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If you’ve ever used a Windows computer as a comparison, you know that Macs are much more reliable and rarely let you down. But desktop computers get old, their internal memory wears out, and batteries last less and less time as time goes on. There are many reasons why your Mac or MacBook might not turn on or start up, but you probably just want to get it working again. We’ll go over the different things you can check and do to get your iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro to turn on again so you can use it again.
All of the most recent versions of macOS can use the fixes in this article. Depending on which OS you use, the menus and interfaces may look a little different, but they still do the same things. A device that won’t turn on is one of the most frustrating things that can happen with electronics. There are ways around other problems. You can hook up external keyboards, mice, speakers, and even displays. But you can’t get around something that won’t turn on. It feels like the end, like there aren’t many more things you can try before you write it off and throw it away. We mentioned below are the ways to Fix Mac Not Turning On Issues.
Ways to Fix Mac Not Turning On Issues
Check your Mac’s hardware
When you turn on your Mac, you use a number of pieces of hardware. So, if your Mac won’t turn on, make sure everything is plugged in correctly and working as it should.
- This may be obvious, but first check the Mac’s power cable. Make sure there are no problems connecting it to the power outlet and that the cable itself is not damaged
- Next, check to see if the power outlet is working. You can check by simply plugging in something else, such as a lamp or cell phone charger
- If you are using a MacBook, make sure you have the correct power cable and adapter. Additionally, you can try plugging it in for at least 5 minutes to charge the battery.
- If you are using an external monitor, make sure it is properly connected and powered on. If possible, test with another device.
- Check recently installed hardware components. For example, if you upgraded your RAM, make sure it is compatible. Reinstall the old component and see if it solves the problem.
Reset your Mac’s SMC firmware
If your Mac won’t turn on, it might be a good idea to reset the System Management Controller (SMC). But keep in mind that this can only be done on Intel Macs. You can’t reset the SMC on newer Macs, which use Apple’s own M1 processor.
- Shutting down your Mac
- Disconnect all connections from the computer except the power supply
- With the Mac turned off, press the left Shift + Ctrl + Opt keys and the power button simultaneously Hold all four keys down for 10 seconds
- Release all keys and the power button simultaneously
- Press the power button to turn on the Mac
Ensure your Mac has power
Your Mac might not turn on for a lot of different reasons. But before you look at anything else, you should check the basics, like making sure your Mac is plugged in. Or, if your MacBook won’t turn on, it might not be charged.
- Press the Mac’s power button.
- Check for signs of operation, such as startup chimes, fan noise, and a light indicator when the Caps Lock button is pressed.
- If the Mac does not show any of these signs, it is very likely a power problem.
Perform a power cycle
When you power-cycle a Mac, you turn off the power to it for a while and then make it restart. Sometimes this works on frozen Macs that don’t wake up when you press the power button quickly.
- If you are using a MacBook with a non-removable battery, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds. Wait 10 seconds and then start your Mac as normal
- If your MacBook has a removable battery, shut down and then remove the battery. Then wait 10 seconds, reinstall the battery, and boot the Mac as normal.
- If your Mac is a non-booting desktop Mac, unplug the power cord, wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in. The Mac will now boot up as normal.
Reset your Mac’s NVRAM
This step could fix a number of problems with your computer, such as if your Mac won’t start up normally. The non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) does a lot of different things, and resetting it can help with a lot of different problems. As with the SMC, this is only possible with Intel Macs because NVRAM works differently on M1 machines.
- Restart your Mac.
- Press and hold Cmd + Opt + P + R simultaneously until a gray screen appears.
- Hold these keys until the Mac restarts and a second startup chime sounds.
- Release all keys.
Restore your Mac from Recovery mode
If your Mac won’t turn on, it could be because something is wrong with your hard drive. In this case, one of the first things you should try is Disk Utility. This tool comes with every copy of macOS, and it’s a great way to find and fix problems with your disc. Good news if you can’t get into macOS: it also works in Recovery mode, which you can start before the operating system loads.
- Turn off your Mac.
- For Intel Macs, power on and press and hold Cmd + R after the startup chime to enter recovery.
- For M1 Macs, press and hold the power button to display the startup options window. Click Options > Continue.
- In the macOS Utilities window, select Disk Utility.
- Click the name of your Mac’s hard drive in the list.
- Click the “Run” or “First Aid” button
- Wait for the scan to finish. If Disk Utility finds any problems, it will attempt to fix them. Your Mac may now start up normally again.
Final Words
So here we conclude our article on how to Fix Mac Not Turning On Issues. Nothing makes your stomach drop like trying to turn on your MacBook Pro and seeing nothing happen. It usually happens when you need to study, when a deadline is coming up, or when you need to send an important email. Don’t things like that happen all the time? They are, of course. Apple products are known to work very well.
No matter how good a device is known to be, it will have problems at some point. This guide is based on the idea that you haven’t made any recent changes to your MacBook Pro, like adding or replacing RAM or making any major hardware changes. If the problem still exists and you can’t fix it with the steps above, you can go to Apple’s official support website and ask for more help.