Bitdefender application not responding

When I started up my Macbook Air and I noticed the Bitdefender continuously bouncing on my Dock for like up to 2 minutes and it stops bouncing and I right click on the Bitdefender icon to bring up the contextual menu. The menu indicated that the Application Not Responding. I did noticed it popped up the Bitdefender Interface but when I clicked on Protection and I get a spinning pinwheel on the Bitdefender Interface which lasted 3 or 4 minutes. This Spinning Pinwheel stopped but did not go to the Protection section of the Bitdefender application. I did reinstall this Bitdefender and I ensure that Bitdefender-related programs have access to Macbook storage disk; I still get the same problem. I'm not sure if this is conflicting with the Supplement Security update that Apple issued to their MacOS platform recently.


Any ideas to solve this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Ryan

«1

Comments

  • Im having the exact same issue!

  • same issue here running 10.15.6

  • Ditto. Started on 19th as well.

  • Same problem, started last week. Uninstalled it, reinstalled it, no luck. It's impossible to get to bitdefender's main windows to respond. All I see are the updates notifiations Bitdefender does on the background. Would be nice to get a response from Bitdefender's team on this issue.

  • I strongly encourage you guys to submit support tickets if you have not already done so.

    I really need to know if Bitdefender is still working - particularly auto-scanning inbound files for viruses... I asked yesterday and did not get an answer. I'm very concerned about that because BD intercepted a trojan just 3 day before it busted - suggesting I may have someone in my work circle who has a compromised machine... I know this is a stretch, but did any of you have a trojan intercept last week?

  • RamboMac, I do not have any trojans intercepted. I noticed that Bitdefender Interface is laggy. But got it to scan the entire system; no infection found. Bitdefender Updates itself everytime I turned on the Mac Book. Try download a fake virus file from EICAR website and see if BD alerts you of a test file while auto scanning. I will do this as well. However, I have not submit a support ticket yet.

  • Same exact problem. On three different family MacBooks. Uninstalled, reinstalled on all. No help. They need to fix for this ASAP.

  • Same problem here. Running MAC OS Catalina 10.15.6

  • Same issue on 10.15.6. Just reported to support

  • This bad.

    I received the following note from BD Support yesterday:

    Thank you for your patience throughout this entire process and please accept my apologies for the frustration that we might have caused.

    I have looked into the case and it seems that the situation is caused by an issue which has already been acknowledged by our development team. We are currently working on a fix which will be done by means of automatic update and won't require any additional action on your end.

    I will get back to you with an update regarding the fix as soon as we have one.

    Thank you once again and have a nice day ahead!

    We're now 5 days into this and I have no idea if BD has been working during this time to keep my system clean.

    Guess I'll know when it is finally fixed and I can run a scan...

  • By chance anyone know if they publish release notes for their updates? I have looked all over their site and can't find anything for mac antivirus. Not sure if maybe I have overlooked them. I had to uninstall the software because of the problems it seemed to be causing and I don't want to install again and just hope the issues were fixed. Maybe I'll just look elsewhere for another antivirus product. They don't seem to hold MAC users as much of a priority when it takes days for customer service to respond and many more days to fix issues.

  • Yes, I'm thinking hard about jumping ship as well.

    I've been a BD user for a few years and it has saved my bacon on more than one occasion. I understand Mac's are a small market compared to Windows machines and that BD cannot justify (from the business standpoint) applying the same resources to Mac issues as they do to Macs. But when one chooses virus/maleware protection software, one is choosing to become dependent on that software and that software developer. BD appears to admit their own actions caused the problem, but 1-week tomorrow and still no fix?

    Unacceptable. I'm really disappointed in their entire response to this event.

  • Hello everyone,

    Thank you for the useful information you submitted on this thread.

    We have acknowledged the situation at hand indeed and are working on it. Rest assured that we are actively working on deploying a solution to solve these slowdowns/crashes.

    In case you are encountering this error, please email us at bitsy@bitdefender.com with a brief issue description attached.

  • Well it looks like my BD Interface is now working. There's no "application not responding" message and the interface is not lagged anymore or locked up.. I wasn't sure if there was a program update. I looked into the update list, it's showing only virus definitions updates. So, I don't know what happened but its been working for the last two days.

  • I'm having the same problem, icon just bounces, then the windows come up, and they are frozen on my desktop. The only way to get rid of them is to restart. Got in touch with support this AM and they said they would have someone email me a solution...12 hours later, zip, nothing, nada.

    Unacceptable.

  • I'm having the same problem, icon just bounces, then the windows come up, and they are frozen on my desktop. The only way to get rid of them is to restart. Got in touch with support this AM and they said they would have someone email me a solution...12 hours later, zip, nothing, nada.

    Unacceptable.

  • Same problem here although it only seems an issue on Mojave. I have two MacBooks still running High Sierra and BD is working normally. I emailed Bitsy as above, but no reply yet. Yes, it is disappointing that the issue has not been addressed in a timely manner. I have started to look at alternatives, but would prefer not to jump ship. If this continues, I will not hesitate to walk away from BD.

  • Icon bounces, but scan runs in background. Two Bitdefender windows frozen open with spinning ball, can't access them. This is a new install and I am going to uninstall this program. Given that I installed because of exactly same issue with a browser, I am thinking that a possibility may be a new Mac malware.

  • _jp_
    _jp_
    edited September 2020

    I've had the same issues and found that enabling Web Protection (TrafficLight) for all listed browsers has returned the Bitdefender AV for Mac app console to normal behaviour. Obviously a poor workaround if you want those options off but am interested if it helps anyone else.

    UPDATE: It could also be the privacy --> anti-tracker settings (again all browsers). My testing was not logical (sorry), however, both anti-tracker & trafficlight enabled for all browsers and for me, the issue goes away.

  • Same problem here with macOS Catalina version 10.15.7

  • Same problem for me

    Catalina 10.15.6

    Brand new subscriber - and cannot use the software. We need a fix on this ASAP, or I will be demanding a refund.

  • Similar issue here. Using Mojave 10.14.6. Bitdefender interface freezes for long periods (sometimes it eventually recovers). The waiting Beach Ball is going dizzy! Problem started with last Safari update, but it had happened after prior MacOS security update. The Activity Monitor shows Bitdefender in red and "Not Responding". When an on-demand scan can be run, it functions normally, returning "No Threats Were Found". Run First Aid on the disk, rebuilt the Spotlight Index, etc. Nothing seems to help. I have had BD for about three years with no problems.

    BD, please address this issue.

  • P.S. Toggling the Disable Extensions option in the Develop menu in Safari seems to have solved the issue for me, at least for now. The BD interface seems to be working zippily.

  • Alex D.

    Can you AT LEAST tell us whether BD is still working in the background to protect us or is it suspended or compromised in some manner?

    Do manual scans work (presuming we can force BD to do them)???

  • firezone1
    firezone1
    edited September 2020

    Having the same problem. Just signed up for bitdefender for my macbook pro, running 10.14.6. Bitdefender window is stuck with the spinning ball when opened right after installation. Won't progress further. Have followed the directions to uninstall and reinstall the product twice. Each new installation fails the same way. Even though this is a highly rated product by reviewers, it seems like a huge waste of money and time if it won't run after a clean install. Massively disappointed as a new customer. Looks like it's time to request a refund. Bummer.

  • Having same problem installing on my daughter's Mac. It is working fine on mine.

  • And adding to the already extensive list... same problem here. frustrating indeed!

  • BD is frozen on my MAC Catalina 10.15.7. Seeing the spinning ball. Called support. They took my info and said they would call back. Nothing yet.

  • Installing TrafficLight fixed for me - Antivirus for Mac - Protection - Web Protection - TrafficLight. Thanks for the tip __jp__!

  • I'm running Catalina 10.15.7 and don't appear to be having any issues with the interface; HOWEVER, since iOS14 the Bitdefender Central app on my iPhone has been extremely slow and when clicking on the 'Notifications' tab at the bottom of the app, it takes forever to respond - it at all. For the first few days of the iOS14 release it was working fine but then suddenly started having issues. The app is v2.78 (which is the latest) and I have not altered or changed anything on my phone. One of the most annoying thing is when clicking the 'Activity' tab in the bottom left, the Browsing Activity of the devices under my account no longer displays - it suddenly stopped 4 days ago. Again, nothing was changed or altered on my end. I logged a ticket but I'm still waiting to hear back.

    And today - every time I try to login to Bitdefender Central on my Mac thru either Chrome or Safari or my iPhone with the app, I get an 'Internal Server Error'. Problems galore....

  • jackgm
    jackgm
    edited September 2020

    I was running Bitdefender on four MacBooks. Not real comfortable having an antivirus app that may not be doing its job. No email notice from the company warning me, no information on whether the app is working in the background.

  • Fixed it by opening safari extensions and enable/disable all the bitdefender extensions.

    Whether you leave it on or off is up to you, just make sure you toggle it.

  • WE ARE NOW CONVERGING ON 2 FULL WEEKS SINCE THIS PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED!

    After admitting they (***BD***) caused the problem, we've had almost not communications from BD.

    We don't know if the BD sofware is still working (it seems to be downloading virus signatures from your server).

    I can't tell you (***BD***) how disappointed I am in your management of this issue.

    This is starting to look like both a technical failure and a serious corporate failure on your part (***BD***).

    It's also starting to look like there must be something more serious happening here than we (the users) know.

    HAVE YOU (***BD***) BEEN HACKED???????????

    HAVE WE BEEN HACKED???????????

    WHY WON'T YOU COMMUNICATE WITH US????????????

    PLEASE TELL US EXACTLY WHY WE ALL SHOULDN'T UNISTALL BD FOR MAC AND MOVE ON TO ANOTHER VENDOR!

    RamboMac

  • Deleting and rebuilding my Spotlight index worked for me. Instructions here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201716. BD is now running at its usual speed.

  • Same issue what is going on... why are we not getting a fix or getting a response?

  • So I don't even use safari and have had this issue for a few days now. Opened Safari (for the first time in probably a year) and disabled all the extensions from BItDefender and everything is back to normal now and interface is normal! Thanks for the suggestion guys!

  • What????? What do SJHuskey's Spotlight and Omid's Safari "fix" have in common?

  • By the way, I have Safari (which i never use). Just checked my Safari Preferences and I have no active extensions... So Safari isn't my problem...

  • I would enable and then disable the bitdefender extension just in case.

  • Oh my goodness, Omid. That worked!!!!!! No more spinning wheel of death in the BD Dashboard.

    I went into Safari and turned on all three BD extensions (Anti-tracker Engine, Anti-tracker Icon, and TrafficLight). Then I closed Safari. .... Spinning wheel of death gone!

    Then I reopened Safari and turned off all three BD extensions and closed Safari.... Spinning wheel of death still gone!!!

    Does anybody feel they understand what is going on here and why, if it is so simple to correct, BD hasn't engaged with us before now to remedy this problem?

  • Can confirm... I never use Safari but went in to Safari settings and enabled all three BitDefender extensions. Closed Safari. Reopened Safari and disabled all three BD extensions. Rebooted MacBook and no more spinning wheel of death! Thanks for the suggestion!

    Not sure if this fixes the root of the problem. Hope BD still has plans to get a fix out so this doesn't happen again.

  • Thanks, Zana. This fixed it for me too. Well spotted. Worth a pint, that.

  • I'm frustrated as well! Bitdefender did a great job overall, and even seemed to catch a virus today (!!!), but now when I turn on the computer I get a spinning pinwheel and the app doesn't seem responsive. I am running Catalina 10.15.6. This is ridiculous. I need to do work on my laptop, but I can't get the Bitdefender to respond. Very disappointed.

  • Same issue, both MacOS 10.15.6 and 10.15.7. Whenever I try to open the app or click on the menu icon it just spins forever. Eventually the window appears but you can't interact with it (just the spinning beachball). Force quit does not remove the window: only restarting. Very annoying to say the least!

  • "P.S. Toggling the Disable Extensions option in the Develop menu in Safari seems to have solved the issue for me, at least for now. The BD interface seems to be working zippily."


    This worked for me, thank you

  • Same issue here, Bitdefender is freezing so badly I can't even force quit from Activity Monitor. Really bad software QA, Not impressed, I'm considering quitting my sub.

  • This is on MacOS Mojave 10.14.6, 2017 iMac.

  • It was fine before, just roll back the changes you made until you can debug the issue.