iMac 2019 - Keeps Crashing and Restarting – Need Advice

Hi everyone,


I have a 2019 iMac (27-inch, Retina 5K) with the following specs:


  • Processor: 3.0 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i5
  • Graphics: Radeon Pro 570X 4GB
  • Memory: 16 GB 2667 MHz DDR4
  • Storage: 1TB Fusion Drive
  • macOS: Sonoma 14.4.1
  • Adobe Illustrator 28.1 installed


I’ve been experiencing persistent crashes. The system freezes up, shows the spinning beach ball, and often reboots by itself, giving the message: "Your computer restarted because of a problem." This happens even when I’m not using Adobe Illustrator. Some days, the crashing and rebooting happen so frequently that I can’t get any work done. I often have to shut it down and try again the following day.


Troubleshooting Steps I’ve Already Tried:


  • Ran First Aid in Disk Utility (including in Recovery Mode) – No errors (Exit Code 0, Operation Successful).
  • Ran Apple Diagnostics – No hardware issues found.
  • Reset PRAM/NVRAM and SMC – Didn’t resolve the issue.
  • Upgraded to macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 – Issue still occurs.
  • Checked power supply – Unplugged and waited before reconnecting, no change.


Is there anything else I should try before I consider repairs? Could it be a deeper software or hardware issue that’s causing the crashes? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advance!

iMac (2017 – 2020)

Posted on Mar 28, 2025 3:35 PM

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Mar 28, 2025 9:56 PM in response to diannamk

Thanks for the report., The first thing I see is there is no backup of the computer, this is EXTREMELY dangerous and the #1 thing you need to address. If my hunch is correct you are very high risk of losing ALL of your data. So please read Back up your Mac with Time Machine and begin using Time Machine. This requires an External Hard Disk to backup to, the one many experienced users on these forums suggest is the OWC Mercury Elite Pro, get a 2-4 TB model. Why this drive, VERY high quality which equals reliability, reasonable cost and dead simple to setup and maintain. Please order today and have it delivered ASAP and back up.


What my hunch is, is that the internal HD is getting ready to fail!!!!!!


After you have received the new External Hard Disk and backed up for the first time with Time Machine then download DriveDX and test the internal HD. If ANY errors appear, that means my hunch of a failing HD is correct. At that point you have to decide what to do. You can have another HD installed or what I'd recommend is buying an external SSD and using that as your boot drive. Another option of course is replacing the computer, your 2019 still has some life in it so really that is something to think about.

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Mar 28, 2025 3:51 PM in response to diannamk

Thanks for the info on your system however without an EtreCheck report there isn’t a great deal we can tell. Please download EtreCheck, run the report, save it to your Desktop and then attach the report to your reply to this message. We can then tell what has been installed (don’t worry ZERO personal information is included). We can also look to see more about how the computer has been confirgured, backup plan, the software that you have installed etc…


If you have questions about EtreCheck please feel free to ask them.

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Mar 29, 2025 4:45 AM in response to diannamk

I'm not the sharpest tool in the box, but you should definitely start using Time Machine. Try un-downloading all apps that weren't available when you first got it (basically the apps you have when you factory reset), especially if its one from the web.

If you just so happen to have another MacBook, (whether it be your siblings, or someone else's) log into that one with your Apple ID and etc until you can figure out how to Revive your MacBook. (hint:you need another MacBook, and you can get an easy explanation on how to do a revive with the magic thing called "SearchLabs") (also you'd need to log into someone else's if its a hardware/software issue with your MacBook itself)

Or if you're like me just boot into safe mode until you figure out the rest and hope it doesn't start breaking down before your eyes😀👍

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iMac 2019 - Keeps Crashing and Restarting – Need Advice

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