A specific program repeatedly says 'Not Responding'

Symptoms

• Program window title bar shows Not Responding
• Clicking inside the frozen program does nothing
• Other programs continue to work normally at the same time
• Happens repeatedly with the same specific application

Likely causes

• CommonThe program itself has a bug or memory leakSome software simply becomes unstable after running for a while or performing a specific action.
• CommonThe program is waiting on a slow or unresponsive network resourceIf the software depends on internet or network access, a hang there can freeze the whole interface.
• PossibleOutdated version of the program with a known bugOlder versions of software sometimes have specific freezing issues fixed in later updates.
• PossibleConflicting add-in, extension, or plugin within the programBrowser extensions or software plugins can cause the host application to hang.
• PossibleInsufficient system memory (RAM) for the task being performedRunning out of available memory can cause any program to become sluggish or hang.

What to do

1. Wait 30–60 seconds, since some hangs resolve on their own, especially if the program is processing something large.
2. If it doesn't recover, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), select the program, and click End Task to force close it.
3. Reopen the program and see if the same action triggers the freeze again, which helps identify a specific cause.
4. Check for and install any available updates for the program, since freezing bugs are commonly fixed in updates.
5. If the program uses add-ins, extensions, or plugins, try disabling them one at a time to isolate a conflicting one.
6. Check Task Manager's Performance tab for memory usage; if RAM is nearly full when the freeze happens, closing other programs or adding more RAM may help.
7. If the program consistently hangs during a network-dependent action, check your internet connection's stability during that specific task.

When to call a pro

If a specific program keeps freezing even after updating it and disabling add-ins, its own support team or a technician can help identify a deeper compatibility or resource issue.

Safety