How to Fix Macbook Not Powering On Error

There are many reasons that lead to the error of MacBook not turning on . In this article, TipsMake will guide you how to check and how to fix the error of MacBook not turning on quickly and in the most detailed way. 

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1. Check the battery and charger status of your MacBook 

Press the power button on your MacBook, if you don't hear any sound, or don't see any images or videos displayed on the screen, your MacBook won't turn on and you can check the cause in the following ways: 

1. Is the Macbook running out of battery, or if it is charging, check to see if the charger is charging, if the outlet is tight, or if it is still loose?
2. In case you have plugged the charger into the power outlet for a while but your Macbook does not receive a charge, it may be because the charger is broken. 
3. Disconnect all accessories and other devices. This may be due to one of your Laptop's peripherals causing problems with your computer's boot sequence.
4. If you have ever upgraded or replaced the hard drive, make sure that it is compatible with the MacBook you are using, otherwise it can also be one of the causes of the MacBook not turning on error.

In case, after performing all the above checks, the MacBook still does not turn on, you can follow the next steps.

2. Press and hold the power button

For regular MacBooks, you can press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds. If the laptop is on, you can hear a sound when the computer is turned off, then wait about 10 seconds, then press the power button again to restart the computer again.

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For MacBooks with M1 chips, if you press and hold the power button, you will see Loading startup options for MacBooks that are working properly. If pressing and holding the power button allows you to access the startup options, you can run through those options below to restart your MacBook. If you have completed these steps and your MacBook does not turn on , continue with the next steps.

3. Reset PRAM

Here's how to reset PRAM/NVRAM on your Intel-powered Mac:

1. Hold down all of the following keys: Command + Option (Alt) + P and R and turn on your Mac (these are the same keys to reset PRAM).
2. Continue holding the keys until you hear your Mac restart.
3. Listen for a second reboot, then release the keys.

4. Reset SMC

In some cases, you may need to reset your Mac's SMC (System Management Controller). This is mostly a last-ditch effort to fix your current version of macOS before attempting to recover your data and reinstalling the operating system. Here's what to do if you want to reset your SMC (Intel Macs):

On Macbook:

1. Turn off MacBook.
2. Unplug and then reconnect the power cable.
3. Press the Shift + Ctrl + Option / Alt keys and the power button at the same time.
4. Release all those keys and the power button at the same time.
5. You may see the light on the power cable flashing.
6. Restart your MacBook.

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5. Start MacBook in Safe Mode

Not only Windows operating system has Safe Mode, but MAC OS also has this mode integrated. If Macbook does not turn on, you can also start Safe Mode. 

1. To enter Safe Mode on an Intel-based MacBook: Start your Mac while holding down the Shift key. Safe boot may take a while to start (if it doesn't work).
2. To enter Safe Mode on a Macbook with an M1 chip: Press and continue holding the power button until you see the startup options appear on the screen. Select the startup disk. Now press and hold the Shift key, then click Continue in Safe Mode. Then release the Shift key. You should see the words Safe Mode in the menu at the top right of the screen.

And when you are in safe mode, the interface may be a little different, you can check and make some changes. For example: You can reinstall MAC OS or update other software.

6. Restore the drive

1. On Intel Macs, you'll need to make sure your Macbook is turned off. If it's unresponsive because it's stuck on a gray, blue, or white screen, simply hold down your Mac's power button for a few seconds until it shuts down and shuts down. (Here's what to do to fix a Blue Screen of Death on a Mac.) Hold down Command + R and then turn your Mac back on. Continue pressing Cmd + R while your Mac is booting up until you see the Apple logo.
2. On Macs with M1 chips, press and hold the Power button until your Mac starts up and eventually displays the startup options. Select Select Options > Continue to continue into Recovery.

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Now that you are in Recovery mode, follow the steps below:

1. When your Macbook boots into Recovery Mode, you will have access to Utilities. Click on the Disk Utility option. 
2. Locate the drive on your Macbook that might be Macintosh HD, select it.
3. Click First Aid.
4. If there are errors on your disk, Disk Utility will find them and will either fix them automatically or ask you if you want to repair them. Click Repair Disk if this happens.

7. Restore for Macbook using M1 chip

If you have an M1 Mac and you still can't restore it, the next option to try is to use a second Mac running Apple Configurator 2 to update the firmware.

You'll need a second Mac, a USB-to-USB cable, a web connection, and Apple's Configurator 2 software.

1. Connect two Macs using a USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to USB-A cable.
2. Open the Configurator 2 software on your working Mac.
3. Now on the Mac that is not working, press and hold the power button while pressing the following key combination: Shift Right, Left Option / Alt, Left Control. You will need someone to help you unless you have giant hands because you also need to press the Power button at the same time.
4. After about 10 seconds, release the keys, but continue to press the Power button. 

This process is a little different for those of you using an M1 Mac mini.

1. In this case, you need to unplug and wait for about 10 seconds.
2. Press and hold the power button.
3. Plug it back in, while still holding the power button. 
4. Release the power button.

How to use Configurator software to restore an M1 Mac.

1. The M1 Mac will appear in the Configurator software on other Macs. Select the M1 Mac you want to restore.
2. Click Actions > Advanced.
3. Select Revive Device.
4. This will restore the software on your device.

8. Check the file system again

1. Shut down your Mac and restart it while holding Cmd + S to launch into Single User Mode. Release the keys when you see a black screen with white text.
2. Wait until the command prompt appears, when all the text is finished, scroll through. Then type fsck -fy and press Return. And wait. It could be a long minute.
3. Finally, after five different checks that take a long time, you'll get one of two messages: "The volume [your Mac's name] appears to be OK" or ' FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED '
4. If you get the first message, type reboot and press Return.
5. If you see the following message, you need to run fsck -fy again. You can re-enter the command and press Return, or press the Up Arrow once and then press Return.

If this doesn't work and your Mac still won't boot, move on to the next step.

9. Use hard drive to copy files

You definitely need to do this step before reinstalling Mac OS below. When doing this, you need a second Macbook (or maybe a Mac one) and follow the instructions below:

1. Connect both Macs together using an Apple Thunderbolt cable. If you have an older MacBook, you can connect using a FireWire cable.
2. Turn off your Macbook.
3. Restart your computer and hold down the T button on your keyboard.
4. Continue holding the T button when you hear the startup chime and press this button until the Thunderbolt icon appears on your screen.

This will put your Mac into Cache Disk mode. In Target Disk mode, your Macbook acts like an external drive. You should see the hard drive for the failed Mac in the Finder on the second Mac.

You will be able to get the files you need from your faulty Macbook or clone the entire hard drive to another external drive.

10. Reinstall MAC OS

With this method, we leave it at the end, when you have done all the above methods but the MacBook does not turn on, then you have to use this method.

1. Boot into Recovery mode as above (hold down Command and R while booting, or press and hold the power button if you're using an M1 Mac).
2. Once in Recovery, click to install the latest operating system and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

The troubleshooting instructions in this article apply to most recent versions of macOS. The menus and interface may look slightly different depending on which operating system you're running, but the core functionality is the same.

If the above methods still do not fix the problem, please go to an authorized Apple warranty center or a reputable computer repair shop.

Above are some instructions on how to fix the error of Macbook not turning on,  hope it will help you, if you have any questions, please comment below for answers.

Kareem Winters

Update 16 January 2025