Resolving Unresponsiveness of Open Apps Blocked by Lulu on MacOS Big Sur

If you’re experiencing unresponsiveness in open applications due to Lulu blocking certain processes, particularly on macOS Big Sur (version 11.5), this article provides a step-by-step solution to address the issue. Lulu is a firewall application that helps you monitor and control outgoing network connections. It may occasionally cause applications like Sketch, Adobe XD, and Adobe Photoshop to become unresponsive when attempting to connect to specific DNS IP addresses.

Solution 1: Avoid Blocking Specific DNS IP Addresses

1. Launch Lulu: Open the Lulu application on your Mac.

2. Access Preferences: Click on “Lulu” in the menu bar and choose “Preferences.”

3. Examine Blocked DNS IP Addresses: In the Preferences window, navigate to the “Blocked Hosts” tab. Look for any DNS IP addresses that you have manually added, such as 192.168.0.1, 8.8.8.8, or 8.8.4.4.

4. Remove DNS IP Addresses: To prevent potential conflicts and unresponsiveness issues, select the DNS IP addresses you added and click the “Remove” (minus) button.

5. Apply Changes: After removing the DNS IP addresses, click the “Save Changes” button in the Preferences window.

6. Restart Applications: Quit and relaunch the applications that were previously unresponsive. Check if they now function as expected.

Solution 2: Allowing Any Process to Use Specific DNS IP

1. Open Lulu Preferences: Launch the Lulu application and access its Preferences as described in steps 1 and 2 of Solution 1.

2. Configure Custom Rules: In the Preferences window, switch to the “Rules” tab.

3. Add New Rule: Click the “+” (plus) button to create a new rule.

4. Define Rule Parameters:

   • In the “Process” dropdown, select “Any.”
   • In the “Protocol” dropdown, choose “DNS (UDP & TCP).”
   • In the “Direction” dropdown, select “Outgoing.”
   • In the “Action” dropdown, choose “Allow.”
   • In the “Remote IP” field, enter the DNS IP address you want to allow (e.g., 192.168.0.1).

5. Save and Apply: Click the “Save Changes” button to save the new rule.

6. Restart Applications: Quit and relaunch the previously unresponsive applications to see if they are now functioning correctly.

Conclusion

By following the provided solutions, you should be able to address the issue of unresponsiveness in open applications caused by Lulu’s process blocking on macOS Big Sur. If you encounter further problems or have specific DNS IP addresses that need to be allowed, you can adjust Lulu’s settings accordingly. Remember that Lulu’s firewall settings impact outgoing network connections, and careful configuration can ensure both security and optimal application performance.