A relatively common error that Mac users encounter is Error 102. When Error 102 occurs on your Mac, it can slow down the overall performance, cause unexpected crashes, and trigger several annoying error messages.
Here we will try to explain what causes Mac error 102 before giving some useful tips to solve the problem.
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It could happen to your Mac
Error code 102 is common on Mac when updating apps or macOS. Most of the time, problems with settings files and kernel panic issues, problematic apps or full startup disk usage trigger Mac error 102.
When error code 102 appears on your Mac, it affects the overall performance of your computer. It will corrupt file structure without any warning and might lead to system crashes. Various error messages can also appear. These include “.dmg file cannot be found”, “file not found”, and “access denied”.
So, while updating apps or macOS, you may see the following error message indicating the occurrence of Mac Error 102:
That [program name] Operation cannot be completed. An unexpected error has occurred (error code 102)
Mac error 102 does not go away automatically, some troubleshooting methods need to be done to fix the problem.
Causes of Mac error 102
There are several reasons why error 102 can appear on your Mac. Of course, there is always a chance that malware has infiltrated your Mac and caused Error 102 to appear. Therefore, as a best practice, always check whether malware has attacked your Mac.
After you’ve fixed the malicious software (if you’ve found any) and you’re still getting the 102 error message, you should try some troubleshooting tips that might fix the problem.
How to fix Mac error 102
The easiest way to fix error 102 is to use a Mac repair tool. These tools scan your system to identify junk files. You can also delete corrupt app downloads and updates that might be causing the error. In addition, a Mac repair tool will delete unnecessary apps that are still on your computer. There is a possibility that these apps are causing conflicts with your Mac’s system which could trigger the mentioned error. Some of the Mac repair tools we recommend are Disk Drill, Disk Genius, and Onyx. All three apps support both Intel-based and Apple Silicon Macs, but only Onyx is available for free.
1. Remove the app that caused the error
If you received error 102 after installing an app on your Mac, it is best to uninstall that app immediately. That way you won’t forget about this problematic app later. To uninstall a Mac app, you can use any of the three methods below.
- Drag the app to the trash.
- Select the app and choose File > Move to Trash from the menu bar.
- Select the app and press Command-Delete on your keyboard.
2. Delete corrupt settings files
Another step you can take to fix Mac error 102 is to delete corrupted preference files. macOS uses these files to tell apps how to work on your Mac. The error can appear if these files are corrupted. Quite often, settings files get corrupted after uninstalling apps by dragging them to the thrash folder.
Here are the steps to delete settings files associated with the apps you removed.
- Go to Finder > Go > Go to Folder
- Type /Library in the search box and press the To return key
- open that settings Folder and drag the settings files associated with the app you uninstalled to Trash.
3. Remove problematic apps from your Mac’s startup
You must know by now that when you start up or restart your Mac, several apps open automatically. While this is a useful macOS feature, it could lead to Mac Error 102, especially if some of these apps are problematic. Hence, it is best to remove these problematic apps to avoid further errors. Follow the steps below to clean up your Mac’s startup apps.
- Go to System Settings > General
- click Login Items > Select Item
- press the minus sign Button
- Restart your Mac
4. Clean junk/cache files
This is a standard way of solving various issues your Mac encounters including Error 102. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent these files from piling up on your Mac. The good news is that removing these files is easy enough, but it can become tedious if you don’t do it regularly.
- Open Finder > Go to Folder
- type ~/Library/Caches
- Delete files in each cache folder
Aside from potentially fixing error 102, cleaning cache files regularly will free up much-needed space on your iMac.
5. Correct disk permissions using Disk Utility
Another reason for Mac error 102 to appear is a disk permissions issue. Incorrect permissions must be fixed to avoid the error message. Fixing the disk permissions issue also fixes other application and file problems.
You can repair disk permission by running Mac’s built-in Disk Utility. Follow the steps below to repair disk permission.
- Open Finder > Applications
- double click Utilities
- double click Disk Utility
- Choose Startup Disk > First Aid tab
- press the Repair disk permissions Button
6. Reinstall macOS
If you are getting Mac error 102 due to corrupted or damaged preference files, reinstalling macOS can fix the error. To reinstall macOS on either an Intel-based Mac or an Apple Silicon Mac, you need to do it in recovery mode.
Follow the steps below to boot from macOS Recovery and reinstall macOS on your Intel-based Mac.
- Restart your Mac
- When the gray screen appears, press and hold Command + R
- In the macOS Utilities select menu reinstall macOS possibility
- Follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall macOS
And here are the steps to reinstall macOS on your Apple Silicon Mac.
- Turn on your Mac and hold down the power button until the Startup Options window appears
- press the corridor labeled icon Options > Next
- click reinstall macOS (version) then click Continue
- Follow the on-screen instructions
After the completion of macOS reinstallation, check if Mac error 102 is fixed or not. If not, there is another possible solution.
7. Reset your Mac’s PRAM and SMC
If Mac error 102 appears due to hardware issues, the best way to fix it is with a hardware-based solution. For Intel-based Macs, you can reset PRAM and SMC or the System Management Controller. Before resetting PRAM and SMC, please backup all your data to an external hard drive. All this data will be lost after the reset. The only way to get your data back is to restore from backup after resetting PRAM/NVRAM and SMC on your Mac.
Here are the steps to reset the PRAM/NVRAM:
- Turn off your Mac
- Press the Performance press and hold Command + P + R until your Mac restarts again
- If the startup beep sounds twice, the PRAM and SMC have been reset
For the SMC reset, the steps are as follows:
- Shut down the computer.
- Unplug the computer power cord from both the wall outlet and the computer.
- Wait 15 seconds.
- Connect the computer’s power cord.
- Wait another 5 seconds and press the power button to turn on your iMac
If you are using an Apple Silicon Mac, the SMC reset will be performed every time you reboot your system. For non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), there is no specific command to execute the reset command. Multiple sources said that NVRAM reset is triggered every time Mac restarts after shutdown. This means that the memory will automatically reset if there is a problem.
That’s it. Following any or all of the above steps can fix Mac error 102. Hope you don’t see this annoying error anymore.
