Choose an app you are done with
Start with a browser, chat app, or work tool you do not need right now.
Quick Guide · the essentials, right away
Pause apps with confidence.
AppHalt keeps an app open while temporarily stopping its activity. Resume it whenever you need it again.
The 20-second guide
Three things to remember
Click Pause
The app stays open, but stops working in the background until you resume it.
Click Resume to use it again
If it does not come to the front, select it in the Dock or press Command–Tab.
The AppHalt menu
Know what you are looking at
This is a real capture of AppHalt. In manual mode, nothing is paused until you choose Pause.
What Pause really does
The app stays open, but its work stops
Its windows, tabs, and documents stay in place. AppHalt temporarily stops the app’s processes until they resume.
Background activity pauses too
Media, calls, notifications, downloads, uploads, sync, backups, recordings, exports, and renders may be interrupted. Keep the app running whenever one of these matters.
The main gain is lower processor use
Pausing a busy app can reduce CPU use, heat, and battery drain and may make the Mac feel more responsive. The benefit is smaller for an already idle app.
Pause is not a memory cleaner
Because the app stays open, it can keep using memory. AppHalt primarily stops processor activity; it does not promise to free all of the app’s RAM.
Returning normally resumes the app
By default, AppHalt resumes a paused app when you switch back to it. If you disable that setting, choose Resume in AppHalt instead.
A simple decision
Should I pause this app?
Ask one question: does this app need to keep doing something while I am away?
Quick answer
Is this app playing media, handling a call, downloading, syncing, backing up, recording, exporting, or rendering?
Usually fine to pause
- A browser you are not using
- A chat app when you do not need notifications
- A design or productivity app after finishing a task
- A utility that does not need to keep working
Keep running for now
- Music or video that is playing
- A call or meeting
- A download, upload, or file sync
- A backup, recording, export, or render
Still unsure? Do nothing. Leaving an app running is always the safest choice, and you can pause it later.
Chrome or SafariPause when you are finished browsing for now.
Spotify or MusicKeep running while you are listening.
Dropbox or iCloud DriveKeep running while files are syncing.
More control when you want it
Dashboard, Never Pause, and Auto-Pause
You can use AppHalt manually forever. These options are here when you want more context or automation.
Open Dashboard
Use the larger view to compare apps. The message at the bottom explains whether the selected app should stay active.
Best for: deciding with more context.
Open Dashboard in AppHaltNever Pause
In Settings → Exclusions, add apps that must always keep working. Apps in this list are protected from both manual and automatic pauses.
Useful for sync, calls, media, backup, recording, and export apps.
Auto-Pause starts off
It does nothing until you enable it. Once enabled, it waits for an app to be in the background and meet your settings before pausing it.
Recommended: set up Never Pause first, then begin with a longer delay.
Open Auto-Pause SettingsStraight answers
The details people usually wonder about
Why does AppHalt show this app?
It looks at current processor activity and whether the app is in use, protected, or excluded. A suggestion is only a possible opportunity to save resources—not a warning and not an automatic action.
Must I always click Resume?
Usually no. “Resume paused apps when you return” is enabled by default. You can change it in Settings → General.
What if I quit AppHalt or restart my Mac?
When you quit AppHalt normally, it resumes the apps it paused before closing. Restarting the Mac ends running apps normally; after startup, open and use them as usual.
Is a high CPU value dangerous?
No. It only shows how much processor activity AppHalt currently sees. Values move constantly, and a high value can be completely normal while an app is busy.
Quick fixes
If something looks wrong, start with Resume
A paused app can look frozen because its activity is intentionally stopped. Resuming it solves most situations immediately.
The app is frozen or not responding
Open AppHalt and click Resume next to the app. Give it a moment, then try it again.
I resumed the app, but I cannot see it
Resume does not always bring a window forward. Select the app in the Dock or press Command–Tab.
I paused the wrong app
Click Resume. The app will continue from where it was paused.
I want every paused app running again
Choose Resume all apps in AppHalt. This is the quickest way to return everything to normal.
An app should never be paused
Open Settings → Exclusions and add it to Never Pause. AppHalt will then leave it alone.
Resume did not fix the app
Choose Resume all apps, wait a few seconds, then try the app again. If it is still unresponsive after everything is running, the problem is no longer caused by an active AppHalt pause. Use the app’s usual recovery steps or contact Support.
Still not fixed? Resume all apps first. If the issue remains after everything is running again, visit Support and describe what you were doing and which app was affected.