How to Reset NVRAM and the SMC on a Mac (Apple Silicon vs Intel)

You’re chasing an odd hardware glitch — wrong sound volume or display resolution at boot, the wrong startup disk, time-zone or fan/power weirdness — and a guide told you to “reset the NVRAM” or “reset the SMC.”

Why: NVRAM (called PRAM on very old Macs) stores quick-access settings like sound volume, display resolution, startup-disk choice and time zone. The SMC (System Management Controller) handles power, battery, fans and sleep. On Apple silicon Macs there’s no manual NVRAM or SMC reset — those functions are handled automatically, and simply restarting does the job. The manual combos below are for Intel Macs only.

Fix 1: Apple silicon (M-series) — just restart

If you have an Apple silicon Mac (Apple menu > About This Mac shows a Chip, e.g. “Apple M2”), you don’t reset NVRAM or the SMC. Restart the Mac:

1. Apple menu > Restart.
2. If it’s unresponsive, press and hold the power button until it turns off, then turn it back on.

That’s the equivalent of an NVRAM/SMC reset on Apple silicon.

Fix 2: Reset NVRAM (Intel Macs)

On an Intel Mac (About This Mac shows a Processor, e.g. “Intel Core i5”):

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Turn it on and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, R.
3. Keep holding for about 20 seconds, then release. The Mac may appear to restart during this time.

Afterward you may need to re-set things like sound volume, display resolution, startup disk and time zone in System Settings.

Fix 3: Reset the SMC (Intel Macs)

Try this only after NVRAM if power/battery/fan/sleep issues persist.

Intel notebooks (non-removable battery):

1. Shut down.
2. On the built-in keyboard, press and hold the left Control, left Option (Alt) and right Shift keys for 7 seconds.
3. Still holding them, also press and hold the power button for another 7 seconds.
4. Release all keys, wait a few seconds, then turn the Mac on.

Intel desktops (iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro):

1. Shut down and unplug the power cord.
2. Wait 15 seconds, plug it back in.
3. Wait 5 seconds, then press the power button to turn on the Mac.

FAQ

Which do I try first? NVRAM (Fix 2). It’s quick and covers most display/sound/startup-disk quirks. Reset the SMC (Fix 3) only for power, battery, fan or sleep problems.

Will this erase my data? No. Both resets only clear small settings caches, not your files. You may just need to reselect a few preferences afterward.

My Mac is Apple silicon and a combo doesn’t work. Apple silicon Macs ignore the old Intel key combos — there’s nothing to reset; restarting handles it (Fix 1).

Sources: Apple Support — Mac startup key combinations · Apple Support — Reset the SMC of your Mac