Aug 03, 2023 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
"My MacBook Air won't turn on" –People are coming with issues like this for some time now. But don't worry; just because your Mac won't load or hangs on startup, that's not the end of the world. If you focus on the methods listed in the article, it will be easy for you to fix the issue.
In this article, you'll learn what to do when MacBook Pro is not starting up. In some cases, Mac gets turned on but Mac won't start. Even in this case, the methods will come in handy to help you in resolving the issue.
Before we step down to the Solutions, you must understand why the problem arises in MacBook. If MacBook won't start or boot, the main reasons might be:
It is basically the hardware issues that lead to MacBook pro not starting issue. Even if you can't figure out the exact reasons, trying out the common solutions won't harm Mac. Take a look at the solution and try them to see which one fixes Mac without any hassle. Just follow them in the same order and one of them will work out for you.
Start with the most basic step, i.e. checking the power status on Mac. The most plausible reason would be that battery drained from your system and as a result, Mac laptop won't turn on. So, if Mac isn't starting up when it is on battery power, plug in the charger. Make sure that the charging point is plugged in properly. Sometimes dust and debris also disrupt the connection. Clean the port and then try charging. If the charger is old and damaged, then buy a new power cable and then charge your Mac.
If the Mac turns on but the problem is with a startup, then consider following the steps below to check the power:
If you don't see the signs of power, you will have to ensure that it is receiving power.
Normally, Mac not starting is the problem users face when they use incorrect power cable or adapter for the MacBook. Leaving the system plugged in for a long time also affects the battery and hence you'll need to troubleshoot the power adapters.
When iMac is not starting up, it is better that you perform a power cycle. For the people who don't know what a power cycle is, it is a technical way of resetting the device. So, when someone states to power cycle a device, you have to turn it off and then turn it back on. There is not even a single complication in this solution and it is very effective.
Now, try to restart the system. The power button is equivalent to a reset. And it usually works to fix common issues with all kinds of devices.
When MacBook Pro is not working, it will turn on but the startup won't finish. Some symbols appear on the start-up screen that signifies different problems. From question mark to prohibitory symbol, symbols like that means that you need to resolve some issues before you can finish Mac startup.
When the startup is successful, you will be directed to the Finder menu bar, desktop, and Dock interface.
In case the MacBook Pro is still not booting, you should try running the Apple Hardware Test on Mac. This test helps the users to determine which hardware component is causing issues. It is now known as Apple Diagnostic. To perform this test, disconnect all the connected devices to the Mac except mouse, keyboard, display, connection to AC power, and an Ethernet connection.
Ensure that your Mac is lying on a hard, flat surface which is stable and ventilated. Now shut down your Mac and follow the steps below:
The improved and new Apple Diagnostics provides detailed information about the working issues in the system. It will be easy for you to identify the problem with the error code from the report.
The SMC feature is responsible for various operations on the Intel-based Mac system. So, if Mac won't restart, maybe one or a few of its low-level functions are faulty. It includes the power button, battery management, thermal management, Sudden Motion Sensor, keyboard backlighting, battery status indicator, ambient light sensing, response to display the lid opening and closing actions, and selecting the external video source for iMac displays.
If any of these functions is not responding to the commands, you should reset the SMC. The method is different for different kinds of Mac systems.
If the Mac battery is non-removable, follow the steps below:
If Mac has removable batteries, the steps will be:
From iMac Pro to Mini, the desktops will follow the steps given below to reset SMC.
To reset SMC on the desktop or notebook which has T2 chips, the steps are the same:
When the Mac does not boot normally, it is time to boot Mac in Safe Mode. Whatever you were doing that lead to the issue can be resolved by using this method. Plus, if Mac shows the signs of life but doesn't get past the Apple logo, then booting in Safe Mode is a better alternative.
The Safe Mode runs a bunch of tests and boots the stripped-down version of macOS. It only loads the basic features, thus you can uninstall the apps that you think might be interrupting the system. You can also disable startup items, remove hardware, and undo the changes made recently in the system that might lead to this issue.
If you tried booting Mac in safe mode and nothing is fixed, that means that the Mac safe mode is not working properly too. In this scenario, you can try resetting the Mac PRAM/NVRAM. It is the non-volatile Random Access Memory which Mac use to store some particular settings to provide quick access. The Parameter RAM (PRAM) also keeps similar information. Even the steps to reset PRAM and NVRAM are the same.
Settings stored in NVRAM include the Sound volume, display resolutions, recent kernel panic information, and startup disk selection. All this will reset when you follow the above steps.
Under unfortunate circumstances, you will face this issue only after you log in to a particular account. So, before you get to the macOS recovery, you must see if the problem still persists with other user accounts on Mac or not. If Mac still not starting up that means your last solution is to run macOS in recovery.
If the startup issue doesn't happen with the new account, then it must be related to some settings or files on your account. Therefore, you will need special help from the Apple Support website or simply try uninstalling useless applications from your Mac.
Last but not the least valuable fix for MacBook air not turning on with regular method is to try rebooting Mac into Recovery Mode. The macOS recovery is a part of the in-built recovery system of Mac. The utilities available in the Recovery Mode allows you to restore Mac from Time Machine, reinstall macOS, get help online, and to repair or erase disk using the Disk Utility feature.
Once you have resolved the issue, restart Mac normally and you can use it without any hassle.
All the solutions we discussed here are for particular situations. But if you can't figure out the exact reason for the problem, then the best solution will be reinstalling Mac as it won't delete any file from Mac.
MacBook Air is not starting? Well, don't worry; you can't fix it with the above methods. And if Mac still doesn't turn on, then you might have a risk of losing your data files permanently. But Recoverit Mac Data Recovery can help you in this scenario too. With the help of this tool, you can create a bootable drive using another Mac to start the malfunctioning system. The software supports a Pre-installation Environment that makes it possible for the users to recover data from a Mac that doesn't start.
Begin by downloading the software on another computer and create a bootable drive. Once the drive is ready to boot, connect it to the Mac that won't start. Enter Boot mode on the Mac and follow the steps below to get the files back:
Reboot Mac in Recovery mode and launch the software. Specify a location on the drive and click on the Start button to initiate the scanning process.
The software will run a quick scan of the system hard drive and display the results on the screen. You can view the file according to the file type or file path.
If some files are still missing from the results, switch to the Deep scan mode for better results.
Select as many files as you want but make sure that you have a preview of those files. Press the Recover button at last and the file recovery process will start.
So, whether the Mac app is not working or the whole system isn't turning on, you can still use Recoverit to retrieve your data from the drive. Although it will take a long time to restore that much data, it will be worthwhile.
To Wrap Up:
From now on, whenever Mac won't start up, you know exactly what you can do about it. And if you somehow lose your data from the device because MacBook Air won't turn on, then try Recoverit and recommend it to your friends too.
Sue Wayne
staff Editor