Google Chrome
Keep windows and tabs available while pausing Chrome when you no longer need its tabs, extensions, media, or downloads to continue.
How to pause Chrome →App-specific Mac guides
Pause the app you do not need. Keep its workspace open.
Chrome tabs, Slack threads, Teams windows, Figma files, and Xcode projects can be annoying to rebuild after quitting. Choose an app below to learn what pausing changes, when it is useful, and when that app should stay active.
Pause only apps that are idle. Resume anytime.
One menu, app by appPause, still open.
Choose an app
Guidance for the apps people often keep open all day.
Each guide keeps the same safety rule: do not pause work that still needs to continue in the background.
Slack
Pause Slack during focused work, but leave it active when notifications, calls, uploads, or team presence matter.
How to pause Slack →Microsoft Teams
Pause Teams after a meeting, not during a call, screen share, recording, upload, or message you need to receive immediately.
How to pause Teams →Figma
Keep files and canvas position ready for later while avoiding a pause during saving, collaboration, export, or plugin activity.
How to pause Figma →Discord
Pause Discord when you are away from chats and voice channels. Resume before joining calls, streaming, or expecting notifications.
How to pause Discord →Spotify
Pause Spotify only after playback has stopped. An app cannot keep streaming or responding normally while paused.
How to pause Spotify →Xcode
Keep a project open for later, but never pause Xcode during a build, indexing, simulator task, test run, or package download.
How to pause Xcode →Notion
Distinguish page or database work from sustained idle CPU, use Notion’s own fixes first, and pause only after edits have synced.
Diagnose Notion CPU →Adobe Photoshop
Check active filters, memory, cache, GPU and scratch-disk pressure before pausing a saved, genuinely idle Photoshop workspace.
Diagnose Photoshop CPU →Adobe Lightroom
Identify imports, exports, cloud sync and preview generation, then pause Lightroom only when every important background task has stopped.
Diagnose Lightroom CPU →Zoom
Reduce optional effects and competing background load. Never pause Zoom during a meeting, recording, upload, or live screen share.
Diagnose Zoom CPU →Unresponsive app: pause or quit?
Pausing is not a repair for an app that has already stopped responding. Learn when waiting, resuming, quitting, or Force Quit is appropriate.
Choose the right action →Which apps are safe to pause?
Use a simple checklist for uploads, sync, backups, calls, media, unsaved work, and protected system processes.
Read the safety checklist →Good moment to pause
The app is open, but genuinely idle.
- You want to return to its windows or tabs later.
- It is not uploading, syncing, building, exporting, or playing media.
- You do not need its notifications or background service right now.
- You recognise the app and can resume it if needed.
Leave it active
The app is still doing useful work.
- A call, recording, stream, download, or upload is active.
- A backup, cloud sync, build, render, or export must finish.
- You need time-sensitive notifications or collaboration.
- It is a protected macOS process or an app you do not recognise.
Related situations
App pausing is most useful when the open workspace is the problem.
Battery drain from work apps
Chrome, Slack, and Teams can overlap during a busy workday. Identify which one is active before pausing anything.
Check the workday battery guide →Video-call preparation
Reduce unrelated background work before a call while leaving the meeting app, audio tools, and required documents active.
Prepare for a Mac video call →Quitting versus pausing
Understand what macOS does when you close a window, quit an app, Force Quit it, or pause it temporarily.
Compare the actions →Try the workflow
Start with one ordinary app that can wait.
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