A Friendly Guide to Tackling a Black Screen on Your MacBook Pro
Encountering a black screen on your MacBook Pro? Discover troubleshooting strategies to restore your device.
Hey there! Dealing with a black screen on your MacBook Pro? Don't stress - we've got you covered! We've spent countless hours working on these super-cool, powerful devices, so we know a thing or two about troubleshooting. Let's get started!
Don't worry if your MacBook Pro is running low on juice or it's been gathering dust for a while. A black screen can sometimes pop up at the most inconvenient times, but there's usually a simple fix. Without further ado, let's dive right in!
A Few Things to Check:
- Power Check: Well, it might sound obvious, but make sure your laptop is powered on! Connected to the charger, if it's running on battery. Check the power indicator light to rule out a faulty power cable.
- Brightness Tweak: Sometimes, you may have accidentally dimmed the display or your cat might have pushed the brightness keys. Try increasing the brightness using the keys or the function bar to see if it works!
- Unplug Accessories: Peripheral devices like printers, external drives, mice, and keyboards can sometimes cause start-up issues. Disconnect everything except the charging cable and adapter to see if it's the culprit.
Let's restart this thing:
If everything seems in order, a good old-fashioned restart should do the trick. Press and the Power/Eject/Touch ID button (depending on your model) to restart your device, or hold the power button for 5 seconds, wait 15 seconds, and then power it on again. Fingers crossed!
Force the issue:
Still no luck? Honestly, a forced reset could be all it takes to fix your MacBook Pro!
On newer Apple-chipped MacBook Pro models, press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds.You should see the startup options window, which includes a gear icon labelled Options. Select Options and Continue. If the options window doesn't appeal, release the power button, and press and hold it again for another 10 seconds. If the startup options window doesn't appear, release the power button and try again.
On older Intel-chipped MacBook Pro, press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds, then press and release the power button and immediately press and hold until you see an Apple logo or other image. Keep in mind, a persistent black screen after about 20 seconds may require more drastic measures.
If this is successful, running Disk Utility to check for errors post-recovery is a good idea. If Disk Utility finds errors and repairs them, restart your MacBook again afterwards. If no errors are found, Apple recommends reinstalling macOS.
MacBook Pro Key Sequence:
This isn't an official Apple trick, but if a particular key sequence doesn't bring your MacBook back to life, it's worth a shot. Press the power button once, Press (the sleep hotkey), and then hold the power button to perform a hard shutdown. Wait 15 seconds and press the button to restart. Believe it or not, this works for some folks!
MacBook Pro Safe Mode:
Safe Mode allows you to start your MacBook Pro without loading other launch agents, which can prevent interference with apps and services that may prevent the screen from displaying correctly.
To boot into Safe Mode, power off and let your MacBook Pro sit for 20 seconds. Turn it on again and immediately hold down the key. Release the key when the login window appears, and you should see 'Safe Boot' in the upper right corner of the window. Sometimes you may be asked to log in twice, and your computer may take a longer than usual to start while it carries out diagnostics.
Resetting NVRAM/PRAM:
If that doesn't work, it's time to turn to more technical solutions. NVRAM (non-volatile random-access memory) and PRAM (Parameter RAM) store settings like volume control and display resolution. Sometimes they encounter issues and need resetting. To do that, power down then start your MacBook Pro. Immediately hold down at the same time while the machine boots, and keep holding them down until you hear the startup chime (around 2 seconds).
Remember, resetting these memory partitions may result in losing some of your settings, so double-check your system preferences afterwards to ensure everything is as it should be.
Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC):
The Mac's Systems Management Controller (SMC) controls things like temperature, keyboard, display, and fans. Resetting the SMC is another possible quick fix to resolve a black screen on MacBook Pro. Turn off your MacBook and unplug it for at least 15 seconds before plugging it in again. Then, with the power off, hold down all together. Release the keys when your MacBook starts booting up.
Reinstalling MacOS:
As a last resort, you may need to reinstall MacOS, which effectively reverts your MacBook to a new state. This should only be considered if you have backed up your files and folders to an external hard drive or the cloud, just in case.
If you're using an external monitor, check your connections, and try connecting the display while your MacBook Pro is turned off before switching it on. If the external monitor still isn't displaying anything, go to System Preferences > Displays, use the key to bring up the 'Detect Displays' button, and click on it to prompt your MacBook Pro to recognize the external monitor.
There you have it! These steps should help you resolve a black screen on your MacBook Pro. If you're still experiencing issues, it might be time to seek professional assistance. Best of luck, buddy!
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