At that place are lots of reasons why you might find that your Mac won't turn on, or your MacBook won't start upwardly, simply you probably just desire to go it working once more. Nosotros'll run through the diverse checks and changes to brand to become your Mac to boot up to you can starting time using it again.

Read on for some simple tips that should get your Mac working, from the obvious stuff similar checking the power connectedness, to performing a power cycle, starting in Recovery way, and checking the file system. And if your Mac really is expressionless, we'll as well tell you where to plough next.

The fixes in this article use to nigh recent versions of macOS. The menus and interfaces may expect slightly different depending on which OS you are running, but their functions are in essence the same. Similarly, if you take an M1 Mac in that location are some changes to the way you perform certain functions - like starting up the calculator in Safe manner or Recovery, we'll detail these below.

Mac won't turn on

1. Check your Mac turns on

Starting time, let's find out if the problem is that your Mac won't offset up, or that it won't turn on - those might sound like the aforementioned matter, but there's actually a big difference.

Press the Ability button on your Mac. If yous don't hear a startup chime, you don't hear any fan or drive noise, and there are no images, video, or visuals of whatever sort on your display, then your Mac isn't turning on at all. Y'all're non even getting to the point where it refuses to start up.

A Mac that doesn't turn on calls for a unlike approach to one that doesn't start upwardly. If your computer doesn't plow on then you need to do the following:

i) Cheque your power connectedness

Don't be the cliche: check that the power is on and the Mac is plugged in correctly. Or if it's a laptop, exist certain that the battery isn't dead - and if it needs charging give it a while to endeavour to charge before concluding that it isn't going to work. If your MacBook won't charge read this.

ii) Endeavor a unlike power cable or adapter

It may be that the fault resides with the power cable. If you've got a friend with a Mac power cable that fits your auto, try it to see if that solves the problem. If information technology does, it could exist a simple fix that involves finding a secondhand ability cable on eBay (although we advise against buying third-party power cables that aren't fabricated past Apple, as they are much more likely to exist faulty and peradventure dangerous).

If yous recently had a ability cut, that could be responsible: your power adaptor could take been damaged in a power surge and y'all may need a new one.

Finally, it's possible that the cable is loose, and pulling it out and plugging information technology in again volition solve the problem. But we doubt it will be that easy.

Apple tree sells various cables for charging Apple Macs and laptops. You should find the one yous need here: Apple ability adaptors. Also read: Which MacBook charger do I demand?

iii) Disconnect all accessories

Unplug all the accessories (such as printers and USB hubs) attached to your Mac. Information technology could be that one of your peripherals is causing bug with the startup sequence.

If yous recently installed new RAM or a new difficult drive, make certain they are correctly installed and uniform. (If possible, reinstall the old memory or hard drive and see if that helps.)

If none of those steps piece of work then information technology's time to move onto the next stage.

ii. Perform a Power Cycle

If yous aren't hearing any signs of life, yous could perform a power bike, which involves forcing your Mac to restart after killing the ability to it.

  • On a MacBook you need to hold down the ability key for x seconds. You'll usually hear a squeak as the Mac's power is forcibly cut. Hopefully after waiting x seconds and restarting, all will exist well.
  • If your Mac is a desktop you will need to unplug it and go out it unplugged for at to the lowest degree ten seconds earlier plugging it back in and attempting to restart.
  • For M1 Macs if yous printing and hold the Power button you would eventually see Loading startup options - assuming the Mac was working properly. If pressing and holding the power button does allow you to access the startup options so you tin can run through those options below to get your Mac up and running. We talk over this beneath.  We also hash out how to revive your M1 Mac using a 2d Mac and the Configurator app beneath.

If performing a power bicycle on your Mac doesn't help, or if pressing the Power push on the M1 Mac doesn't open the start up options, there are a few other simple things to try out earlier moving on to the more than complicated steps.

3. Check your brandish

If you're using a desktop Mac such every bit a Mac Pro or Mac mini this could apply to you. If yous don't have a split up display plugged in you tin can skip this footstep.

Yous could have a problem with the display you lot accept plugged in, rather than the Mac itself. Have a heed to your Mac to see if information technology's making any sounds during boot-upward.

screen and mac mini

It is possible that your Mac does plow on, simply doesn't boot up because it can't access the display - if that's the case you are most likely having trouble with the display hardware (rather than a broader startup event).

If y'all think information technology's a problem with your monitor, and so take a look at this Apple tree Back up certificate for advice on troubleshooting a display. If your display isn't working the advice is to:

  1. Check the power supply to the Mac (and the power to the display if using a separate unit of measurement).
  2. Confirm that all cables are connected securely.
  3. Remove all display extenders and switches, and whatever other devices between the Mac and monitor.
  4. Unplug the video cablevision (if using a separate monitor) and plug it back in.
  5. If using more than one monitor in a 'daisy chain', unplug all monitors and exam using but one.
  6. If possible, try to employ a different display, or a different adapter (use DVI instead of VGA, for case).
  7. Apple also advises adjusting the screen resolution in System Preferences.

4. Kick up your Mac in Safe Boot

Safety Boot limits what checks and functionality your Mac focuses on during startup, and performs certain diagnostics. It'south rare, but sometimes you can get your unhappy Mac to get-go up successfully with a Safe Boot, and so restart it normally, and everything returns to hunky-doriness. If you want more than help with this step read: How to start a Mac in Prophylactic Mode.

  • To enter Safe Mode on an Intel-powered Mac: Start your Mac up while holding down the Shift key. Safe Boot tin take a while to commencement (if it does work at all).
  • To enter Prophylactic Mode on an M1-powered Mac: Printing and continue to hold the power button until y'all see the startup options appear on the screen. Cull the startup disk. Now press and hold Shift and and then click Go on in Prophylactic Mode. Then release the Shift fundamental. You will see the words Safe Way in card at the top right of your screen.
  • To get more than feedback about what's happening, you could outset up an Intel-powered Mac while belongings downwardly Shift, Command and 5: that enters both Safe Boot and something called Verbose Way, which spits out some messages about what Safe Boot is actually trying to exercise as it goes.

At present you are in prophylactic mode nosotros will discuss how to use Safe Fashion to fix your Mac start up issues.

While you are Safe Fashion the interface will look very slightly unlike, with blocks of color rather than transparency. The biggest giveaway is the Dock at the bottom of the screen, such as in the paradigm below, for example.

Safe Mode Mac

In one case in Safe Mode you may be able to run certain checks (we'll run through these beneath) and make changes that could set up your Mac. For example you could reinstall macOS or update other software.

If you lot find you tin can commencement up in Safe Manner information technology is probable that the issue is related to one of your startup items, in which case y'all should go to: System Preferences > Users & Groups and remove all the items (click on -). Yous could apply trial and error to work out which startup detail is causing the problem.

v. Reset the PRAM / NVRAM

In the PowerPC days, we talked about resetting the PRAM. On Intel Macs, the term is resetting the NVRAM. The NVRAM in M1 Macs is reset automatically, merely in that location is a fashion to reset NVRAM on the M1 Mac - we discuss that here: How to reset NVRAM on an M1 or Intel Mac.

The proper noun refers to special retention sections on your Mac that store data that persists even when the Mac is shut off, such as volume settings and screen resolution.

Resetting that information isn't harmful, only quite frankly it's too rarely genuinely useful. But information technology can't hurt.

You lot might need to grow an extra finger or two for this i, or take a friend help y'all out. Hither's how to reset the PRAM/NVRAM on your Intel-powered Mac:

  1. Hold downwards all of these keys: Command, Selection (Alt), P and R, and turn on the Mac (information technology's the aforementioned keys to reset the PRAM).
  2. Proceed holding the keys down until you lot hear the Mac restart once more.
  3. Heed for a 2nd reboot, and then release the keys.

On M1 Mac resetting the NVRAM means using Concluding, the method is discussed in the article linked to a higher place.

In some cases, after performing this step, your Mac volition restart normally. In other cases, you might instead see a progress bar on startup. If the progress bar fills up and and then the Mac starts up, you lot're probably good to get. In some cases we've seen, yet, the Mac shuts down at around the halfway bespeak in the progress bar.

half dozen. Reset the SMC

In some situations, y'all may demand to reset your Mac'due south SMC (System Management Controller). This is largely a last-ditch attempt to fix the current version of macOS earlier attempting to recover the data and moving on to reinstalling the OS.

SMC is absent from the M1 Mac so you can't reset it. Nonetheless you can change the settings that the SMC used to look after. We discuss how to do this here: How to reset a Mac'southward SMC.

Here's what to do if you want to reset the SMC (Intel Macs):

On a Mac laptop:

  1. Shut down the MacBook.
  2. Unplug so reconnect the power cable.
  3. Press Shift + Ctrl + Pick/Alt keys and the power push at the same time.
  4. At present release all those keys and the power push button at the same fourth dimension.
  5. You may meet the light on the power cable flicker.
  6. Restart your MacBook.

On a Mac desktop:

  1. Shut down the Mac.
  2. Unplug it.
  3. Press the power button for 5 seconds.
  4. Plug the Mac back in.
  5. Turn on your Mac.

How to fix a Mac that won't turn on: Reset the SMC

7. Run Disk Utility in Recovery Mode

If your Mac is booting simply the operating system isn't loading up, you may accept a corrupted drive. Luckily information technology is possible to fix this in Recovery Mode. Nosotros take a detailed tutorial on using Recovery Way here, but we'll run thorough the basics below.

Nonetheless again, accessing Recovery Manner is a little dissimilar on an M1 Mac (read about All the new means of doing things on M1 Macs).

The starting time stride is to run Deejay Utility. On a Mac running Mountain Lion or later, which volition be the vast majority of Macs, y'all can run Disk Utility by booting into Recovery Mode.

  • On an Intel Mac you need to make sure the Mac is turned off. If information technology's not responsive because it'due south stuck on a grey, blue or white screen, just hold downwardly the Mac's ability button for several seconds until it gives upwards and shuts off. (Here'south what to do to ready a Blue Screen of Decease on a Mac.) Hold down the Command and R keys, and power the Mac support again. Proceed pressing Cmd + R while your Mac is booting upwards until y'all see the Apple tree logo.
  • On an M1 Mac press and hold the Power button until the Mac starts up and eventually shows the start up options. Select Options > Proceed to enter Recovery.

Now you are in Recovery mode here'southward what to do:

  1. In one case your Mac starts in Recovery Mode you volition proceeds admission to Utilities. Click on the Disk Utility option. macOS Utilities
  2. Locate your Mac'southward bulldoze - probably Macintosh HD, select it.
  3. Click Kickoff Aid. First Aid Mac
  4. If there are errors with your disk, Disk Utility should find them and will either repair them automatically, or will inquire if you would like to repair them. Click Repair Disk if this is the instance.

In Recovery Mode you can too practise the following:

  • Restore from a Time Machine fill-in.
  • Get help online.
  • Install or reinstall macOS (we talk over this below).

8. Revive a M1 Mac

If you lot have an M1 Mac and you still haven't been able to revive it, the side by side choice to try is to employ a 2d Mac running Apple's Configurator 2 to update the firmware.

You will need a 2nd Mac, a USB to USB cable, a web connection and Apple's Configurator 2 software.

  1. Connect the ii Macs with a USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to USB-A cable.
  2. Open Configurator 2 software on the working Mac.
  3. Now on the non-working Mac press and hold the ability push while likewise pressing the following primal combination: Correct shift, Left Option/Alt, Left Control. You lot will need someone to help you unless you take gigantic easily considering y'all also need to be pressing the Power Button at the same time.
  4. After about 10 seconds let go of the keys, but keep pressing the Power button. Hopefully the M1 Mac will appear in the Configurator app on your 2nd Mac past this betoken (the M1 Mac still won't bear witness any screen activity though).

The process is a niggling different for the M1 Mac mini.

  1. In this example you demand to unplug it and wait for almost ten seconds.
  2. Press and concur the ability push button.
  3. Plug it in once again, while withal belongings the power push.
  4. Release the power button.

How to use the Configurator software to revive an M1 Mac.

  1. The M1 Mac should be showing in the Configurator software on the other Mac. Select the M1 Mac yous want to revive.
  2. Click on Actions > Advanced.
  3. Select Revive Device.
  4. This will revive the firmware on the M1 Mac.

nine. Bank check the file organisation

This step is really kind of fun - at to the lowest degree when it's not your Mac that's under the weather. It'southward fun because information technology feels so geeky.

Before you get too excited though, this isn't an option for M1 Macs.

  1. Shut the Mac off, and showtime it up again while belongings Cmd + S to launch in Single User Fashion. You can release the keys when the intimidating black screen with messages in white text appears.
  2. Wait until the control-line prompt appears, when all the text is washed scrolling past. So type fsck -fy and striking Return. And expect. Maybe for several long minutes.
  3. Eventually, subsequently five dissimilar checks that have varying amounts of time, you lot should get to one of two messages: "The book [your Mac'south proper name] appears to be OK" or "FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED."
  4. If you encounter the first message, type reboot and press Return.
  5. If you lot see the latter message, y'all need to run fsck -fy all again. You can retype the command and hit Return, or press the Up arrow once so press Return.

If this doesn't work, and your Mac still doesn't start up, then move on to the next step.

10. Utilize Target disk mode to copy files

This step should be taken prior to reinstalling macOS and it depends on your backup situation. Y'all do make regular backups, or at least sync of import documents, music and photos to the cloud, correct?

If you're not sweating at the moment, and are confident in your Time Car or other fill-in solution, then skip to Step xi beneath. But if you lot wish you'd backed up your Mac then now is the time to encounter what you tin can salvage from the motorcar.

For this, y'all'll need a second Mac. If you lot haven't got 1 and so ask a friend. Follow these steps to use Target Disk Way:

  1. Connect both Macs together using an Apple Thunderbolt cable (£39 from Apple). If you lot take an older Mac this same process works with FireWire cables.
  2. Switch off your Mac.
  3. Showtime up your Mac while belongings downwardly the T push button on the keyboard.
  4. Keep holding the T button down as you hear the startup chinkle and keep it pressed until the Thunderbolt icon appears on your screen.

This places your Mac in Target disk mode. In Target Disk mode your Mac acts like an external drive. Y'all should now hopefully run across the difficult drive for your faulty Mac on your second Mac's Finder.

You should exist able to grab the files yous demand from your unresponsive Mac, or even clone the unabridged difficult drive to another external drive.

Plug in Mac

11. Reinstall macOS

This is pretty drastic, but if you have tried everything else, and then reinstalling the operating organization could remove the result that is stopping the Mac from starting properly.

Call up macOS Recovery from the step to a higher place? Y'all can use it to reinstall macOS as well.

  1. Kicking into Recovery mode equally in a higher place (hold the Command and R keys while yous start up, or press and hold the power button if yous are on an M1 Mac).
  2. Once in Recovery click to install the latest Os and follow the onscreen prompts.

Our commodity on resetting a Mac to factory settings has more information on wiping a Mac and reinstalling macOS.

12. Make a Genius Bar appointment

If you've made it this far and your Mac still doesn't piece of work, you'll need to take it to an Apple Genius Bar to see if they can help you fix information technology (or suit for a repair under warranty). Hopefully you accept got plenty information from your Mac so as to be able to back up, or continue working on a new Mac.

Wondering how many years your Mac should concluding for? Read: How long do Macs final?