How To Fix GIMP Freezing When Opening Files

GIMP is a great tool for photo retouching and image editing. On the other hand, it can also be frustrating when it freezes. Whether it’s when you try to open a file, or when you try to do an action. For example, when you try to open a photo, the program will freeze for several seconds. Or when you try to do an action, it will also freeze for several seconds.

First, check your computer’s resources. Make sure you have enough RAM and disk space. If you don’t, then you need to free some resources to make room for the program. If you already checked this, check your computer’s software. Make sure you have the latest updates for your operating system and software.

This happens because the program needs a few more resources. So, how do you fix the GIMP freezing issue? Let’s take a look at several ways to solve this problem.

1. Make Your GIMP More Responsive

First, try making GIMP more responsive. You can do this by lowering the image quality or file size. Or you can try changing your graphics card’s settings.

If you’re using Windows, right-click on the GIMP shortcut and select Properties. Click on the Shortcut tab and add -r -D -L -m to the end of the target command.

This will reduce the amount of resources GIMP uses when you launch it. You can also try adding -s -R to the end of the target command. This will make GIMP wait a little before opening images.

If you’re using Mac OS X, find the GIMP application on your Applications directory and open it. Click on the Preferences option in the top-left corner. Select the Application category and look for the launch options section. Add -d -L -m to the end of the command. This will make the program use less resources.

2. Make GIMP Use Less Memory

If you’re running out of memory while trying to open a large image, you can try making GIMP use less memory by adjusting the tile cache, adjusting the image resolution or reducing the image size. You can also try reducing the number of effects and changes you apply to the image.

You can reduce the amount of memory used by GIMP if you don’t want to change the settings. There are several ways to do this.

Press Ctrl+Shift+E (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+E (Mac OS X) to open the Memory Preferences dialog.
Select the Options tab and look under the Application category.
Select GIMP and click the button labeled As Low As Possible.

3. Make GIMP Run in a Separate Process

Another solution is to make GIMP run in a separate process. To do this, right-click on the GIMP shortcut and select Properties. Click on the Permissions tab and make sure the Allow box is checked.

4. Run GIMP as a Virtual Machine

If you don’t have a lot of RAM or processing power, you can try running GIMP as a virtual machine. This is similar to running an operating system inside another operating system. Be aware that this will use more resources and slow down your computer.

You can install Virtual Box and try this out. After installing, open the application and click New. Name the machine type and click Next. Select Linux or OS X from the list and click Next. Name the virtual machine and click Create.

After creating the virtual machine, click Start. Now, whenever you want to open an image, right-click the GIMP shortcut and select the option to run it in a virtual machine.

5. Move GIMP to Another Folder

You can try moving the GIMP program to another folder. This way, if one of the programs doesn’t work, GIMP will still be in the same folder as the other program. When you do this, GIMP will have less access to the other programs. So, it won’t be able to access them as often and they won’t have as much impact on the system resources.

6. Use a Different Program to Open Files

You can also try using a different program to open the files. For example, you can use PhotoShop or Illustrator to open the image, and then GIMP to edit it. This will make GIMP use less resources because it won’t be loaded in the same way as editing the image in the other program.

7. Use a Different Display Settings

With these changes, your computer will not need as much RAM and it will be able to run GIMP with less RAM available. This will help to save resources on your PC.

Another way to save resources is to change the display settings. You can use the GIMP Display Preferences dialog box to change the display settings. For example, you can try using the Simple mode, which displays less information. Or you can try using a small or normal font size. With these changes, your computer will not need as much RAM and it will be able to run GIMP with less RAM available. This will help to save resources on your PC.

Conclusion

GIMP is a good program to use if you want to edit images. That isn’t to say it’s perfect; freezing when you open images can be annoying. However, it’s free, so you can give it a try. If you like it, then there are many other programs and tools, like Placeit.net, that are also free and will allow you to edit images.