How to Fix a Mac That Won’t Turn On: A Step-by-Step Guide

There are few moments more panic-inducing for a Mac user than pressing the power button and being met with… nothing. No startup chime, no glowing Apple logo, just a silent, black screen. Your work, your photos, your entire digital life feels suddenly out of reach. It’s a frustrating experience, but don’t despair just yet. In many cases, the reason your Mac won’t turn on is something you can fix yourself with a bit of systematic troubleshooting.

This guide is designed to walk you through the process of diagnosing and resolving the issue, from the simplest checks to more advanced procedures. We’ll help you determine whether your Mac is truly not receiving power or if it’s turning on but failing to start up properly—a crucial distinction. By following these steps, you can methodically rule out common problems and, hopefully, bring your Mac back to life without a costly trip to a repair shop.

First, Let’s Define the Problem: On vs. Starting Up

Before we dive into solutions, it’s important to understand the difference between a Mac that “won’t turn on” and one that “won’t start up.”

• Won’t Turn On: You press the power button and get absolutely no signs of life. There’s no startup sound, no fan noise, no lights on the keyboard, and the screen remains completely black. This usually points to a power-related issue.
• Won’t Start Up: You press the power button and see or hear some activity—a chime, spinning fans, a briefly lit screen—but macOS never fully loads. You might see an Apple logo, a progress bar that gets stuck, a flashing question mark, or a circle with a line through it. This indicates a software or hardware problem that’s happening after the initial power-on sequence.

This guide primarily focuses on the first scenario: when your Mac shows no signs of life at all. However, many of these steps can also help if your Mac is stuck in the early phases of starting up.

Basic Checks: Ruling Out the Obvious

It’s easy to jump to the worst-case scenario, but the solution is often surprisingly simple. Let’s start with the basics to rule out any simple oversights before moving on to more complex troubleshooting for Mac issues.

1. Check Your Power Connection

This might sound elementary, but it’s the most common culprit. A loose cable or faulty outlet can easily make it seem like your Mac is dead.

• Secure All Connections: Firmly check that the power cable is securely plugged into both your Mac and the electrical outlet. If you’re using a power strip or surge protector, make sure it’s turned on.
• Test the Outlet: Plug another device, like a lamp or a phone charger, into the same outlet to confirm it’s working. Sometimes, a circuit breaker may have tripped.
• Inspect the Cable: Examine your power cable and adapter for any signs of damage, such as frays, kinks, or bent pins. Apple’s MagSafe and USB-C cables can wear out over time, especially near the connectors.
• Try a Different Cable and Adapter: If you have access to another compatible power adapter and cable, try using them. This is the quickest way to determine if your charging equipment is the problem.

For MacBook users, give your machine at least 10-15 minutes to charge before trying to power it on again, especially if the battery was completely drained.

2. Disconnect All Accessories

Sometimes, a faulty peripheral can prevent your Mac from powering on correctly. External hard drives, USB hubs, printers, and even monitors can interfere with the startup process.

• Unplug every single accessory from your Mac.
• Try pressing the power button again.

If your Mac turns on after unplugging everything, one of your accessories is likely the issue. You can identify the problematic device by plugging them back in one by one and restarting your Mac after each one until the problem reappears.

Intermediate Troubleshooting: Simple Resets for Common Glitches

If the basic checks didn’t solve the problem, it’s time to move on to a few resets. These procedures can clear up temporary hardware glitches and firmware issues that might be preventing your Mac from turning on.

1. Perform a Power Cycle

A power cycle is essentially a hard reboot that forces the hardware to reset. It’s a simple yet effective way to clear out temporary issues that might be causing your Mac to be unresponsive.

• For MacBooks (with built-in batteries) and Apple Silicon Macs: Press and hold the power button for at least 10 seconds. You might hear a faint sound as the power is cut. Release the button, wait a few moments, then press it again to turn your Mac on normally.
• For Mac Desktops (iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio): Unplug the power cord from the back of the computer. Wait for at least 15-20 seconds to allow any residual power to discharge. Plug the cord back in, then press the power button to start it up.

2. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)

The SMC is a chip in Intel-based Macs that controls many low-level hardware functions, including the power button, battery management, fans, and status indicator lights. A problem with the SMC can lead to a wide range of issues, including the Mac failing to turn on.

Note: Macs with Apple silicon (M1, M2, M3 chips, and later) do not have a user-resettable SMC. The power management functions are integrated into the chip itself, and simply performing a power cycle (shutting down and restarting) effectively resets it. This step is for Intel-based Macs only.

To reset the SMC on an Intel-based MacBook:

1. Shut down your Mac completely.
2. Press and hold the following keys on the built-in keyboard simultaneously: Control (left side) + Option (Alt) (left side) + Shift (right side).
3. Continue holding these three keys for 7 seconds, then press and hold the power button as well.
4. Keep holding all four keys for another 7 seconds, then release them all.
5. Wait a few seconds, then press the power button to turn on your Mac.

To reset the SMC on an Intel-based iMac, Mac mini, or Mac Pro:

1. Shut down your Mac and unplug the power cord.
2. Wait for 15 seconds.
3. Plug the power cord back in.
4. Wait for 5 more seconds, then press the power button to turn your Mac on.

3. Reset the NVRAM or PRAM

NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory) and its older counterpart, PRAM (Parameter RAM), store certain system settings that need to be accessed quickly, such as screen resolution, speaker volume, time zone, and startup disk selection. While it’s less likely to fix a “won’t turn on” issue, a corrupted setting here can sometimes cause startup problems.

Note: Like the SMC, this procedure is for Intel-based Macs only. Apple silicon Macs handle this process automatically during startup.

To reset the NVRAM/PRAM on an Intel-based Mac:

1. Shut down your Mac completely.
2. Press the power button, and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option + Command + P + R.
3. Continue holding the keys for about 20 seconds. You may see the screen light up or hear the startup chime a second time.
4. Release the keys, and allow your Mac to continue starting up.

Advanced Solutions: When Your Mac Still Won’t Turn On

If you’ve worked through the steps above and your Mac remains unresponsive, the problem is likely more serious. However, there are still a few advanced techniques you can try before concluding that it’s a hardware failure. These steps are for situations where you might be seeing some signs of life, but the system won’t boot, or for Apple silicon Macs that are completely unresponsive.

1. Boot into Safe Mode

Starting in Safe Mode forces your Mac to load only the essential software and fonts. It also performs a check of your startup disk and clears some system caches. If a third-party software or a corrupt cache is preventing startup, Safe Mode might allow you to get in and fix the issue.

To boot into Safe Mode on an Intel-based Mac:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Press the power button, then immediately press and hold the Shift key.
3. Release the Shift key when you see the login window. You should see “Safe Boot” in the top-right corner of the screen.

To boot into Safe Mode on an Apple silicon Mac:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window, which shows your startup disks and an “Options” icon.
3. Select your startup disk.
4. Press and hold the Shift key, then click “Continue in Safe Mode.”
5. Release the Shift key.

If you can start in Safe Mode, the problem is likely software-related. Try uninstalling any recently added applications or login items, then restart your Mac normally.

2. Use macOS Recovery

macOS Recovery is a built-in recovery system that allows you to perform critical troubleshooting tasks even if your Mac won’t load the operating system.

To boot into macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac:

• Shut down your Mac. Press the power button, then immediately press and hold Command + R until you see an Apple logo or another image.

To boot into macOS Recovery on an Apple silicon Mac:

• Shut down your Mac. Press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window. Click the “Options” icon, then click “Continue.”

From the macOS Utilities window, you can:

• Run Disk Utility: Select Disk Utility and run “First Aid” on your startup disk (usually named Macintosh HD). This can find and repair errors on your disk that may be preventing startup.
• Reinstall macOS: This option reinstalls the operating system without erasing your personal data. It’s a great way to fix corrupted system files.
• Restore from a Time Machine Backup: If you have a backup, you can restore your Mac to a previous state when it was working correctly.

3. Revive or Restore Firmware on an Apple Silicon Mac

For completely unresponsive Macs with Apple silicon, there is a last-resort option called Device Firmware Update (DFU) mode. This process requires a second, working Mac and a USB-C cable. It allows you to “revive” the firmware, which updates it without touching your data, or “restore” it, which erases everything and reinstalls macOS from scratch.

This is a complex procedure, and it’s best to follow Apple’s official documentation carefully. A “revive” is the first thing to try, as it’s non-destructive. A “restore” should only be attempted if you have a backup of your data or are prepared to lose it.

When to Seek Professional Help

If you have exhausted all of the troubleshooting steps in this guide and your Mac still won’t turn on, it’s time to admit defeat and seek professional help. The issue is likely a significant hardware failure, such as:

• A faulty logic board (motherboard)
• A failed power supply unit (in desktops)
• A damaged internal cable or connector
• A dead battery that is preventing the power circuit from completing

In these cases, your best course of action is to make an appointment at an Apple Store’s Genius Bar or visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider. They have the diagnostic tools and expertise to pinpoint the exact cause of the failure and recommend the best course of action for repair.

Don’t let a Mac that won’t turn on send you into a spiral of despair. By working through these troubleshooting steps logically, you have a strong chance of identifying and fixing the problem yourself. Start with the simplest solutions and work your way up—you might just be a loose cable away from getting back to work.