Sketch Keeps Crashing on Mac

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Test in Safe Mode and find the bad plugin

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   1. Quit Sketch, then reopen it holding Shift
   2. If it runs normally, relaunch normally and open Sketch > Settings > Plugins
   3. Disable all plugins and add them back one at a time until the crash returns
   4. Check the plugin for an update or contact its developer
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Plugin crashes it on launch

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   1. Quit Sketch
   2. In Finder press Shift-Command-G
   3. Go to ~/Library/Application Support/com.bohemiancoding.sketch3
   4. Drag the Plugins folder to the Desktop and relaunch
   5. Reinstall plugins one by one
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Reset the preferences file

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   1. Quit Sketch
   2. Press Shift-Command-G and open ~/Library/Preferences/
   3. Drag com.bohemiancoding.sketch3.plist to the Desktop and relaunch
   4. To restore, quit Sketch and drag it back, replacing the new one
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Update for macOS Tahoe

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   1. Sketch says versions older than Athens (2025.1) can be unreliable on Tahoe
   2. Update the Mac app to 2025.1 or later
   Did this fix it? Yes No

5. 5. Restart, then reinstall

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   1. Restart your Mac
   2. Back up the Libraries and Plugins folders from ~/Library/Application Support/com.bohemiancoding.sketch3
   3. Uninstall Sketch (Sketch recommends the free AppCleaner)
   4. Download the latest version, sign in, and copy the folders back
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Sketch quits unexpectedly, crashes on launch, or shows a crash report window on relaunch.

Why it happens

• A third-party plugin
• Corrupted preferences file
• Sketch older than Athens (2025.1) on macOS Tahoe
• Damaged install

This guide also covers

• sketch keeps crashing
• sketch crashes on launch
• sketch app quit unexpectedly

The same problem in other apps

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