# IDE locking up when debugging

**URL:** <https://forum.xojo.com/t/ide-locking-up-when-debugging/87913>\
**Category:** macOS\
**Created:** [March 20, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/ide-locking-up-when-debugging/87913 "2026-03-20T17:10:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chris\_Halford](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/chris_halford/32/480_2.png) [@Chris\_Halford](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Chris_Halford)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/ide-locking-up-when-debugging/87913/1 "2026-03-20T17:10:16Z")

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Trying to debug a project on my own Mac (not remote) and it seems if I have any file referenced in a variable I cannot step through the debugger - it just shows the spinning ball.

I did update to Tahoe a few days ago, so maybe that has something to do with it?

Has anyone else experienced this and is there a way around it? Inability to debug is a show-stopper.

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**Author:** ![Tim\_Parnell](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/tim_parnell/32/161_2.png) [@Tim\_Parnell](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Tim_Parnell)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 5:12pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/ide-locking-up-when-debugging/87913/2 "2026-03-20T17:12:57Z")

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Yeah, the issue is becoming more and more common. Here’s a recent thread which has the related Issues ticket inside it:

> [@Mac Spinning Beachball in IDE](https://forum.xojo.com/t/mac-spinning-beachball-in-ide/87903):
>
> Recently (~ since Xojo 2025 3.1), I have been occasionally seeing the spinning beachball that can last ~ 20 to 60 seconds. This might occur every couple of hours during a coding session. I change something in the code or move a control in a window, and suddenly the spinning beachball appears. I worry that there has been a crash, but ultimately it resolves. In years past, this never occurred. Have others seen this? Is it Tahoe? Is it me? Is it recent versions of Xojo? In my current session, it …

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chris\_Halford](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/chris_halford/32/480_2.png) [@Chris\_Halford](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Chris_Halford)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 5:27pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/ide-locking-up-when-debugging/87913/3 "2026-03-20T17:27:40Z")

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Before yesterday I never saw this before. Frustrating.

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**Author:** ![Anthony\_Dellos](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/anthony_dellos/32/208_2.png) [@Anthony\_Dellos](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Anthony_Dellos)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/ide-locking-up-when-debugging/87913/4 "2026-03-20T17:44:41Z")

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> [@Chris\_Halford](#):
>
> any file referenced in a variable

So a folderItem object? or something else?

I have noticed really awful behavior (in general) with one of my Apple Silicon Macs (Mini M4 Pro) and any items on a network share or _some_ external drives since Sequoia.

This included slow performance when debugging Xojo MacOS Desktop apps, but also in the Finder, and 3rd party apps not written in Xojo.

Does any of this match or are all of your issues with files on the main local volume?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chris\_Halford](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/chris_halford/32/480_2.png) [@Chris\_Halford](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Chris_Halford)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 5:18pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/ide-locking-up-when-debugging/87913/5 "2026-03-22T17:18:45Z")

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I’ve only seen this with a file reference but I need to try some other things.