RecoverMyMac

Mac Not Booting? Fix It in Minutes Before Paying for Repairs

We’d love to help—but only if these steps don’t fix the issue for you.
Start with these simple, Apple‑recommended fixes. Most startup issues can be resolved in minutes using built‑in tools.

  • Safe to try — won’t erase your data
  • Takes a few minutes per step
  • Stop as soon as your Mac starts working
Before spending money on repairs, work through these steps in order. Most Mac startup problems are fixed within the first few steps—so start at the top and stop as soon as your Mac is working again.
This is the quickest fix and often resolves startup issues caused by temporary system glitches.
 
If your Mac is frozen, stuck on a black screen, or not progressing past startup, a force restart can often resolve the issue in seconds.
 

How to force restart your Mac:

  1. Press and hold the Power button for 10 seconds until the Mac turns off completely.
  2. Wait 5–10 seconds to allow the system to fully shut down.
  3. Press the Power button once to turn it back on.

What to expect:

Your Mac will shut down completely and restart. If the issue was temporary, your Mac should now start normally.

If it worked: Your Mac should now start normally. No further action is needed.
If it didn’t work: Continue to Step 2.
This resets certain system settings that can prevent your Mac from starting properly.
 
If your Mac is stuck during startup or behaving unexpectedly, resetting NVRAM / PRAM can fix issues caused by incorrect system settings.
Note: This step only applies to Intel-based Macs. If you have an M1, M2, M3, or M4 Mac, skip to Step 8.
How to reset NVRAM / PRAM:
  1. Turn off your Mac completely
  2. Press the Power button, then immediately press and hold:
    Option (⌥)
     + Command (⌘)
     + P + R
  3. Hold all four keys for about 20 seconds. 
  4. Release the keys and allow your Mac to continue starting up
What to expect: Your Mac may restart during this process. Some settings may return to their default values.
Tip: You may need to adjust settings like volume or display resolution after reset.
If it worked: Your Mac should now start normally. No further action is needed.
If it didn’t work: Continue to Step 3.
This resets power-related settings that can prevent your Mac from turning on or starting properly.
 
If your Mac won’t turn on, has no display, or the fans are running at full speed, resetting the SMC can often resolve power-related startup issues.
Note: This step only applies to Intel-based Macs. If you have an M1, M2, M3, or M4 Mac, skip to Step 8.
How to reset the SMC (MacBook):
  1. Shut down your Mac
  2. Connect the power adapter
  3. Press and hold:
    Shift (⇧)
     + Control + Option (⌥)
     + Power
  4. Hold all keys for 10 seconds
  5. Release all keys, then press the power button to turn your Mac back on
How to reset the SMC (Desktop Mac):
  1. Shut down your Mac
  2. Unplug the power cable
  3. Wait 15 seconds
  4. Plug the power cable back in
  5. Wait 5 seconds, then press the power button
What to expect:
Your Mac will restart. If the issue was related to power settings, your Mac should now start normally.
If it worked: Your Mac should now start normally. No further action is needed.
If it didn’t work: Continue to Step 4.
This starts your Mac with only essential software to help identify and isolate startup issues.
 
If your Mac starts but behaves unexpectedly, Safe Mode can help determine whether a software issue is preventing normal startup.
 
How to start Safe Mode (Intel Mac):
  1. Shut down your Mac
  2. Press Power, then immediately press and hold: Shift (⇧)
  3. Release the key when you see the login window
How to start Safe Mode (Apple Silicon Mac):
  1. Shut down your Mac
  2. Press and hold the power button until you see “Loading startup options”
  3. Select your startup disk
  4. Hold Shift (⇧)and click Continue in Safe Mode

What to expect:

Your Mac may start more slowly than usual, and performance may feel reduced. This is normal in Safe Mode.

If it worked: Start your Mac normally. If the issue is gone, it was likely caused by software or a recently installed app.
If it didn’t work: Continue to Step 5.
Use built‑in recovery tools to repair your Mac or reinstall macOS.
 
Recovery Mode provides tools like Disk Utility and macOS reinstall, and is often the most effective way to fix startup issues.
 
How to enter Recovery Mode (Intel Mac):
    1. Shut down your Mac
    2. Press the power button, then immediately press and hold: Command (⌘) + R
    3. Hold until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe
    4. You will see the macOS Utilities window
How to enter Recovery Mode (Apple Silicon Mac):
  1. Shut down your Mac
  2. Press and hold the power button until you see startup options
  3. Click Options, then click Continue
What to do in Recovery Mode:
  1. Disk Utility → First Aid
    Select your startup disk and run First Aid to check and repair disk errors
  2. Reinstall macOS
    If First Aid doesn’t fix the issue, choose “Reinstall macOS”. This reinstalls macOS without erasing your files.
Important: Reinstalling macOS does not erase your files, apps, or personal data. It only replaces system files and keeps your personal data intact
What to expect:
Your Mac may restart during this process. Repairs or reinstalling macOS can take some time.
If it worked: Your Mac should now start normally.
If it didn’t work: Continue to Step 6.
This downloads recovery tools from Apple when standard Recovery Mode (Command + R) does not work.
 

If your local recovery partition is damaged or missing, your Mac can download recovery tools directly from Apple over the internet.

How to start Internet Recovery:
  1. Shut down your Mac completely.
  2. Press Power, then immediately press and hold:
    Option + Command + R
  3. You will see a spinning globe. Connect to your Wi-Fi network if prompted.
  4. Wait for the download to complete. This can take 30 minutes to over an hour.
  5. Once loading is complete, you will see the macOS Utilities window. Follow the same steps as in Step 5.
Heads up: Internet Recovery requires a stable internet connection and may take some time to complete.
If it worked: Follow Step 5 to repair or reinstall macOS.
If it didn’t work: Continue to Step 7.
Check whether your Mac has a hardware issue.
 
Apple Diagnostics tests components like memory, storage, and logic board to identify potential hardware faults.
 
How to run Apple Diagnostics (Intel Mac):
  1. Disconnect all external devices except keyboard, mouse, display, and power
  2. Shut down your Mac
  3. Press Power, then immediately press and hold: D
  4. Release when you see the progress bar or language selection
  5. Diagnostics will run automatically (takes 2–5 minutes)
How to run Apple Diagnostics (Apple Silicon Mac):
  1. Shut down your Mac
  2. Press and hold the Power button until you see startup options
  3. Press Command (⌘) + D.to start diagnostics
What to expect:
Apple Diagnostics will check your hardware and display a result or reference code.
No issues found: Your hardware is likely fine. The issue is probably software-related.
If a hardware issue is found: Make a note of the reference code shown. You may need professional repair.
Apple Silicon Macs use a different startup and recovery process. Most troubleshooting steps are accessed from the Startup Options screen.
 
How to access Startup Options:
  1. Shut down your Mac
    (If it is frozen, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds)
  2. Press and hold the power button
    Keep holding until you see “Loading startup options”
  3. Release the button when the options screen appears
From the Startup Options screen:
  1. Select your startup disk and click Continue
  2. Click Options → Continue to enter Recovery Mode
  3. Use Disk Utility to check and repair your disk
  4. Reinstall macOS without erasing your files
What to expect:
Your Mac will display a startup options screen instead of booting directly. From here, you can access recovery and troubleshooting tools.
 
DFU Restore (last resort): If your Mac does not show startup options, you may need to restore it using another Mac and Apple Configurator 2. This will erase your data but can recover severely damaged systems.
Tried everything above?

Still Can’t Start Your Mac?

Don’t worry—your files are usually still there, even if your Mac won’t boot.
 
If your Mac won’t start and standard recovery options have failed, your recovery system may be damaged—but your data is usually still safe.
 
RecoverMyMac creates a bootable USB that lets you restart your Mac and reinstall macOS—without needing a working recovery partition, a second Mac, or an Apple Store visit.
  • Recovery files from non-booting Mac
  • Reinstall macOS safely
  • No technical skills required
Check your Mac model on our compatibility page to get the right version.
 
 
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