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9 Common OS X Yosemite Problems & How to Fix Them

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The OS X Yosemite release offers a load of new features and even fixed some lingering OS X Mavericks bugs, but there are some OS X Yosemite problems and bugs that users need to know about before upgrading and how to fix them if they already upgraded to OS X 10.10.

We’ve heard a number of users complain about common OS X Yosemite problems, and we’re here to help with potential fixes.

Apple is already working on an OS X 10.10.1 release, the first OS X Yosemite update, that will fix some problems. Until that arrives, you can use the possible fixes for OS X Yosemite problems below to make your Mac run better.

How to fix common OS X Yosemite problems.

How to fix common OS X Yosemite problems.

The original OS X Yosemite release date arrived in mid-October as a free update for Apple notebooks and desktops. Even older notebooks and desktops are compatible with OS X Yosemite, which is where some users will notice problems.

OS X Yosemite, also known as OS X 10.10, is the first release and there is work on OS X 10.10.1, including a preview for developers to test. There is no specific OS X 10.10.1 release announcement, but with testing underway there may be official solutions to many OS X Yosemite problems and bugs in the near future.

Read: Top 10 Things to Try in OS X Yosemite & iOS 8.1

This may not fix all the problems, so we are sharing solutions to many OS X Yosemite problems that we could find. Some of these are temporary fixes, may only help you get through the day until there is an official update that fixes the problem.

How to fix OS X Yosemite Battery Life Problems

Soon after the release we heard complaints about OS X Yosemite battery life problems. The battery life drains much faster than normal for some users. For many, this is likely due to spotlight indexing after the update and using the battery faster. Typically this will resolve itself after a day or two.

Find OS X Yosemite battery life hogs.

Find OS X Yosemite battery life hogs.

If the battery problems continue, press space and command at the same time and type Activity Monitor to open a built-in system monitor. Click on Energy and see if there are any specific apps using too much energy. This will help you find any apps that are behaving badly.

How to Fix OS X Yosemite Performance Problems

Early on in the release we heard about OS X Yosemite performance problems, especially on older Macs. It’s great to see long-term software support, but some older devices just don’t have the power to handle all the new features and looks of Yosemite.

You can follow our guide to improve OS X Yosemite performance to speed up your Mac. This will show you how to tone down effects that can slow your Mac down, one app to avoid, how to turn off OS X Yosemite Notification Widgets and other important steps that can help your Mac run better and faster with OS X Yosemite.

How to Fix  OS X Yosemite WiFi Problems

OS X Yosemite WiFi problems are the most visible issues that users experience after the update. A large number of upgraders discovered that their WiFi doesn’t work, will not stay connected or simply acts buggy after upgrading to OS X Yosemite.

Here are ways to fix common OS X Yosemite WiFi problems.

Here are ways to fix common OS X Yosemite WiFi problems.

There are many potential fixes for OS X Yosemite WiFi problems. There is no one, specific fix and unfortunately for some users there is no fix available now. The OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 update will specifically address some of these OS X 10.10 WiFi bugs. Until this comes you can try the following DIY fixes for OS X Yosemite WiFi bugs and problems. These are listed in order from easy to complicated, so you may need to try a few to get your WiFi working. Many of these fixes come from Reddit.

  • Connect to a 2.4GHz network – For some users this will fix the problem.
  • Turn off Bluetooth – Oddly this will fix some problems.
  • Change Router Settings – Reset your router and also try to set the channel to 50-120.

If none of thee work, you should try to reset SMC and PRAM. Use these guides from Apple to perform these tasks on your specific model.

If none of these fix your OS X 10.10 WiFi problems you’ll want to use this OS X Daily guide which will walk you through reconfiguring WiFi, creating a new WiFi location with custom DNS and other fixes.

How to Fix  OS X Yosemite Black Screen Problems

One common OS X Yosemite problem is a black screen when you wake the computer up. If you are using a notebook, the easiest fix is to close the lid for 30 seconds and try again. This is temporary, but it will prevent you from holding the power button to force a restart.

Another solution, if you restart into a black screen is listed above, which will help you get into your computer. This doesn’t fix the problem, but it will help you get into your computer.

How to Fix  OS X Yosemite Boot Problems

If you use a Mac at work and it is part of a domain it may not boot up when connected to Ethernet. When this happens the bar will load to halfway, but not load completely.

The temporary fix is to unplug the Ethernet cable and let the Mac boot. Hopefully OS X 10.10.1 will fix these problems for all users and remove this temporary step.

How to Fix OS X Yosemite Email Problems

There are a variety of OS X Yosemite email problems that can prevent users from opening Mail and from sending messages over smtp. If Mail tells you the upgrade failed and the index is damaged you will need to move your Mail inbox to the desktop and try importing it.

Move and then re-import to fix some OS X Yosemite email problems.

Move and then re-import to fix some OS X Yosemite email problems.

Linc Davis provides a fix in the Apple Support Forums.

  1. Open Finder -> Hold Option and click on Go -> Choose Library.
  2. Go to Mail -> MailBoxes -> copy the filename.mbox  to your desktop.
  3. Open Mail, it should start and then you can Import and select Apple Mail.

Another problem is not being able to send mail after upgrading to Yosemite. If you run into this, you can follow this fix from helicopterjon,

Quit mail

Open up Finder

In the Finder menu bar select Go > Go to folder

type in ~/Library and click Go (on my kb the “~” is next to the left shift key)

Open the folder Mail

Open the folder V2

Open the folder MailData

Double click to open Accounts.plist (should open in TextEdit)

Find the block of data that contains the offending mail account

Find the line within this block that says <key>UserAllowsInsecureAuthentication</key>

Change the line below this from <false/> to <true/>

Quit TextEdit

Restart mail

For other OS X Yosemite Mail problems, you will need to check the Apple Support forums.

How to Fix MacBook Pro Won’t Shut Down After Yosemite Upgrade

For some users, the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air will not shut down after upgrading to OS X Yosemite. This is likely due to FileVault encryption. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro will not restart until this is complete — which may take two days.

If this happens to you, you’ll need to wait it out. The good news is that there is not likely something wrong with your Mac and time will fix the problem.

How to Fix Logitech OS X Yosemite Problems

After upgrading to OS X Yosemite some users can not use Logitech keyboards and mice easily. If you use one of these devices you no longer need to use any work arounds.

Download the newest OS X Logitech Control Center, and that should fix your problems. This will allow you to configure and fully use Logitech devices on OS X Yosemite.

How to Fix OS X Yosemite Sound Problems

OS X Yosemite sound problems can prevent users  from listening to audio over the speakers or with headphones. This is not something everyone will run into, but for users who face it, the problem is very frustrating. It doesn’t help that the Mac changes behavior based on when you plug headphones in.

Reset SMC and PRAM and then toggle the sound settings.

Reset SMC and PRAM and then toggle the sound settings.

On the Apple Support Forums dominic23 shares a solution to this problem. First you need to Reset PRAM and Reset SMC and then you need to go into your sound settings.

System Preferences > Sound> Sound Effects

Play sound effects through:

Select “Internal speakers” and then back to “Selected sound output device”.

This should fix stubborn OS X Yosemite sound problems.

11 Comments

11 Comments

  1. Bill Paulick

    11/10/2014 at 12:51 pm

    I am getting a non-stop dialog box that pops up every 5 seconds that says ” To open ‘this Java application’ you need to install the legacy Java SE 6 runtime.” How do I make this go away???

    • JimmySmash

      11/11/2014 at 5:11 am

      Click the link in the dialog to install the legacy java SE 6 runtime

  2. Sam

    11/10/2014 at 2:51 pm

    Cant send/recieve messages or FaceTime/regular calls aren’t linking with my phone…anyone have a solution??? TY!

  3. Bob Golly

    11/11/2014 at 3:37 am

    What a crock this upgrade is. Add this to the garbage called OS8.0 and I bet Steve Jobs will be furious in his grave at the mess they a making with his company.

    • Andel

      02/15/2015 at 8:21 am

      U R right. Yosemite it’s crapware.

  4. Leigh

    11/20/2014 at 6:48 pm

    Hi all,
    I have an issue where the sound icon (and corresponding adjustability) is no longer available on my top right of the screen (not sure what this is called, its where the battery life is as well as the date etc).
    Ive looked in sound preferences but there is no way to add it, and I’ve seen screen prints where they have the sound icon telling you if your sound is on/off and how high (like it used to). Hours of google searching came up with nothing to help me with this.
    Any ideas?

    Many thanks.
    Leigh

  5. Alyssa

    12/07/2014 at 8:51 pm

    The battery resolution is moot!

  6. Adam

    03/02/2015 at 8:43 pm

    I have numerous issues still. Quicktime no longer allows me to watch or split films and steam requires permission every single time I try to open a game and also everytime I close a game it makes an error report. Those are my 2 most annoying issues but in general everything just runs slower and startup seems to take forever. It’s not my mac, less than 6 months old high spec iMac.

  7. RR

    06/24/2015 at 10:13 pm

    I have the same issue as Adam. Having let my friend convince me that I should upgrade to Yosemite, I’m heartbroken as I am no longer able to play ANY of my videos. Seriously disappointing, frustrating and a waste of time.

  8. LB

    07/15/2015 at 7:47 pm

    Since updating to Yosemite my moms Macbook Air will only retrieve email messages if it is plugged in or if she presses the retrieve mail button. If it is unplugged it will not periodically check for and download messages. I thought it might be a power saving issue so I changed the “Check For new Messages” preference from Automatic to 1 minute, but that has not helped. Any advice would be appreciated.

  9. Ada

    08/08/2015 at 1:19 pm

    I’ve made software update to Yosemite at my MacBook Pro and after a few minutes on trying to restart the system shuts down. I use it now in a recovery mode but I can’t do anything else. I tried to install the previous software but can not proceed either to that… What can I do?

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