How to fix 'System Settings' or 'System Preferences' crashing on macOS

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix 'System Settings' or 'System Preferences' crashing on macOS. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

If System Settings (on macOS Ventura and later) or System Preferences (on macOS Monterey and earlier) freezes, becomes unresponsive, or crashes immediately when you open it, you're unable to adjust essential device configurations such as network, display, or security settings. This is typically caused by corrupted preference files, conflicting third-party system extensions, or outdated macOS software. The steps below will walk you through resolving the issue, starting with the quickest fixes and progressing to more thorough troubleshooting.

Quick Fix Steps

Try these solutions in order. Most users resolve the issue within the first few steps.

1. Restart your Mac. Click the Apple menu > Restart. This clears temporary system processes that may be causing the crash.
2. Update macOS. Open the App Store > Updates (or System Settings > General > Software Update if accessible) and install any pending updates.
3. Boot into Safe Mode.
   • For Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3): Shut down your Mac. Press and hold the power button until "Loading startup options" appears. Select your disk, hold the Shift key, and click Continue in Safe Mode.
   • For Intel Macs: Restart your Mac and immediately hold the Shift key until the login window appears.
   Test whether System Settings opens without issue. Restart normally to exit Safe Mode.

Detailed Instructions

If the quick fixes haven't resolved the issue, work through the following steps in sequence.

Remove Corrupted Preference Files

Corrupted .plist preference files are the most common cause of System Settings crashes. Removing them forces macOS to recreate them with default values.

1. Open Finder and click Go in the menu bar.
2. Select Go to Folder from the dropdown, or press Shift + Command + G.
3. Type ~/Library/Preferences/ and press Return.
4. Locate and move the following files to your Desktop (do not delete them yet):
   • com.apple.systempreferences.plist
   • com.apple.SystemSettings.plist
   • com.apple.preferences.system.plist
5. Restart your Mac and try opening System Settings again.

Clear System Settings Caches

Stale cache files can also trigger crashes. Clearing them forces macOS to rebuild fresh caches.

1. In Finder, press Shift + Command + G again.
2. Navigate to ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.systempreferences/ and move the contents to your Desktop.
3. Navigate to ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.SystemSettings/ (if present) and move the contents to your Desktop.
4. Restart your Mac.

Check for Conflicting System Extensions and Login Items

Third-party software sometimes installs background processes that interfere with System Settings.

1. Open Finder and select Go > Utilities.
2. Open Activity Monitor and review processes for any unfamiliar or suspicious items consuming high CPU or memory.
3. If you can access System Settings, go to General > Login Items (or Users & Groups > Login Items on older macOS).
4. Select any non-essential third-party login items and click the minus (–) button to remove them.
5. Restart your Mac and test System Settings.

Run First Aid on Your Startup Disk

Disk permission errors or filesystem corruption can prevent System Settings from loading correctly.

1. Restart your Mac and enter Recovery Mode (Hold Command + R for Intel, or hold the power button for Apple Silicon).
2. Select Disk Utility from the macOS Utilities window and click Continue.
3. Select your startup disk (usually named Macintosh HD) from the sidebar.
4. Click First Aid > Run.
5. When the process completes, restart your Mac normally.

Troubleshooting

If the issue persists after completing all the steps above, the following advanced options may help.

Create a New User Account

Testing with a fresh user account helps determine whether the issue is tied to your user profile or the system itself. Since System Settings is crashing, you must do this via Recovery Mode or Terminal if you have another admin account.

1. If you have another administrator account, log into that account and go to System Settings > Users & Groups to create a new test user.
2. If you are the only user, boot into Safe Mode and attempt to create a new user via the Terminal using the sysadminctl command, or proceed to the macOS Reinstall step.
3. Sign in to the new account and try opening System Settings.

If System Settings works correctly under the new account, the problem is isolated to your original user profile. You may need to migrate data to the new account gradually or reset your existing profile.

Reinstall macOS

As a last resort, reinstalling macOS can resolve deep system corruption without erasing your personal files.

1. Back up your data using Time Machine or your preferred backup method.
2. Restart into Recovery Mode (Hold Command + R for Intel, or hold the power button for Apple Silicon).
3. Select Reinstall macOS and follow the prompts.
4. Choose your startup disk when asked and complete the installation.

Check for Known Apple Issues

Some System Settings crashes are caused by specific bugs Apple has addressed in later macOS updates. If your Mac is running an older supported version of macOS, ensure all available updates are installed. You can also review Apple's official system status page for any reported service outages that may affect system functionality.

If you've worked through every step above and System Settings is still crashing, our support team can investigate further. Please Open a Ticket with the following details:

• Your macOS version (click Apple menu > About This Mac)
• Your Mac model and year
• When the issue first started
• Any error messages displayed when System Settings crashes
• Steps you've already attempted

Still Having Issues?