diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 22db2799aeb..7312da4e74b 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ Note that this project **does not** adhere to [Semantic Versioning](https://semv
 - When creating a library, if you drag a PDF file containing only a single column, the dialog will now automatically close. [#13262](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/13262)
 - We fixed an issue where the tab showing the fulltext search results would appear blank after switching library. [#13241](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/13241)
 - Enhanced field selection logic in the Merge Entries dialog when fetching from DOI to prefer valid years and entry types. [#12549](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/12549)
+- We fixed an issue where JabRef crashed on startup on Apple Silicon Macs due to native library compatibility issues in the theme manager. [#13536](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/13536)
 
 ### Removed
 
diff --git a/jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/theme/ThemeManager.java b/jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/theme/ThemeManager.java
index d5300c82362..f09d93052be 100644
--- a/jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/theme/ThemeManager.java
+++ b/jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/theme/ThemeManager.java
@@ -73,7 +73,13 @@ public ThemeManager(WorkspacePreferences workspacePreferences,
         this.workspacePreferences = Objects.requireNonNull(workspacePreferences);
         this.fileUpdateMonitor = Objects.requireNonNull(fileUpdateMonitor);
         this.updateRunner = Objects.requireNonNull(updateRunner);
-        this.themeWindowManager = ThemeWindowManagerFactory.create();
+        ThemeWindowManager tempThemeWindowManager = null;
+        try {
+            tempThemeWindowManager = ThemeWindowManagerFactory.create();
+        } catch (UnsatisfiedLinkError | RuntimeException e) {
+            LOGGER.error("Failed to create ThemeWindowManager (likely due to native library compatibility issues on ARM64)", e);
+        }
+        this.themeWindowManager = tempThemeWindowManager;
 
         this.baseStyleSheet = StyleSheet.create(Theme.BASE_CSS).get();
         this.theme = workspacePreferences.getTheme();
@@ -121,7 +127,13 @@ private void applyDarkModeToWindow(Stage stage, boolean darkMode) {
             return;
         }
 
-        themeWindowManager.setDarkModeForWindowFrame(stage, darkMode);
+        if (themeWindowManager != null) {
+            try {
+                themeWindowManager.setDarkModeForWindowFrame(stage, darkMode);
+            } catch (UnsatisfiedLinkError | RuntimeException e) {
+                LOGGER.error("Failed to set dark mode for window frame (likely due to native library compatibility issues on ARM64)", e);
+            }
+        }
         LOGGER.debug("Applied {} mode to window: {}", darkMode ? "dark" : "light", stage);
     }