Mac is undoubtedly one of the best operating systems in the market right now. It comes with an eye-catching minimalistic design and packs a lot of performance as well as ample security features. However, like every other technical device, your Mac can also face some issues. Having your Mac stuck on the Apple logo with a black screen can instantly throw you or any other person into instant panic mode. But don’t worry—we have a solution. In this article, we will show you a few easy ways to recover a Mac stuck on the Apple logo. Without a moment of hesitation, let’s dig in.
Why Isn’t Mac Booting Past the Apple Logo?
It’s normal to panic when your Mac isn’t working. After all, what can you do when your Mac is stuck on a black screen with the Apple logo? Though you may think the answer is “nothing”, we’ll prove otherwise. But before we get into the solutions, you must understand common reasons a Mac computer can get stuck on the Apple logo.
Using Third-party Peripherals
Utilizing third-party or faulty peripherals is one of the biggest reasons for the black screen of death. If you see your Mac stuck on a black screen with an Apple logo, you should disconnect every peripheral connected to your Mac except for the power plug and the internet dongles (unless you have Wi-Fi and a laptop).
Low Memory or Storage
If your Mac is stuck on the Apple logo without further progress, it may be time for you to do some cleanup. Running low on memory or storage might cause a Mac black screen of death, so either try the solutions below or add another storage drive.
Post-update Issues
If the Mac black screen problem occurs after a major macOS update, the root of the problem might be the update itself. The new update may contain bugs that are causing boot difficulty. On the other hand, this can also happen if the update comes with a new set of drivers incompatible with your device.
Power Button Problems
Typically, you shut down your Mac by going through the shutdown option available in the Apple menu. That’s the right thing to do. Unfortunately, some people don’t go through this process and choose to close their Mac by pressing the power button. But that’s not intended behavior—the power button is meant to Force Restart your Mac in emergency cases. Doing this to shut down your Mac too often may cause multiple booting concerns.
Guide to Recover a Mac Stuck on Apple Logo
At this point, you have a rough idea of the most common causes for Mac computers suffering from the black screen error. Thus, in this section, we will share a handful of procedures to recover a Mac that won’t go past the Apple logo.
Give Your Mac a Few Seconds
Sometimes, your Mac might take a few more seconds than usual to boot. Other times, this could take an hour. For example, if your Mac is in the process of installing a major update, it might take up to an hour to finish the installation process and restart again. Though normal behavior, it’s not worth hanging around and waiting. This is exactly why we recommend you install your updates during the time you are not using your computer. In these cases, your Mac isn’t stuck but needs some time to restart, meaning you doing nothing is an option.
Try Force Restart
If you have tried the method mentioned above, but your Mac is still not booting, it’s probably time to try Force Restart on your Mac. Just press the power button and hold it for 10 seconds. Once your Mac shuts down completely, wait a few moments and hit the power button again. If there are no other serious complications, you should be able to recover the Mac that was previously stuck on the Apple logo.
Recover a Mac Stuck on Apple Logo by Resetting PRAM/NVRAM
PRAM and NVRAM are system memories that work on the display resolution, sound, time zone, and more. If there is anything wrong with these system memories, your Mac might be unable to go past the Apple logo. To fix the problem, you need to reset the NVRAM/PRAM settings. Here’s how you can do it:
- Press the “Power button” of your Mac and hold it for 10 seconds to shut your Mac down.
- Wait a few seconds after your Apple computer shuts down. After that, press and hold the “Command + Option + P + R” keys. Keep holding them and once you hear the startup sound, release them.
- Now, try rebooting your Mac again. If your issue was related to PRAM/NVRAM settings, your Mac should have no issues booting up.
Try Resetting the SMC for Mac
Had no luck even after resetting the PRAM/NVRAM settings? Well, it’s time to check if your Mac has any issues with System Management Controller (SMC), which works with sensitive operations such as power, battery, and fans. Follow these instructions to reset the SMC for every Mac that has been released in 2009 or later:
- Press and hold the power button to shut down your Mac.
- Once your Mac turns off, press and hold the “Command + Shift + Control” keys for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds are up, release them.
- Give it a few seconds before pressing the “Power” button to start your Mac.
Follow these steps to Reset SMC for every Mac released before 2009 (Macs released before 2009 have a removable battery):
- Turn your Mac off and remove the battery from it.
- Now, press and hold the “Power” button of your Mac for 5 seconds in the battery-less state. Release the “Power” button after 5 seconds and reconnect the battery.
- Turn your Mac on by pressing the “Power” button.
Once you use these methods, your SMC will be reset to its default settings. If the black screen issue is related, resetting it should fix the problem.
Recover the Mac Stuck on Apple Logo by Booting in Safe Mode
If you suspect that the black screen error is occurring because of insufficient storage space or any problematic system files, rebooting your Mac in Safe Mode should fix the issue. Here’s how you can boot into Safe Mode:
- Press and hold the “Power” button to turn the Mac machine off.
- Now, wait for a few moments, and press and hold the “Power” button and the “Shift” key at the same time.
- After you see the login screen appear, release the “Shift” key.
With this, your Mac will now boot into Safe Mode. Now, use the tools available on your Mac to find problematic system files to fix or purge them. If you have a storage issue, either clean up unnecessary files or move them to an external storage media.
Restore Your Mac by Running Apple Diagnostic
No results despite trying every option we suggested? Don’t lose hope yet. At this point in your troubleshooting journey, you can run the Apple Diagnostic tool to check your hardware status. This tool scans your hardware and finds (nearly) every single hardware-related problem. Here’s how you can run Apple Diagnostic:
- Except for the power supply, remove every single peripheral and cord connected to your Mac.
- Now, press the “Power” button and hold it for 10 seconds to shut down your Mac.
- Press the “Power” button again to turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold the “D” key after that until you see the “Choose Your Language” screen. After that, the screen will show you a progress bar with “Checking your Mac” text.
- Once the checking process is complete, the tool will reveal a list of hardware issues with respective “Error” codes.
- Now, take a photo and investigate the issues on the screen. If the issue is simple, attempt to fix it yourself. In contrast, if things seem difficult, you should take your Mac to a technician at the nearest Apple Store. This is the perfect time to use your warranty or your AppleCare plan.
