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[Solved] MacBook Pro 16″ M2 Max Compressor Batch Transcode Queue Stuck on ‘Waiting’ (macOS Sonoma 14.6) – Verified Troubleshooting

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Home › Forums › Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro & Pro Apps › [Solved] MacBook Pro 16″ M2 Max Compressor Batch Transcode Queue Stuck on ‘Waiting’ (macOS Sonoma 14.6) – Verified Troubleshooting

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  • November 14, 2026 at 9:49 pm #12903
    Jacob Burns
    Community Contributor
    Diagnostic Hardware Specs: MacBook Pro 16″ M2 Max | OS Version: macOS Sonoma 14.6 | Archive Source: Apple Support Community #256514895

    I am running into a persistent issue on my MacBook Pro 16″ M2 Max running macOS Sonoma 14.6.
    Whenever the machine encounters Stale background Qmaster / Apple Qconsumer cluster lockfile, the following diagnostic log appears in Console:

    Compressor: [qmaster] Service cluster lockfile present: refusing new batch job submission

    I verified that hardware connections are intact and tested across different power sources. What is the verified diagnostic procedure to permanently eliminate this symptom?

    MacBook Pro 14″ M1 Pro (16GB) | Apple Diagnostics Suite | Wi-Fi 6E Sniffer | Oxford, UK
    Apple Certified Service Technician (ACiT / ACSP) | "Verified Apple Discussions Archive"
    November 14, 2026 at 9:49 pm #12904
    Jerry Perry
    Community Contributor
    Apple Recommended / Verified Community Solution
    This canonical solution was verified and marked as solved in the Apple Support Community archive.

    Terminating orphaned qmaster processes and clearing compressor spool storage.

    Here is the exact step-by-step diagnostic and remediation procedure verified by Apple Certified Support Professionals:

    1. Force quit compressor daemons: 
      killall Compressor && killall qmasterd
    2. Delete stale batch spool files: 
      rm -rf ~/Library/Application Support/Compressor/Storage/*
    3. Relaunch Apple Compressor and submit batch job.

    Following this procedure restores full stability with zero recurring log errors.

    Mac Pro M2 Ultra | Dual Pro Display XDR | Blackmagic UltraStudio 4K Mini | Pittsburgh, PA
    Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) | Final Cut Pro / DaVinci Colorist & Editor
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