Mac Won’t Turn On? How to Fix It and Make It Boot

admin, For Mac , How To , June 29th, 2022 , 0

Experiencing a situation where your MacBook or desktop Mac won’t start? Well, a lot of us face the same issue of MacBook not turning on due to unknown reasons and those are definitely fixable. From Mac startup problems to technical glitches, anything & everything can be fixed to get rid of MacBook not turning on issues.

Are you also able to see only the Apple logo while trying to turn on your Mac for quite some time or your MacBook pro not turning on? Check out the fixes below that can help you with fixing your Mac starting problems:

Fixes For Mac Won’t Turn on OR MacBook Not Turning On

1. Check If Mac is Turning On

I know how silly it sounds by checking the power button to turn on the Mac but it’s been proven that the silly doubts should be examined first.

Please know that Mac won’t turn on & Mac starting problems are two different things we are dealing with here. So in order to check if Mac isn’t responding properly as it should, we need to check if it’s turning on in the first place.

Turn on the power button on your Mac and see if you are getting the sound of Chime. The same one that we hear whenever we try to switch on any device. It gives us assurance that the power button is functioning properly and there isn’t any issue with the Mac won’t turning on.

Since there can be many reasons your Mac won’t just turn on, we need to check all the probable fixes. From as simple as checking the power source connection to unplugging all the accessories, we need to check everything. Trying to charge the Mac laptop with a different adapter or power cable can also be a step you can take. Because, if your Mac isn’t turning on in the first place, there is a possibility of a problem with power supply or cable issues.

Unplug the accessories & put them together in the very place you unplugged from because sometimes, the cable gets loose and plugging it in properly may solve the issue of Mac won’t turning on.

Check This:- How To Delete Downloads On Mac

2. Try to Perform Power Cycle

If the power connection is working properly & still your Mac or MacBook pro won’t turn on, you need to perform the power cycle. It’s a process of unplugging every connected cable for a while or forcefully cutting Mac’s power to give it a good boost later on. Power cycling your MacBook or Mac involves force killing your device’s power so that it can be restarted properly.

If your MacBook isn’t turning on, you will need to hold the power button for 10 seconds & soon you will hear a squeak that confirms the forceful power cut to your MacBook. We hope that everything gets sorted once your MacBook restarts.

In case your Mac (desktop) isn’t turning on, just unplug every accessory from the desktop & keep it as is for at least 10 seconds. Now plug in everything & restart the Mac to see if everything’s working out fine for you.

3. Check If The Display is Working Properly

After you have checked that Mac isn’t having any issue with turning on properly, if you’re still facing the same issue, check if the display is working fine. Obviously, this doesn’t apply on MacBook, however, in case you are using Mac Pro or Mac Mini (desktop), try to check if the display is working fine.

What if you don’t have a problem with the Mac itself but an issue with the display you just plugged in. So instead of the startup issue, we would be looking for display resolution by checking below points:

1. Check the power supply for both Mac & Display hardware (if both are connected with separate power supply connections).

2. Be assured with the cable connections if they are connected as they are supposed to.

3. Replug the video cable after unplugging once. & give a shot to different video cable or display hardware to narrow down the issue.

4. Resolving File System Glitches

After trying to resolve every possible hardware issue, let’s find out if there is any internal issue that’s causing the whole haywire situation here.

With a few tweaks, we just need to check if the file system is compatible or not with below steps:

1. Start the process by shutting off the Mac & restart it. At the same time, keep a hold on Cmd + S so that your Mac can start in Single User Mode.

As soon as you see a screen with some messages, lose out the grip from Cmd + S..

2. Now the moment you see the command-line prompt where all the text is done scrolling past. Now type in fsck -fy & follow it by hitting Return (wait for several minutes).

3. The process will go through almost five checks that will result in either The volume [your Mac’s name] appears to be OK or FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED.

4. In case you see the 1st message, type in Reboot and press Return.

5. However, in case you see the other message as a result, keep following point B all over again.

Please note If your Mac still doesn’t turn on with the above steps, use the next fix alternative for MacBook won’t turn on.

5. Restart Your Mac in Safe Mode

Safe Mode can help you fix issues preventing your Mac from starting. Many advanced Mac users swear by this method because it often bypasses all the processes that can prevent Mac from functioning properly.

Here, we have covered ways to start Mac in Safe Mode in both Intel-based and M1-based Macs –

Intel Macs –

1. Boot your Mac.

2. Press and hold the Shift key.

3. You will now be able to see the Apple logo.

4. When the login window appears, release the shift key and log in.

M1 Macs –

1. Hold down the power button till you see Startup options.

2. Select your Startup Disk.

3. Press and hold the Shift key and then continue in Safe Mode

4. Now release the Shift key.

6. Reinstall macOS But After Backing The Data

If all the previous attempts don’t work, you may have to reinstall your Mac. And while doing that, you may not want to lose your data. For that, you can take the help of a backup utility like EaseUS Todo Backup. One of the best features of this utility is the Disk Cloning feature, with the help of which you can even create a bootable backup that can be restored if your macOS fails.

Get EaseUS Todo Backup 

Another option that you can use is to boot your Mac in Target Disk Mode. You could use a friend’s or colleague’s Mac. Here are the steps to boot Mac in Target Disk Mode. We are going to discuss a scenario where your Mac won’t turn on –

1. Connect the two Macs.

2. Force your Mac to shut down

3. Hold the power button and simultaneously long-pressing the T key.

4. When you see the Thunderbolt icon, leave the key and wait for a while.

5. You will now see that your Mac’s hard drive will appear as an external hard drive on another Mac.

6. You can now copy the files that you need.

7. PRAM / NVRAM Reset Process

Previously, NVRAM (non-volatile random access memory) was called PRAM & resetting the same has been considered as one of the fixes for MacBook pro won’t turn on issue. PRAM / NVRAM is a part of memory that a Mac starts accessing quickly & mind you, resetting the same does no harm to your system.

It’s highly unlikely that you experience an issue with this part of your MacBook that directly relates to “my MacBook Pro won’t turn on”. However, consider this as a part of the checklist that needs to be taken care of. Let’s find out the ways to reset the PRAM / NVRAM:

1. Tap on the Power button; then press and hold the Alt + P and R keys.

2. Keep a hold on to them for almost 20 seconds even though your Mac restarts.

3. The moment you hear the Mac startup sound, Release the hold from the keys.

4. In case the Mac has the T2 Chip, hold off the keys once you see the Apple logo disappearing second time.

Once Mac restarts, some of the basic settings would require a bit of adjusting like time zone & volume level settings.

See This : How to Hide or Unhide Files Using Terminal on Mac

8. System Management Controller Resetting

Sometimes, SMC (System Management Controller) reset can be considered as the last attempt to make reasonable fixes in the current MacOS version. This reset process takes place before trying to recover the whole of data & eventually reinstalling the operating system.

Follow the below steps to reset the SMC while using MacBook:

1. Shut Down your MacBook; unplug the power cable, & reconnect the same.

2. Press Shift + Ctrl & Alt button along with Power button at the same time.

3. Now you need to release the same keys at once & you will see a light on the power cable flicker.

4. Now all you need to do is just restart the MacBook.

Steps to reset the SMC while using Mac (desktop):

1. Shut down your Mac & unplug as well.

2. Keep a hold on to the power button at least for 5 seconds.

3. Plug-in the Mac back & follow the process by turning on the Mac.

Other Warning Signs You Encounter on Mac:

No matter how cheap or expensive the Mac models are in the market, the device has quite an impressive reliability reputation. However, the device can run into problems once in a while. Though there are different ways you can fix Mac issues, it’s always advised to check for the warning signs to prevent the system from bigger damage.

Wrapping Up

The problems with MacBook air won’t turn on makes you explore various ways to resolve the issue with internal as well as external tool help. Eventually you will be able to get the appropriate resolution to fix the issue of Mac not booting up.

Don’t forget to check out the ways thoroughly to resolve the issue of Mac startup problems.

FAQs: Mac Won’t Turn On