macOS High Sierra has recently gone public. It’s natural for it to have unforeseen bugs and rough edges. And right now you yourself are helping Apple to solve them by seeking fixes to common macOS High Sierra issues. We’ve pieced together the most reported ones so far (as of December 2017), from macOS High Sierra not downloading to Wi-Fi issues and a few others.
When an app crashes on your Mac, it automatically generates a crash report. You’ll see this appear after the crash with a warning dialog saying “App has quit unexpectedly.” That crash report is available to read immediately in that window by clicking the “Report ” button. The crash report can also be found in the Console app. Jun 13, 2017 I'm having this problem too. I've even updated Citrix to 12.4. I've been getting kicked out 7-10 times per day. I tested my connection on Friday with a ThinkPad laptop (Windows) and didn't get kicked out at all (I'm back on my Mac now and have already been kicked out twice this morning) so this is definitely a Mac/Citrix problem and not my internet connection.
macOS High Sierra issues: what can go wrong?
- macOS High Sierra download has failed
- macOS High Sierra installation is frozen
- Not enough disk space to install macOS High Sierra
- Time Machine is stuck on “Preparing the Backup”
- macOS High Sierra is slow or freezes at random
- Mac won’t start after macOS High Sierra installation
- Wi-Fi is slow on macOS High Sierra
- App crashes or doesn't open on macOS High Sierra
- Battery life reduced on macOS High Sierra
- Password issues on macOS High Sierra
- Mail problems on macOS High Sierra
1. “macOS High Sierra download has failed.”
As soon as you started downloading macOS 10.13 the download would end abruptly and you will get messages like the one above. You may be shown “Installation of macOS could not continue” message on your screen.
Aside from poor internet connection, it’s possible that too many users are downloading the macOS at the same time. Try rebooting the Mac App Store or repeat the download in a few minutes.
1. Go to Apple menu (upper left corner)
2. Choose Force Quit
3. Find App Store app in the list and quit it
Can you improve your internet connection? Hop on a better Wi-Fi network or connect via cable. Before you resume the installation, remove all partially downloaded files (that are named macOS 10.13 High Sierra) from your Mac. Try again.
Mail App Keeps Crashing Mac High Sierra
2. macOS High Sierra installation is frozen
You downloaded macOS High Sierra and clicked the installation file, but for some reason, nothing happens. You clicked Continue, but the now button appears to be greyed out. Control + click the installation icon —> Choose Quit. Go to Applications to find macOS High Sierra Installation file. Repeat the installation. Be patient, it does take some to begin.
You downloaded macOS High Sierra and clicked the installation file, but for some reason, nothing happens. You clicked Continue, but now the button appears to be grayed out.
1. Control + click the installation icon in the Dock
2. Choose Quit
3. Go to Applications to find macOS High Sierra Installation file
4. Repeat the installation
3. Not enough disk space to install macOS High Sierra
macOS High Sierra takes about 8 GB on a drive. Though it doesn’t seem terribly much, it is still recommended to have at least 15-20 GB of storage for macOS High Sierra to run smoothly. But first of all, figure out what's taking up your valuable space.
Go to Apple menu —> About this Mac
Click on the Storage tab
To get some storage space back, my favorite is CleanMyMac app. It has a feature that specifically searches for large and unused files on your drive. Deleting system junk alone would save you around 2 GB. You can always prefer to do the job manually, but it could be too much of a hassle.
Anyway, it’s a safe practice to install the new macOS on a clean Mac. So download CleanMyMac for free and clean up your drive. By then your Mac should be ready to install and download macOS High Sierra.
4. Time Machine is stuck on Backup
This issue has been reported since El Capitan and unfortunately is still the case in macOS High Sierra. The Time Machine hangs while showing “Preparing backup message” and may stay unresponsive for hours.
1. Stop the current backup procedure
Go to Time Machine settings menu and click the red [X] to end the backup process.
2. Delete the temporary .inProgress backup file
1. Go to Time Machine drive (in the Finder)
2. Open “Backups.backupd” folder
3. While inside, locate the folder that has name of your Mac on it
4. Type .inProgress in the search bar above
5. Locate the file with .inProgress file extension and delete it
Well done. Now you have removed the unsuccessful backup file.
3. Restart your Mac and repeat the backup using Time Machine.
5. macOS High Sierra is slow or freezes at random
Try giving the system some time to configure itself. If it doesn’t help, reboot your Mac. Some users reported their Mac was running slower after macOS High Sierra update. Check out this guide on how to speed up your Mac and try these tips on your machine. First, figure out what’s causing the slowdown. Go to Applications —> Activity Monitor and see what apps are weighing on your Mac’s memory. Force quit the apps that are excessively eating up CPU resources.
Another effective method is to delete your system caches. These temporary files pile up in system libraries and are known to cause various software conflicts. To clear your user cache manually, follow these steps:
- Open Finder and click “Go to Folder” in the Go menu
- Type in ~/Library/Caches and hit enter
- Go into each of the folders and clean out the files inside.
Note: Do not delete the files themselves, just their insides.
Now, repeat the same steps from above, but replace...
~/Library/Caches with… /Library/Caches
Please note that this method isn’t safe as you may accidentally delete the wrong folder.
To safely clean out your system caches, there is an easy workaround. It is secure and takes no more than a minute. Download CleanMyMac X (it’s free to download) and click System Junk. This way you’ll remove all system junk without a risk to your Mac.
6. Mac won’t start after upgrading to macOS High Sierra
Reset NVRAM
So you have successfully installed macOS High Sierra, but for some reason, your Mac won’t boot up. You may try to reset NVRAM in this case. NVRAM stands for non-volatile RAM and stores various system settings like time-zone, startup disk selection, kernel panic preferences or display resolution. Resetting NVRAM helps to perform a fresh boot from scratch.
1. Turn on your Mac holding Option, Command, P, and R keys
2. Keep the keys pressed for about 20 seconds
3. Let off the keys when you hear a second startup sound
Now your NVRAM has been reset. Additionally, you can launch Disk Utility to fix boot up problems with macOS High Sierra.
Enter Internet Recovery mode
Internet Recovery starts your Mac from Apple’s external servers. This is a helpful utility to use in case your boot sector is damaged or there are some hardware issues with macOS High Sierra. The utility will perform memory tests and configure your Mac for successful bootup.
To start Internet Recovery:
1. Restart your Mac
2. Wait for startup chime and the hold Command + Option + R
3. Release the keys after the animated globe pops up
Then your system will download a recovery image from the Internet. To proceed from then, just follow the prompts on the screen.
7. Wi-Fi is slow on macOS High Sierra
Some people reported their Wi-Fi dropping off after installation of macOS High Sierra. You may also notice your connection got slower. To tackle this, update your Wi-Fi preferences. First, you will need to remove the current settings which is quite easy to do.
1. Click on the Finder
2. Press Command + Shift + G
3. Type in the following line:
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/
4. Within that directory, you need to select the files with .plist file extension. These are your current preferences (probably bugged or corrupted).
com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
com.apple.network.identification.plist
com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist
NetworkInterfaces.plist
preferences.plist
5. Move the selected files to the Trash.
6. Restart your Mac and router for changes to take place. Don’t worry, the new preferences will be created automatically to replace the old ones.
8. Your apps crash on macOS High Sierra
This is a common issue as Apple has moved to the 64-bit architecture with the release of macOS High Sierra. The implication is that a whole scope of 32-bit applications will not be supported on the new macOS update. Not all developers have yet converted their apps to 64-bit, but it's a question of time, really.
If the app repeatedly crashes on macOS High Sierra, update it to the latest version.You may visit developer’s website and read about High Sierra compatibility.
Another option is to reset the app. In 90% of cases, this method will prevent an app from crashing again.
From my experience, I found that an automatic solution works better. I personally use CleanMyMac to uninstall and reset the problematic apps and it works magic.
- Download CleanMyMac X (free download).
- Go to Uninstaller tab.
- Choose an application from the list.
- Click a small arrow next to the application logo
- Click Application reset.
Launch the app and see if it helped.
9. Battery drains too fast on macOS High Sierra
Has your battery life reduced after upgrade to macOS High Sierra? This issue has also been reported since June 2017 High Sierra Beta release.
To look deeper into the issue, go to Activity Monitor to check what processes are most energy-demanding. Just go to Applications -> Utilities -> Activity Monitor. Click Energy tab for details. If a particular app is a burden on your battery, reinstall or reset it (as described in the chapter above). Additionally, consider replacing the app with a lighter alternative.
What else to do to save battery life:
- Turn off location services
- Disable animations & graphical effects
- Dim your screen
- Also, check this guide to prolong Mac battery life
10. Password problems on macOS High Sierra
Advertised as the 'most secure Apple’s macOS', High Sierra looks a total opposite, just months after its release. Three 3 major password scandals have already broken out and how many bugs are there to come? In September 2017 a technology expert, Patrick Wardle has proved that it is possible to retrieve the Keychain’s passwords without first providing your master password. This vulnerability can be accessed by an unsigned app and concerns not only High Sierra but previous macOS releases as well.
Then, a major root password bug, allowing full access to your Mac without any password at all. If you haven't set your root password (it's like a ground-level admin password), it's time to do it now. The quickest is to do it via Terminal.
Apparently, this is not the only password issue with High Sierra. There has been detected a problem where macOS High Sierra would show you your original password instead of a password hint. To solve it, Apple recommends installing a Supplemental Update to macOS High Sierra. Meanwhile, you can protect your important data with a trusted encryption solution. Hider 2 app is a nice one and is quite flexible for most users' needs.
11. Mail problems in macOS High Sierra
Mail app in macOS High Sierra has proved vulnerable to errors as well. A few folks have reported that email notification stopped working right after the update. In other words, email banners were missing. Good news, it can be quickly fixed via System Preferences.
1. Go to System Preferences -> Notifications
2. Choose Mail
3. Reset the alert style from “Banner” to “None”
4. Then switch it back to “Banner”
This should reactivate the Mail notification service.
High Sierra Mail Keeps Crashing
What else may go wrong? You may notice your Mail app now works slower after you’ve upgraded to macOS High Sierra. The explanation is that it’s probably overloaded with messages and still carries the leftovers from the previous macOS. As a result, it takes forever to search for the things you need. Some apps offer an easy fix for this and will reindex (or reorganize) the Mail database on the new macOS for you.
For instance, the latest version of CleanMyMac app has a special tool that speeds up your Mail. You can download the app (it’s free to download) and open the Maintenance module.
When within the Maintenance module, launch Mail Speed up tool. That’s it, your Mail should now get speedier. See the screenshot above.
Despite the aforementioned problems macOS High Sierra still packs an impressive punch of simplicity and power. Get to know it more, explore the newly added features as each one has a tremendous amount of clever engineering behind it. Meanwhile, thanks for reading this article. Stay tuned for more.
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As a user of the Mail.app in macOS Sierra, I am experiencing frequent intermittent crashes. Based on my reading of the crash report, this appears to be related to a couple of newly created mailbox rules in my Google Apps account. That rule is attempting to move messages to a subfolder upon receipt. However, the crash report indicates that this mailbox does not exist. When I edit my mailbox rules the dropdown for the target destination directory for these rules are blank, so I re-select the target destination directory and click save.
The crash report dialog window that opens after a crash gives me the option to restart the Mail.app. When selecting this option to restart the application, it immediately crashes and re-presents the same crash report dialog window. This process will typically repeat 2-3 more times before successfully opening the Mail.app for another indeterminent period of time (usually a minutes to hours). At some point the application crashes again and the whole process starts over.
Things I have tried to fix the issue based on internet searches:
- Deleting com.apple.mail
- Rebuilding Mailbox
- Deleteing and re-adding accounts
None of this has remediated the issue that I am having.
Below is stack trace from the Console.app
*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInternalInconsistencyException', reason: 'Trying to create a mailbox operation without a mailbox name'
*** First throw call stack:
(
0 CoreFoundation 0x00007fff7fe742cb __exceptionPreprocess + 171
1 libobjc.A.dylib 0x00007fff94c7f48d objc_exception_throw + 48
2 CoreFoundation 0x00007fff7fe79042 +[NSException raise:format:arguments:] + 98
3 Foundation 0x00007fff818c1c80 -[NSAssertionHandler handleFailureInMethod:object:file:lineNumber:description:] + 195
4 IMAP 0x00007fff8e6991bb -[IMAPMailboxCommand initWithMailboxName:] + 241
5 IMAP 0x00007fff8e69a7e5 -[IMAPAppendCommand initWithMailboxName:flags:dateReceived:data:] + 120
6 IMAP 0x00007fff8e6c09ab -[IMAPServerInterface appendData:toMailboxNamed:flags:dateReceived:messageInfo:error:] + 153
7 IMAP <…>
This exception is always immediately preceeded by:
*** Assertion failure in -[IMAPAppendCommand initWithMailboxName:], /Library/Caches/com.apple.xbs/Sources/Mail/Mail-3273/IMAP/Connection/Commands/IMAPMailboxCommand.m:32
My guess is that this issue has to do with the fact that the mailbox directories are out of sync with the Google Apps IMAP directories, but it is unclear how to resolve this mismatch.
For what its worth, here is the beginning of the crash report:
Process: Mail [6563]
Path: /Applications/Mail.app/Contents/MacOS/Mail
Identifier: com.apple.mail
Version: 10.3 (3273)
Build Info: Mail-3273000000000000~4
Code Type: X86-64 (Native)
Parent Process: ??? [1]
Responsible: Mail [6563]
User ID: 501
Date/Time: 2017-06-22 13:04:14.241 -0400
OS Version: Mac OS X 10.12.5 (16F73)
Report Version: 12
Anonymous UUID: <REDACTED>
Sleep/Wake UUID: <REDACTED>
Time Awake Since Boot: 22000 seconds
Time Since Wake: 2100 seconds
System Integrity Protection: enabled
Crashed Thread: 3 Dispatch queue: IMAPNetworkTaskHandler queue :: NSOperation 0x6080004ba280 (QOS: USER_INITIATED)
Exception Type: EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT)
Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000
Exception Note: EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY
Application Specific Information:
*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInternalInconsistencyException', reason: 'Trying to create a mailbox operation without a mailbox name'
abort() called
terminating with uncaught exception of type NSException
Application Specific Backtrace 1:
0 CoreFoundation 0x00007fff7fe742cb __exceptionPreprocess + 171
Mac Os Sierra Mail App Crashes 2017
1 libobjc.A.dylib 0x00007fff94c7f48d objc_exception_throw + 48
2 CoreFoundation 0x00007fff7fe79042 +[NSException raise:format:arguments:] + 98
3 Foundation 0x00007fff818c1c80 -[NSAssertionHandler handleFailureInMethod:object:file:lineNumber:description:] + 195
4 IMAP 0x00007fff8e6991bb -[IMAPMailboxCommand initWithMailboxName:] + 241
5 IMAP 0x00007fff8e69a7e5 -[IMAPAppendCommand initWithMailboxName:flags:dateReceived:data:] + 120
6 IMAP 0x00007fff8e6c09ab -[IMAPServerInterface appendData:toMailboxNamed:flags:dateReceived:messageInfo:error:] + 153
7 IMAP 0x00007fff8e66b543 -[IMAPAppendActionSyncOperation main] + 643
8 Foundation 0x00007fff8181d5b4 -[__NSOperationInternal _start:] + 672
9 Foundation 0x00007fff8181946b __NSOQSchedule_f + 201
10 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff9552e8fc _dispatch_client_callout + 8
11 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff955449a0 _dispatch_queue_serial_drain + 896
12 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff95537306 _dispatch_queue_invoke + 1046
13 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff955306b5 _dispatch_root_queue_drain + 476
14 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff9553048c _dispatch_worker_thread3 + 99
15 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00007fff9577d5a2 _pthread_wqthread + 1299
16 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00007fff9577d07d start_wqthread + 13
Thread 0:: Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread
0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff9568b34a mach_msg_trap + 10
1 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff9568a797 mach_msg + 55
2 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x00007fff7fdeb434 __CFRunLoopServiceMachPort + 212
3 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x00007fff7fdea8c1 __CFRunLoopRun + 1361
4 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x00007fff7fdea114 CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 420
5 com.apple.HIToolbox 0x00007fff7f34bebc RunCurrentEventLoopInMode + 240
6 com.apple.HIToolbox 0x00007fff7f34bcf1 ReceiveNextEventCommon + 432
7 com.apple.HIToolbox 0x00007fff7f34bb26 _BlockUntilNextEventMatchingListInModeWithFilter + 71
8 com.apple.AppKit 0x00007fff7d8e4a54 _DPSNextEvent + 1120
9 com.apple.AppKit 0x00007fff7e0607ee -[NSApplication(NSEvent) _nextEventMatchingEventMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:] + 2796
10 com.apple.AppKit 0x00007fff7d8d93db -[NSApplication run] + 926
Mac Os Sierra Mail App Crashes Windows 10
11 com.apple.AppKit 0x00007fff7d8a3e0e NSApplicationMain + 1237
Mac Os Sierra Mail App Crashes Free
12 libdyld.dylib 0x00007fff95564235 start + 1