MacOS 'The application quit unexpectedly' fix

Quick answer for advanced users

Delete the app's .plist file from ~/Library/Preferences/, empty Trash, then relaunch. If that fails, reinstall the app from scratch.

Why this happens

When you see 'The application quit unexpectedly' on macOS 10.15 Catalina through Sonoma, nine times out of ten it's a corrupted preference file. The app reads its settings from a .plist file at launch. If that file gets corrupted — maybe from a crash, a bad update, or an old backup restore — the app can't start without throwing an error. You think the app is broken, but it's just its settings that are busted. The real fix is to delete that file and let macOS recreate it fresh. I've seen this with everything from Adobe apps to Microsoft Office to small shareware tools. The popup looks scary, but it's usually a quick fix.

Step-by-step fix

1. Quit the error popup. Click 'OK' or 'Close' to dismiss it. Don't click 'Reopen' — that just launches the same broken state.
2. Open Finder. Click the Finder icon in your Dock (the blue smiling face).
3. Go to your Library folder. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click 'Go' > 'Go to Folder...' (or press Shift + Command + G). A small box pops up.
4. Type the path. In that box, type exactly ~/Library/Preferences/ and press Enter. You'll see a long list of files ending in .plist.
5. Find the app's preference file. Look for a file named after the app that's crashing. Common patterns: com.companyname.appname.plist or com.appname.plist. For example, if Safari crashes, it's com.apple.Safari.plist. If you're not sure, Google 'appname plist filename' to find the exact name.
6. Move it to the Trash. Drag that .plist file to the Trash in your Dock. Don't delete it yet — keep it in Trash until you know the fix works.
7. Empty the Trash. Right-click (or Control-click) the Trash icon in the Dock and select 'Empty Trash'. Confirm if asked. This step is important — leaving it in Trash can confuse some caches.
8. Relaunch the app. Open the app from your Applications folder or Dock. macOS creates a fresh preference file automatically. The app should load normally now.

Expected outcomes after each step

• After Step 4: You see a folder full of .plist files — some from Apple, some from third-party apps. Don't touch anything except the one for the crashing app.
• After Step 6: The file disappears from the list. That's fine.
• After Step 8: The app either opens successfully or crashes again. If it crashes, move to the alternative fixes below.

Alternative fixes if the main fix fails

If deleting the preference file didn't work, here's what else to try:

Reinstall the app entirely

1. Drag the app from your Applications folder to the Trash.
2. Empty the Trash.
3. Download a fresh copy from the official website or Mac App Store.
4. Install it and launch it. This clears any corrupted binary files too.

Check for macOS updates

1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner > 'System Settings' (or 'System Preferences' on older macOS).
2. Click 'General' > 'Software Update'.
3. If an update is available, install it. Some crashes are caused by known bugs that a patch fixes. For example, a 2023 update fixed a recurring crash in Final Cut Pro.

Run First Aid on your startup disk

If the disk has errors, apps can crash randomly. This is less common, but worth ruling out.

1. Open Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities.
2. Select your startup disk (usually called 'Macintosh HD').
3. Click 'First Aid' and follow the prompts. This checks for file system corruption.

Create a new user account

This test isolates whether the problem is specific to your user account. If the app works in a new account, your user Library folder has deeper corruption.

1. Go to System Settings > 'Users & Groups'.
2. Click 'Add Account' (you might need to unlock the padlock icon).
3. Create a temporary admin user.
4. Log out of your current account and log into the new one.
5. Try launching the app. If it works, a migration or cleanup is needed — copy your files out of your old account and switch to the new one.

Prevention tip

You can avoid a lot of these crashes by keeping your apps updated. Most developers release patches that fix bugs in their preference handling. Also, don't force-quit apps repeatedly — that scrambled a preference file more often than you'd think. If an app hangs, wait 10-15 seconds before using Force Quit. A little patience saves you a headache later.