You press the power button. Nothing. Before calling anyone, there are several things to try that resolve the majority of Mac startup failures without professional intervention. Work through them in order.
Step 1: Power
Is the Mac charged? If a MacBook has been unplugged, it may simply have no battery. Plug it in, wait five minutes, try again. Try a different socket and cable.
Step 2: Force Restart
Hold the power button for ten seconds. The Mac forces off. Wait ten seconds. Press power once. Many startup problems are resolved by this alone.
Step 3: SMC Reset
Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4): Hold power button for thirty seconds. Release. Wait ten seconds. Press normally. Intel Macs: Shut down. Hold Shift + Control + Option + Power simultaneously for ten seconds. Release. Press power.
Step 4: Check the Screen
Is the Mac running but screen dark? Adjust brightness. Try connecting an external monitor. A dark screen with a running Mac is a screen problem, not a system problem.
Step 5: Safe Mode
Hold Shift while pressing power. If the Mac starts in Safe Mode, something loading at startup is causing the failure.
When to stop and call
If none of the above works: stop. Attempting further fixes without diagnostic tools risks making things worse. Call MacLagos. I come to you, run diagnostics, tell you exactly what is happening. Same day in Lagos.
What It Is Probably Not
Data loss. A Mac that will not start has not lost your files. The system cannot access them, but they are almost certainly still there. The startup problem and your data are separate issues.
Mac won't start and nothing above helped?
I diagnose Mac startup failures in Lagos regularly. I come to you with diagnostic tools and tell you within an hour what is wrong. Same day response guaranteed.
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