GarageBand freezing on 2019 iMac with 3.6 GHz Core i3 and 8GB RAM

Hi all


I have a 2019 21.5 inch machine

3.6 GHz Quad Core Intel Core i3

8GB 2400 MHz DDR4


Been trouble since I bought it but can't afford to buy new yet.


Garageband freezes all the time and always has.


I can give more details if required but any help would be great.


Cheers for advice


Jimmy





[Edited by Moderator]

Original Title: Garageband freezes

iMac 21.5″, macOS 15.4

Posted on Oct 2, 2025 12:22 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 5, 2025 7:02 PM

Re: GarageBand freezing on 2019 iMac with 3.6 GHz Core i3 and 8GB RAM


Wondering whether your iMac has plenty of memory / storage space free for the work you are doing with Garageband. Eg: A Mac normally requires around 50 Gb free in which to operate smoothly and do all the tasks we require of it. Some memory-intensive apps / large projects may work best with even more free space.

(NB: Any free storage space you may have available in iCloud is quite separate from storage on Mac)

Eg: For MacOS 15 : See used and available storage space on your Mac - Apple Support


Note: If space is short on you Mac, it is always wise to back-up Mac data, before making space available.

______________________________________

If memory / storage space is not-a-problem:

If you haven't tried it: Try restarting you iMac: (deletes temporary files, re-establishhes connections, may update recent stting changes, and often restores order if something is not working as expected.

Eg: Apple menu > Restart ... log back in after Mac restarts, and see if there's any improvement.


You may also want to check if there's a Garageband update available for your iMac, in the App Store:

Open the App Store > Click updates in the left sidebar to view any updates available for your system.

___________________________________

If needed: More info. / support / contact options etc.

Garageband Support website : GarageBand – Official Apple Support

________

Resource: GarageBand User Guide for Mac:

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 5, 2025 7:02 PM in response to jimmyjazzz

Re: GarageBand freezing on 2019 iMac with 3.6 GHz Core i3 and 8GB RAM


Wondering whether your iMac has plenty of memory / storage space free for the work you are doing with Garageband. Eg: A Mac normally requires around 50 Gb free in which to operate smoothly and do all the tasks we require of it. Some memory-intensive apps / large projects may work best with even more free space.

(NB: Any free storage space you may have available in iCloud is quite separate from storage on Mac)

Eg: For MacOS 15 : See used and available storage space on your Mac - Apple Support


Note: If space is short on you Mac, it is always wise to back-up Mac data, before making space available.

______________________________________

If memory / storage space is not-a-problem:

If you haven't tried it: Try restarting you iMac: (deletes temporary files, re-establishhes connections, may update recent stting changes, and often restores order if something is not working as expected.

Eg: Apple menu > Restart ... log back in after Mac restarts, and see if there's any improvement.


You may also want to check if there's a Garageband update available for your iMac, in the App Store:

Open the App Store > Click updates in the left sidebar to view any updates available for your system.

___________________________________

If needed: More info. / support / contact options etc.

Garageband Support website : GarageBand – Official Apple Support

________

Resource: GarageBand User Guide for Mac:

GarageBand freezing on 2019 iMac with 3.6 GHz Core i3 and 8GB RAM

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