PyCharm crashes on startup after upgrading to version 2026.1.1 on macOS 14.1.2

Problem

After upgrading PyCharm from version 2025.3.4.1 to version 2026.1.1, the application crashes immediately upon startup. Attempts to resolve the issue by reinstalling or upgrading to the 2026.1.2 Release Candidate version did not resolve the problem. The issue is observed on macOS Sonoma 14.1.2.

Cause

The issue is caused by a bug in macOS 14.1.2. The Apple AppKit framework traps when the Java Runtime Environment (JVM) bridging code installs Carbon menu event handlers at startup. The crash occurs in:

Thread 0 Crashed:: main
0   AppKit              _NSCarbonMenuCrashIfNeeded
1   AppKit              _NSGetCarbonMenu
2   JavaRuntimeSupport  -[JRSMenu installCarbonEventHandlers:]

This issue has been acknowledged and fixed by Apple in macOS 14.2. The problem is neither within PyCharm nor the JetBrains Runtime.

Resolution

There are two options to resolve this issue:

1. Upgrade macOS:

   • Update macOS to version 14.2 or newer. After updating the operating system, PyCharm 2026.1.1 and later should start and function normally without further action.

2. Workaround for macOS 14.1.2:

   • Quit PyCharm completely.
   • Open the file ~/Library/Application Support/JetBrains/PyCharm2026.1/pycharm.vmoptions in a text editor (create the file if it does not already exist).
   • Add the following line to the file:

     -Dapple.laf.useScreenMenuBar=false
     

   • Save the file and relaunch PyCharm.

Note: This workaround will move the IDE menus (e.g., File, Edit, View) from the macOS top menu bar into the PyCharm application window. This behavior is similar to how menus appear in Linux or Windows.

If the workaround does not resolve the issue, upgrading macOS is recommended. The same workaround can be applied to other JetBrains IDEs (like DataGrip) if they encounter the same issue.