Apple devices are arguably the most reliable piece of technology. However, like any other gadget, these devices can also malfunction at times.
Sometimes, your Mac may not turn on properly, or macOS might crash, or simply it stops responding to the power button. In such cases, here is what you need to do to fix the problem without any professional’s help.
In this article, we will guide you on seven fixes you can try that might help you recover a malfunctioning MacBook.
Check the brightness level
If you tried turning on your MacBook and it turned on with a sound. However, the screen is blank or black, then the first thing you should check is the brightness level.
There are chances that the brightness level is accidentally set to zero. There are two keys with a sun icon on the top row of the keyboard. You can increase or decrease the brightness level using these keys.
Also read: What is Mdnsresponder? Why is it running on my Mac?
Check battery level
Another thing that you can check is the battery level in your MacBook. Ensure that the laptop’s charger is plugged into a power source. Make sure the charger is not damaged, and the power socket is working by trying out a different charger and device in case mac charger is not responding.
If your MacBook’s battery is completely dead, then wait for a few minutes after you plug in the charger. After plugging it into the power source, it may take some time to reboot.
Perform a power cycle
If your Macbook is stuck in one place and fails to respond to the power button, you can perform a power cycle to reboot the system completely.
Press the power button and hold it down for ten seconds until you hear a chime sound. If your laptop was running but got frozen, then this action will forcibly cut the power source, and it will restart.
If you are using an older version of Mac with a removable battery, shut it down, remove the power source, remove the battery, and then wait for ten seconds before inserting it again.
Also read: How to rotate the screen on Macbook?
Try disk utility from recovery mode
If your Mac is rebooting, but macOS cannot load correctly, then there might be a possible software problem. Your Macbook disks may be corrupted, and they can be resolved through recovery mode.
Press and hold the power button to reboot your Mac to access recovery mode. Then, immediately, press the Command + R keys when you hear the chime sound. This will reboot your laptop in recovery mode.
Once the recovery mode window opens, click on the Disk Utility option to repair and erase the disk. Once it is done, reboot your Mac, and it should start functioning properly.
Reinstall macOS from recovery mode
If the disk utility option doesn’t work, you can reinstall the mac operating system.
Click on Reinstall macOS option on the recovery mode window. This will automatically download the latest macOS installation files and reinstall the operating system. You can do the same via Time Machine Backup. If your macOS is damaged and is the reason for its malfunctioning, reinstalling the macOS option will update it with new software.
Also read: How to find a MacBook’s model number?
Disconnect all accessories
If your Macbook is still having trouble starting, you should try rebooting it after removing all the peripherals.
Accessories and devices like USB drives, printers and so on should be unplugged from the Mac. Then try to reboot your system by pressing the power button for ten seconds.
Reset the SMC
SMC stands for System Management Controller. It manages functions like the power button, battery, display and so on. If your Mac hasn’t turned on even after trying all of the above options, resetting the SMC can be the last option.
- Remove the charger and other accessories from the mac.
- Press and hold Shift + Control + Option and Power button for ten seconds.
- Unhold all the keys and reconnect the charger.
- Press the Power button to restart your laptop.
If your Macbook still doesn’t turn on, you should consider showing it to a professional technician at the nearest Apple store.
Also read: How to enable cookies on your MacBook?
