Anyone else finding that Tahoe 26 freezes up every few minutes?

I've had the same issue since installation too. I thought 26.0.1 would fix it but it is still freezing every few minutes. This is on both my M4 Mac mini and my M1 MacBook Pro. I thought it was just the keyboard of mouse playing up. I've changed both but still having the same issue.

peterhamm wrote:

It is RIDICULOUS however, that Apple issues an update that makes my machine constantly freeze and I have to pay money to a third party to fix what Apple broke.

Apple didn't break anything. You have software installed that needs updated for Tahoe, or uninstalled.

This is happening on my 2025 Studio. Doesn't matter what software I'm using. Especially annoying when I'm doing voiceovers and it freezes halfway through a script. I've tried uninstalling and installing different software. I've tried different USB configurations, restarts, bluetooth restarts, internet restarts, etc etc. Still getting the beach ball and or freeze every few minutes. Very frustrating. It is obviously NOT a third party software issue. I used the same software every day and have for years. Nothing else has changed with the exception of the upgrade to Tahoe.

MacBook Pro M3Pro, after update to MacOS26, each time I try to send files on Mail, using MailDrop, computer freezes. Must force quit Mail and any other app in order to work.

Also, every time I open Safari, the color wheel turns for a while before the program actually works.

Does anyone have a pointer or link to the backout process? Or do I have to call Apple? TIA.

There is no "backout process." You have to just drive straight through the back of the garage.

If you want to run an earlier macOS, you need to create a bootable USB installer of that version, startup from it, erase your drive, install macOS, then migrate from a backup you made prior to installing the newer macOS version.

Mistakes people make:

Restart into normal Recovery and erase the drive prior to creating the bootable installer and if on an Intel Mac, not setting it up to allow external startup. You may be able to reinstall Tahoe, then start over.

If it is an Apple Silicon Mac, you may end up needing a DFU reset. Do you have another Mac running Tahoe?

If you don't have a backup made prior to Tahoe, you cannot migrate from it. It will require upgrading the OS to make it compatible with the data. You would have to manually move all of your files.

Yes, 36GB M3 Pro MBP. Every 5-10 mins system freeze, beach ball, external trackpad freezes then after 30 seconds-ish rapid track pad clicks and back to normal. So annoying.

Similar issue. Every 2 minutes or so, macbook freezes, beachball appears (sometimes the trackpad stops working completely?) ... I have restarted my macbook several times, and it still freezes. Updated to 26.0.1, and it still freezes. Hard to work with.

I feel like Apple is trying to seriously upset it's users. After update to version 26 my Air M2 became very slow, impossible to use, even after restarts, the ghrome is becomming impossible to use, eventually everything freezzes and i have to hard restart it few time per week. Are they serious with such software?!

I see many people complaining about it. Fix it Apple!

Hello

I am experiencing momentary freeze ups in Tahoe 26 on my M4 MacBook Pro too. cursor just stops on the screen and the keyboard becomes unresponsive. I've run two separate virus software and no bugs found. Could it be Tahoe?

peterhamm wrote:

Except that... it worked fine under Sequoia, and there shouldn't have been major implications for this update...

...and on top of that, the fact that Apple makes it so very difficult to figure out what it is, and that it is harder to deal with extensions in MacOS 26 than it was in MacOS System 6!

Very un-Mac-like.

I fail to see how it is Apple's fault that the developers who's software you chose to install failed to properly update their software to be compatible with Tahoe.

I think that the problem may, as Peter observed, be other software developers not keeping up with OS development. It’s one reason many institutions advise staff not to update for a while. My system has now settled down. I still don’t like a few things about Tahoe but that’s just me.

It’s looking like the problems are occurring with Macs equipped with M3 or earlier. People with M4’s aren’t having problems, gauging the comments. So, M4 people, you are dismissed! 😆

But for the rest of us (M1 here), the Tahoe problems may relate more to 3rd Party apps not being upgraded quickly. The problems with my system just seemed to resolve over time. In future, wait a while before upgrading.

I have a mac mini m4 processor. Tahoe freezes up often have to force quit good chrome of all things, Mail and Messages same things. They work for a little while then just freeze. Thinking of rolling back the upgrade.

dhp317 wrote:

Thank you for sharing and I am happy your computer works. But Apple must know that that is not a solution. If my computer worked, and then the only thing that changed is the upgrade Apple (eventually) forces you in to doing, and then it doesn't work. Then the upgrade or the upgrade process is broken. If there are known compatibility issues with software, your upgrade should do a pre-check to warn you - as every software maker used to do.

When did 'every software maker' do that? In the days of punched cards?

No, it is not Apple's job to test every piece of software for compatibility with a macOS upgrade/update. Apple provides many rounds of pre-release versions for developers to test their own software and ensure compatibility. If those developers fail to do so, that's not Apple's fault. As a user, it is your responsibility to confirm that any critical software you use is compatible.

Like @Barney-15E, I have had no performance issues with Tahoe (I have found some graphical bugs that were clearly Apple's fault as they were part of the macOS UI, for the most part those seem fixed in 26.1). Sure, that's anecdotal but it certainly supports the fact that it's your system that's causing your issues, based on software you've chosen to install on it.

How is Apple forcing you to upgrade your software? I have a Mac still on Sequoia, and I may upgrade it at some point but Apple certainly isn't compelling me to do so. The 'forcing' part ultimately will more likely come from 3rd party software, since major developers like Microsoft and Adobe (and minor but sometimes important ones like Intuit / TurboTax) only support the most recent three versions of macOS. Still, a person using those applications would not be 'forced' to upgrade to Tahoe until late 2028.

Sorry, but I tried all the stuff that has been recommended.

Make a full Time Machine backup, then wipe the drive, and uses the migration assistant to rebuild your drive.

It is the only thing that worked for me.