If your Mac won't start up or turn on, follow these 10 steps to get it working again - essential tips to help recover your Mac. The 10 steps you need to take to get a Mac that won't start up working again.


My Mac won't start up! What fixes can I try?


A Mac that won't start up is an infuriating problem. If Mac OS X (or macOS Sierra) simply doesn't start, then you feel at a complete loss: what can you do to fix the problem? In this feature we take a look at some good advice for what to do when you have a non-starting Mac.


While Macs are well built and for the most part reliable, they are computers nonetheless; and, like all computers, they are susceptible to a number of errors that stop them from booting up correctly.


The worst part about a non-starting Mac is not knowing what's caused the problem: there are lots of things that can go wrong and cause a Mac to refuse to start. Fortunately, there are simple fixes you can try that will help to diagnose and remedy the problem. In this feature we're going to look at 10 steps to follow if your Mac won't start.


Note that regardless of the versions shown in the screenshots, the fixes in this article apply to most recent versions of Mac OS X or macOS Sierra, including Mac OS X El Capitan and macOS Sierra. The menus and interfaces you'll see may look slightly different but the functions should be essentially the same.


Read more: 5 steps (and 9 checks) to help fix a frozen Mac


How to fix a Mac that won't start up: Step 1 - Check your Mac turns on


First, let's check that the problem is that your Mac won't start up, and not that it won't turn on - those might sound like the same thing, but there's actually a big difference.


Press the Power button on your Mac. If you don't hear a start-up chime, you don't hear any fan or drive noise, and there are no images, video or visuals of any sort on your display, then your Mac isn't turning on at all. You're not even getting to the point where it refuses to start up.


A Mac that doesn't turn on calls for a different approach to one that doesn't start up. If your computer doesn't turn on then take a look at this My Computer Won't Turn On support document from Apple. Apple suggests that you:

  1. Check the connection to the power.
  2. Try a different power cord or adaptor (if you have one).
  3. Disconnect all accessories (such as printers and USB hubs).
  4. If you recently installed new memory or a new hard drive, make sure they are correctly installed and compatible (if possible re-install the old memory or hard drive).

If none of these steps resolve the problem, then you should attempt to reset the SMC (see Step 7).


How to fix a Mac that won't start up: Step 2 - No video signal (or it's distorted)


If your Mac does turn on, but doesn't boot up because you can't access the display, then you are most likely having trouble with the display hardware (rather than a broader start-up issue).


If you do see a display, but can't load OS X or log into your Mac, then you should move on to the next step. But if you think it's a problem with your monitor, then take a look at this Apple Support document for advice on troubleshooting a non-working display. Apple advises that you:

  • Check the power supply to the Mac (and the power to the display if using a separate unit).
  • Confirm that all cables are connected securely.
  • Check that the monitor is compatible with your Mac.
  • Remove all display extenders, switches and any other devices between the Mac and monitor.
  • Unplug the video cable (if using a separate monitor) and plug it back in.
  • If using more than one monitor in a "daisy chain", unplug all monitors and test using just one.
  • If possible try to use a different display, or a different adaptor (use DVI instead of VGA, for example).


Apple then advises users to try resetting the PRAM or starting up in Safe Mode and adjusting the resolution in System Preferences.


How to fix a Mac that won't start up: Step 3 - Run Disk Utility in Recovery Mode


If your Mac turns on, and the display works, but it won't boot, there could be many issues at play. But the one we like to rule out right away - or repair, if possible - is any problem afflicting the hard drive. The easiest first step on that front is to run Disk Utility by booting into OS X (macOS) Recovery Mode.


Make sure the Mac is off. (If it's not responsive because it's stuck on a grey, blue or white screen, just hold down the Mac's power button for several seconds until it gives up and shuts off.) Hold down the Command and R keys, and power the Mac back up again.


Eventually, you'll end up on a screen headlined OS X Utilities. (Once you see that screen, you can release the keys you were holding down.) Click on Disk Utility. Then click on your Mac's built-in hard drive in the left column of Disk Utility. (Usually, you'll see two listings for your built-in drive: the first includes the drive's size, like 500GB, in its name; and nested underneath it is your drive's friendlier name. You want that second one.) On the lower right of the Disk Utility window, click Verify Disk, and then wait while Disk Utility does its thing.


How to fix a Mac that won't start up: Step 4 - Safe Boot the Mac


Safe Boot limits what checks and functionality your Mac focuses on during startup, and performs certain diagnostics. It's rare, but sometimes you can get your unhappy Mac to start up successfully with a Safe Boot, and then restart it normally, and everything returns to hunky-doriness.


Shut the Mac down, and start it up while holding down Shift. Safe Boot can take a while (if it does work at all). To get some feedback about what's happening, you might choose to start up while holding down Shift, Command and V: that enters both Safe Boot and something called Verbose Mode, which spits out some messages about what Safe Boot is actually trying to do as it goes.


Be patient during your Safe Boot. If the Mac does start up, restart it from the Apple menu once the desktop finishes loading completely. If the Mac starts up normally, go on with your day. Otherwise, keep working through this list.


How to fix a Mac that won't start up: Step 5 - File system consistency check


This step is actually kind of fun - at least when it's not your Mac that's under the weather. It's fun because it feels so geeky.


Shut the Mac off, and start it up again while holding Command and S. You're launching Single User Mode. You can release the keys when the intimidating black screen with messages in white text appears.


Wait until the command-line prompt appears, when all the text is done scrolling past. Then type fsck -fy and hit Return. And wait. Possibly for several long minutes.


Eventually, after five different checks that take varying amounts of time, you should get to one of two messages: "The volume [your Mac's name] appears to be OK" or "FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED." If you encounter the first message, type reboot and press Return. If you see the latter message, though, you'll want to run fsck -fy all over again. You can retype the command and hit Return, or press the Up arrow once and then press Return.


Ideally, you'd eventually get to the "…appears to be OK" message, type reboot, and find that your Mac now starts up perfectly.


If this doesn't work, and your Mac still doesn't start up, then move on to the next step.


How to fix a Mac that won't start up: Step 6 - Reset the NVRAM


In the PowerPC days, we talked about resetting the PRAM. On modern Macs, the real term is resetting the NVRAM. The name refers to special memory sections on your Mac that store data that persists even when the Mac is shut off, like volume settings, screen resolution, and similar options.


Resetting that data isn't harmful, but quite frankly it's also rarely genuinely useful. But man, at this point, it can't hurt.


You might need to grow an extra finger or two for this one, or have a friend help you out. Hold down all of these keys: Command, Option, P and R, and turn on the Mac. Keeping holding the keys down until you hear the Mac restart again. Apple says to let it restart just the one time; I usually listen for a second reboot, and then release the keys.


In some cases, after performing this step, your Mac will restart normally. In other cases, you might instead see a progress bar on startup. If the progress bar fills up and then the Mac starts up, you're probably good to go. In some cases we've seen, however, the Mac shuts down at around the halfway point in the progress bar.


How to fix a Mac that won't start up: Step 7 - Reset the SMC


In some situations, you may need to reset your computer's System Management Controller (SMC). This is largely a last-ditch attempt to fix the current version of Mac OS X or macOS Sierra before attempting to recover the data and moving on to re-installing OS X or macOS Sierra. Apple has a detailed article online that guides you through the SMC reset process.


Read more: Resetting the System Management Controller


How to fix a Mac that won't start up: Step 8 - Target disk mode


This step should be taken prior to Step 9 and it depends on your backup situation. You do make regular backups, right? If you're not sweating at the moment, confident in your Time Machine or other backup solution then go ahead to Step 9. But if you wish you'd backed up your Mac then now is the time to see what you can salvage from the machine.


For this, you'll need a second Mac. If you haven't got one then ask a friend. Follow these steps to use Target Disk Mode:


1. Connect both Macs together using an Apple Thunderbolt cable (it also works with FireWire cables on older Macs).

2. Swift off your Mac (hold down the power button if necessary).

3. Start up your Mac while holding down the T button on the keyboard.

4. Keep holding the T button down as you hear the startup chime and keep it pressed until the Thunderbolt icon appears on your screen.

This places your Mac in Target disk mode. In Target Disk mode your Mac acts like an external drive. You should now, hopefully, see the hard drive for your Mac on your second Mac's Finder. You can grab the files you need from your hard drive, or even clone the entire hard drive to another external drive.


How to fix a Mac that won't start up: Step 9 - Reinstall Mac OS X or macOS Sierra


Remember OS X / macOS Sierra Recovery from Step 3? You can use it to reinstall Mac OS X or macOS Sierra too. Boot into Recovery mode, and then click to install the latest OS and follow the on-screen prompts. See: Use Recovery mode to restore your Apple Mac computer.


How to fix a Mac that won't start up: Step 10 - Make a Genius Bar appointment


If you've made it this far and your Mac still doesn't work, you'll need to take it in to an Apple Genius Bar to see if they can help you fix it (or arrange for a repair under warranty). Hopefully you have got enough data from your Mac so as to be able to back up, or continue working on a new Mac.