When TextEdit stops working on your Mac, the issue is usually caused by an unresponsive application process, a corrupted preferences file, or a memory conflict. This causes the app to freeze, crash, or display error messages like “Application Not Open Anymore”.
These 5 quick fixes will quickly restore TextEdit to working order. 1. Force Quit and Relaunch the App
If TextEdit freezes or shows a spinning beachball, closing the window will not stop the underlying system process. You must force it to close.
Right-click (or Control-click) the TextEdit icon in your Dock.
Press and hold the Option (⌥) key so that “Quit” changes to Force Quit, then click it.
Alternative: Open Activity Monitor via Spotlight, select TextEdit, and click the X button at the top left to force termination. 2. Delete the TextEdit Preference Plist File
A corrupted preference file (.plist) frequently prevents TextEdit from launching or saving documents. Deleting it resets the application back to its default state without harming your documents.
Open Finder and press Cmd + Shift + G to bring up the “Go to Folder” window.
Paste the following path and press Enter: ~/Library/Preferences/
Locate the file named com.apple.TextEdit.plist and drag it to the Trash. Restart your Mac and relaunch TextEdit. 3. Clear the App Container Cache
Leave a Reply