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iMovie keeps crashing on startup.

Hi


iMovie keeps crashing, it won't launch.


I'm on a mid 2011 Mac mini with 10.13.6 Sierra.

I have followed a tutorial for getting iMovie 9.0.9, and I succeeded in updating it to iMovie 10.

It will work at first, but after a short while (30 minutes or so) I'll just get the same error on launch of iMovie.


I've reinstalled the OS completely several times.


Any suggestions?

Mac mini, macOS 10.13

Posted on Nov 29, 2020 3:43 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 29, 2020 10:02 AM

Hi, Krabsens,


Crashing can be caused by a number of different things. It could be a corrupt preference. Or maybe not enough disk space for the iMovie app to function properly, or perhaps not enough space in the destination drive to receive the movie. It could also be a corrupt clip in the project that is triggering the crash. Or it could be an issue confined to just one project. Or there might be a conflict in the particular user account that you are using. Possibly it could be an issue with your computer, such as bad RAM or maybe a failing graphics card. Or maybe your iMovie 10 app is not updated to the highest version that Sierra can run. No way to tell without doing some diagnostic procedures.


Try doing the procedures below to see if you can isolate the problem:


Deleting Preferences


Open iMovie while holding down the Option and Command keys and select to delete

preferences in the box that appears. iMovie will open in a new library. Reopen

your old library to get back to your projects.  Deleting preferences is a safe procedure that

will not cause data loss or disruption to your project.

Opening iMovie in a new library


Try opening iMovie in a new library.  To do

that, open iMovie while holding down the Option key and then selecting to

create a new library in the box that appears.


Opening iMovie in a new user account


Create a new user account from System Preferences/Users and Groups and try to open and

use iMovie in the new account. You can use the Guest account on your Mac for

this purpose.


New Project


Another thing you can try is to copy your media into a newly created project and see if

that cures the problem. To do that, do an Edit/Select All, Edit/Copy, of the

media in your project and then Edit/Paste it into the newly created project.


Safe Mode


You could also try booting up in Safe Mode (see Finder menu for instructions) and,

after everything loads, immediately shut down and reboot in normal mode. Then

see if iMovie works properly.


Updating iMovie


To update/redownload iMovie 10, drag your iMovie 10 app from the Applications

folder into the trash, but do not empty the trash. Sign in to the app

store and open your purchases folder by clicking on your name at the bottom of

the app store side bar. You will see your purchases displayed, including iMovie 10.

Redownload/update iMovie from there. If not successful, drag your present iMovie app out of the

trash and return it to the Applications folder.


Resetting the System Management Controller


Try resetting the System Management Controller:


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295


 Resetting the NVRAM or PRAM


Try resetting the NVRAM or PRAM, although this issue would be fairly rare:


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063


 Apple Hardware Test


To rule out a hardware problem, try running the Apple Hardware test on your Mac.


https://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/03/07/how-to-start-mac-apple-diagnostics-hardware-test-mode/


-- Rich



1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 29, 2020 10:02 AM in response to Krabsens

Hi, Krabsens,


Crashing can be caused by a number of different things. It could be a corrupt preference. Or maybe not enough disk space for the iMovie app to function properly, or perhaps not enough space in the destination drive to receive the movie. It could also be a corrupt clip in the project that is triggering the crash. Or it could be an issue confined to just one project. Or there might be a conflict in the particular user account that you are using. Possibly it could be an issue with your computer, such as bad RAM or maybe a failing graphics card. Or maybe your iMovie 10 app is not updated to the highest version that Sierra can run. No way to tell without doing some diagnostic procedures.


Try doing the procedures below to see if you can isolate the problem:


Deleting Preferences


Open iMovie while holding down the Option and Command keys and select to delete

preferences in the box that appears. iMovie will open in a new library. Reopen

your old library to get back to your projects.  Deleting preferences is a safe procedure that

will not cause data loss or disruption to your project.

Opening iMovie in a new library


Try opening iMovie in a new library.  To do

that, open iMovie while holding down the Option key and then selecting to

create a new library in the box that appears.


Opening iMovie in a new user account


Create a new user account from System Preferences/Users and Groups and try to open and

use iMovie in the new account. You can use the Guest account on your Mac for

this purpose.


New Project


Another thing you can try is to copy your media into a newly created project and see if

that cures the problem. To do that, do an Edit/Select All, Edit/Copy, of the

media in your project and then Edit/Paste it into the newly created project.


Safe Mode


You could also try booting up in Safe Mode (see Finder menu for instructions) and,

after everything loads, immediately shut down and reboot in normal mode. Then

see if iMovie works properly.


Updating iMovie


To update/redownload iMovie 10, drag your iMovie 10 app from the Applications

folder into the trash, but do not empty the trash. Sign in to the app

store and open your purchases folder by clicking on your name at the bottom of

the app store side bar. You will see your purchases displayed, including iMovie 10.

Redownload/update iMovie from there. If not successful, drag your present iMovie app out of the

trash and return it to the Applications folder.


Resetting the System Management Controller


Try resetting the System Management Controller:


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295


 Resetting the NVRAM or PRAM


Try resetting the NVRAM or PRAM, although this issue would be fairly rare:


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063


 Apple Hardware Test


To rule out a hardware problem, try running the Apple Hardware test on your Mac.


https://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/03/07/how-to-start-mac-apple-diagnostics-hardware-test-mode/


-- Rich



iMovie keeps crashing on startup.

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