Mac Won't Turn On or Shows a Black Screen? Power-Cycle and Recovery Steps

You press the power button and nothing happens — no chime, no Apple logo, a black or blank screen — or the screen stays dark even though the Mac seems to be running.

Why: This is almost always one of three things: no power reaching the Mac, an external accessory or display interfering with startup, or a stuck startup that needs a forced restart. Apple’s official troubleshooting walks through these in order before any hardware service.

Fix 1: Check power, then force a restart

1. Make sure the power cable is undamaged and plugged securely into both your Mac and a working outlet. On a laptop, leave it charging for a few minutes — a fully drained battery shows nothing at first.
2. Press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds, then release it and press the power button normally to turn the Mac on. On laptops with Touch ID, the power button is the Touch ID button.
3. If the screen is black but the Mac sounds like it’s running, the display brightness or an external monitor may be the issue — press the brightness-up key a few times, and check that any external display is powered on and connected.

Fix 2: Unplug all accessories

A faulty peripheral can stop a Mac from starting.

1. Disconnect everything except the keyboard, mouse and power: printers, external drives, USB hubs, mobile devices and adapters.
2. Press and hold the power button 10 seconds, release, then press it again to start up.
3. If it now starts, reconnect accessories one at a time to find the culprit.

Fix 3: Repair the startup disk in macOS Recovery

If the Mac powers on but starts up to a blank screen (no Apple logo or login), start from macOS Recovery and repair the disk.

• Apple silicon (M-series): Shut down, then press and hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears, click Options, then Continue.
• Intel: Turn on the Mac and immediately press and hold Command (⌘)-R until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.

In Recovery, open Disk Utility, select your startup disk, and click First Aid to repair it. Restart. If the screen is still blank, return to Recovery and choose Reinstall macOS (this doesn’t erase your data).

FAQ

Do I need to reset the SMC? Only on older Intel Macs — and only if power steps don’t help. Apple silicon Macs have no SMC reset; just restart. See reset NVRAM and the SMC.

The screen shows a flashing question mark or a circle with a line. That means the Mac is powered on but can’t find a startup disk or system — start from Recovery (Fix 3) and run Disk Utility, or reinstall macOS.

Still nothing after all of this? If your Mac still won’t turn on, it may need service — contact Apple Support or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

Sources: Apple Support — If your Mac doesn’t turn on · Apple Support — If your Mac starts up to a blank screen