolkit for Mac and iPhone users. Try free. What's causing Kernel Panic? Identify potential problems It can be a million reasons why your Mac keeps restarting. How to stop a kernel panic? Get Setapp. How to access an external drive that's not recognized on a Mac. At this point, you should start thinking about saving your data and reformatting the drive. There is a good chance login items are the reason your Mac randomly restarts.

With dozens of apps launching on startup, they could be too many for your processor to handle. To troubleshoot Kernel Panic, now your tactics would be to disable these programs and check how your Mac behaves. To disable login items, follow this path:. All the connected hardware could be responsible for the crash fever on your Mac — it happens quite often, actually. And be prepared to restart your Mac a few more times when you follow the next tips.

Just as we did with startup items, we have to figure out which exactly device is conflicting with your system. Now, you need to plug off everything connected to your Mac: printers, external video cards, network adapters, etc. Restart your Mac and connect one device at a time — if nothing happens, restart again with the new device plugged in. This trial-and-repeat approach should isolate the reason for Kernel Panic. Found which peripheral is corrupted?

Well done, now reinstall it and update the software that came with it. Apple Diagnostics would launch automatically and test your hardware condition. So, here we are. In no way should you panic. Now, you can try a way that most definitely will save your Mac — reinstall your OS from scratch. In particular, use of "automatic scanning" or "background scanning" functions -- which scan every new file created or saved -- has proven a consistent cause of various ills, including kernel panics.

Your best bet -- if you are experiencing repeated kernel panics related to virus software -- is to disable automatic scanning and check for persistence of the issue. Virtual PC, for instance, has been known to cause kernel panics soluble through deletion of emulated devices. Extended or bandwidth-intensive disk transfers initiated by applications -- such as long file copies or disk maintenance -- can also be the cause of kernel panics. Try to make a note of whether or not there is any correlation between heavy disk activity and your panics, then seek out firmware, connection or directory damage issues.

Once you've found the culprit, your best bet is to replace it by copying from another healthy Mac OS X system, extracting it with Pacifist , or by simply re-installing the latest Mac OS X combo updater or performing an Archive and Install. Post-update panics Kernel panics can sometimes start occurring after an incremental Mac OS X update, Security Update or other major system modification.

If this is the case, reversion to a previous system state can often resolve the issue. Pre-shutdown routines can prevent issues at next startup As touched upon above in the "Bad Network Connections" section, terminating certain services -- including Network services, Bluetooth connections, sharing services, and more -- at the time of shutdown or before putting a system to sleep can prevent kernel panics that occur at the next system startup or wake from sleep.

Simply try disconnecting from such services turn of Bluetooth, AirPort, disconnect Ethernet cables, etc. If the problem does not persist, you can at least identify from which service the kernel panics are stemming, then approach the problem at a driver or settings level.

Kernel panics after the lid is closed Mac OS X portables sometimes exhibit a troubling issue where the system kernel panics after the sleep command is invoked by closing the lid of a portable. This can result in an issue where the system fails to go to sleep, and instead stays on and active while the lid is closed. This can be particularly worrisome if you place your Mac portable in a bag after an incident, because the system will generally become extremely hot and fans will ramp to full speed.

Remove any third-party items and check for persistence. Startup Items can also be the cause of kernel panics that result from conflicts with other software that is launched at any time other than startup. As such, don't count this location out as a harbor for problem-causing files. External devices If it seems like external devices have been a thread throughout this article, look no further than the second paragraph for explanation.

A common cause bears constant mention, and startup is no exception. Disconnect all external devices if you are having a kernel panic at startup or shutdown, and leave them disconnected until the system is fully booted. Then connect them one-by-one and see if the issue persists, either in general usage or at startup and follow the steps listed in the "External Devices" section above.

Like what you've found in this tutorial? Get more troubleshooting guidance updated daily by subscribing to MacFixIt Pro. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. CNET staff. Bad devices FireWire and USB devices are second only to problematic memory in their widespread ability to cause kernel panics.

What crashed my Mac? What happens next? Useful checks Normally, the most common cause of a kernel panic should be hardware failure. Note the time of any kernel panic, if you witness it.

Add useful information to the panic log and send it to Apple. Run hardware diagnostics to eliminate hardware problems. Use the panic log and the unified log to look for a cause. Send any sysdiagnose to Apple when requested. No Mac should ever suffer a panic. Like this: Like Loading Secondary navigation Search. Post navigation. The Wanderer in paintings 3.