Troubleshooting Persistent Chrome Corruption and Deletion Issues on MacOS 15.6
Are you experiencing recurring issues where Google Chrome on your Mac unexpectedly becomes inaccessible, corrupts, or is deleted entirely? If so, you’re not alone. Many users with MacOS 15.6 on advanced hardware like the 2021 16″ MacBook Pro M1 Pro report similar frustrations. This article delves into the problem, shares detailed troubleshooting steps, and offers reliable solutions to help you regain a stable Chrome experience.
Understanding the Issue
The core problem involves Chrome randomly refusing to open after operating normally for a period. Attempts to relaunch Chrome from the dock or directly from Finder result in error messages such as “Chrome cannot be opened,” and on revealing the app in Finder, users often see an incomplete or outline version of the icon. Reinstallations temporarily fix the problem, but the issue recurs after a few days or even hours.
Common Troubleshooting Steps Attempted
Here’s a comprehensive overview of actions taken by users and IT professionals when addressing this peculiar problem:
1. Reinstalling Chrome
- Initial step: Remove Chrome from Applications, then download and install a fresh copy directly from the official website.
- Outcome: Temporary functionality restored, but the problem reappears after several days.
2. Clearing User Data and Profiles
- Remove user profiles and delete Chrome-related folders from the Library directories.
- Disable hardware acceleration and re-login details to ensure no corrupt profiles interfere.
- Outcome: Issue recurs after a few days, even with a clean profile.
3. Deep Cache and App Support Removal
- Kill all Google Chrome processes.
- Delete extensive Chrome-related folders across various Library paths, including caches, support files, logs, saved states, and WebKit data.
- Adjust privacy and security settings to grant full disk access, remove Chrome from startup items, and disable auto-updates.
- Reinstall Chrome.
- Outcome: The browser breaks again within two days.
4. Extension Management & Reinstallation
- Reinstall Chrome over existing installations.
- Disable all extensions except essential ones (e.g., WebEx, Grammarly, Google Drive).
- Outcome: The issue reappears within two days.
The Search for a Permanent Solution
Many users have encountered similar issues, but most solutions provided online are either outdated or non-committal,
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