A Mac app bounces in the Dock, then closes or never opens
Quick answer
Restart your Mac and update the app. If it still closes straight away, move it to the Trash and install a fresh copy from the App Store or the developer's website.
Why it happens
An app that quits as soon as it opens usually has a damaged file, is too old for your version of macOS, or trips over its own saved settings. Sometimes a stuck background process from an earlier crash is enough to block it. A restart and an update fix most cases, and a clean reinstall or a settings reset fixes most of the rest.
How to fix it
Restart your Mac from the Apple menu with Restart…. This clears anything left over from an earlier crash.
Apple menu›Restart…
Try the app again. If it still won't open, update it. For App Store apps, open the App Store and click Updates. For other apps, get the latest version from the developer's website.
App Store›Updates
Still closing? Open Finder, click Applications in the sidebar, and drag the app to the Trash. Some apps keep your work inside the app itself, so check you have a copy of anything important first.
Finder›Applications
Install a fresh copy. App Store apps download again for free from your purchases, and other apps come from the developer's website. Open the new copy from Applications.
Still not fixed?
If your Mac says the app can't be opened because Apple can't check it, and you trust where it came from, open Privacy & Security and use Open Anyway in the Security section.
Privacy & Security›Security›Open Anyway
Check for a macOS update in Software Update. A new app version sometimes needs the latest macOS, and an old app may need an update to work with a new one.
General›Software Update
Try the app in another user account. Add a test user in Users & Groups and open the app there. If it works there, the problem is in your own account's settings for that app.
Users & Groups
To reset those settings, quit the app, then in Finder choose Go > Go to Folder…, type ~/Library/Preferences and press Return. Find the file named after the app, ending in .plist, and move it to the Desktop. Open the app again. To undo, quit it and move the file back.
Finder›Go›Go to Folder…
If the app still crashes after a clean reinstall, contact its developer and send the crash report your Mac shows with Report…. For Apple's own apps, or if many apps crash, contact Apple Support.
Questions people ask
Why does an app open and then close immediately on my Mac?
Usually the app is damaged, out of date for your macOS, or its settings are corrupted. Restart, update it, then reinstall a fresh copy.
Will I lose my data if I reinstall an app on my Mac?
Most apps keep your files and settings outside the app, so they stay. A few keep work inside the app, so back up anything important first.
What does error -10810 mean on a Mac?
It means the Mac couldn't start the app. A restart fixes it most of the time. If not, update or reinstall the app.
Related fixes
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