Macbook, iMac or Mac Mini frozen? How to force reboot. How to restart a MacBook: methods and recommendations

If your MacBook freezes, don’t be scared or panic. Almost every owner of an Apple laptop experiences a similar situation at least once in their life. It manifests itself in the fact that the software does not respond, and instead of a cursor, a spinning wheel is displayed. In this case, the laptop does not respond to key presses.

All these troubles are corrected by rebooting. How to perform this operation without harming files and the operating system - read this instruction.

1 The procedure is implemented using an analogue of the “Start” element. It pops up when you click on the Apple symbol in the top left. If you don’t find one, most likely the full screen mode is active. Place the courses at the very top of the display - a menu bar will appear. At the top left you will see the Apple company's logo. As soon as the cursor is removed from the menu line, the line itself will be removed - only the window will be saved. 2 If you find this method unsuitable for yourself, exit full screen mode. Place the cursor at the top of the display and click on the 2nd arrow at the top. The open window will curl up and become smaller. A line with Apple symbols will again appear at the top. 3 Next, place the cursor on the Apple company icon and click on the left mouse element. If you use a touchpad, a single click anywhere will be enough. A menu will pop up with sections for sleep mode, reboot and other elements. Of course, select reboot and click on the left mouse element. The device will reboot. Keep in mind that not all files will be lost - the corresponding window will notify you about this. 4 Do not rush to reboot if any software is frozen. Wait a while for the cursor to turn into a spinning ball. This usually happens within 2-3 minutes. If the software still does not respond in any way, use the Finder’s force termination option (it is also activated in the menu at the top). A window will appear where you can select the “frozen” software and close it with the appropriate element. 5 It happens that the device itself freezes. At the same time, he does not react in any way to any actions of his “master”. The cursor does not move, keyboard shortcuts do not help. Here, the only way out of the situation is to perform the operation forcibly. To do this, you need to click on the MacBook's power button and hold it for several seconds until the display goes dark. After this, you can turn on the device again.

As you can see, rebooting a MacBook if it freezes is quite simple. You can restart your MacBook in the usual way or force it. The operation is performed forcibly if the keyboard keys of a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or any other device model do not respond to touch. In any case, a forced system restart is performed only in extreme cases.

If your MacBook is not functioning well: other reasons

When developing laptops, Apple undoubtedly tried to create a device that was comfortable to use. The company was concerned not only with broad functionality, but also with consumer convenience. When purchasing a new Mac Air (or any other line), you can rest assured that it will serve you for at least 3 years without any problems. But even if the load on the system is high and something goes wrong in the operation of the gadget, the problem can always be corrected.

If your MacBook freezes when running several types of software at the same time, there is probably a lack of RAM. Whether this is true or not is easily determined through the “System Monitoring” application (look for it in the memory item). The latter displays a message about the RAM used. And if there is almost no empty space, the trouble lies precisely in this.

To free up space for other software, close all unnecessary applications. This applies to browsers, instant messengers and the like. Restart the software you are using. The largest amount of RAM is stolen by browsers, as well as software for video and graphics. But if the device “slows down” precisely due to a lack of RAM, it is better to install larger RAM elements.

The performance of the MacBook may also be reduced due to problems with the hard drive or its slow functions. If the laptop freezes when opening files on a specific location on the hard drive or when copying, you need to check the status of the drive in the disk element (built-in). Here you can also perform disk recovery if the cause is a software problem.

The functioning of the device is successfully accelerated by clearing free space on the drive. Statistics show that even when it is 50% full, problems begin. The device begins to slowly freeze.

If the hard drive fails, it is better to replace it as quickly as possible. The best performance will be ensured when installing a solid-state drive as main or backup storage. This will not only remove any lag, but will also improve overall productivity.

If the MacBook is “buggy” after updating the operating system or the system performance has noticeably decreased after this operation, the source of the trouble may lie in Spotlight indexing. Because the disk search process is time-consuming, Spotlight indexes files to quickly identify them. But the indexing operation, as noted earlier, is very lengthy. And it will inevitably lead to decreased productivity. During the operation, a window with information about the current stage will pop up.

The loss of performance during indexing is most typical for hard drives, and the period of operation depends 100% on the amount of free space. When using an SSD, Spotlight indexing does not impact performance.

If it is not possible to wait for the operation to complete or you need to work on your laptop right now, you can disable Spotlight for a while and then resume its operation. To do this, you need to enter the characters “sudo mdutil -a -i off” in the terminal. Enabling is done with the symbols “sudo mdutil -a -i on”.

The presence of a huge number of files on the desktop can also cause a loss of performance. Since the MacBook operating system loads previews for all desktop elements from the very beginning and stores this information in memory, to prevent freezes, it is necessary to clear the desktop of “garbage” - unused documentation, pictures, and the like.

The most common cause of freezes is the accumulation of dust and small debris in the cooling system. If the laptop operates slowly and overheats greatly under normal loads, and it has not been cleaned for a long time, the problem definitely lies there. Accordingly, it will be easy to resolve - you only need to thoroughly clean the device from dust.

If the problem is still not resolved, go to a repair shop for diagnostics. Since the reason for the decrease in performance may be hardware problems, this can lead to even more dramatic problems. Few people can fix such breakdowns on their own; this requires the help of a specialist, because you will have to hide the MacBook case.

And if you know that nothing serious happened to your MacBook, and it just decided to freeze due to lack of free disk space, just try restarting it. Most likely, the problem will be resolved.

If your Mac freezes during operation and is unresponsive, a force restart should help. To do this, press and hold the power button until the Mac screen goes dark, and then turn on the computer as usual.

Attention! With this shutdown, unsaved data in applications will most likely be lost.

2. Removing removable media

Eject (⏏) or F12

When a Mac with an optical drive and a disk inside crashes, the system may fail to boot from it and may freeze. To eject media, press the ⏏ (Eject) or F12 button on your keyboard, or press and hold the mouse or trackpad button.

3. Selecting a boot disk

If your Mac has multiple drives installed and you can't boot the system from the default drive, you can call up the boot drive selection dialog and manually select the desired media. To do this, press and hold the ⌥ (Option) key immediately after turning on the computer.

4. Boot from CD or DVD

Similarly, you can tell your Mac to boot from a disc from its built-in or external optical drive. In this case, press and hold the C key on your keyboard.

5. Download from server

⌥N (Option + N)

When the local one has a NetBoot server on which the bootable system image is located, you can try to start the Mac using it. To do this, press and hold the key combination ⌥N (Option + N).

This boot method does not work on computers with an Apple T2 processor.

6. Run in external disk mode

If you don’t want to start your Mac, you can switch it to external drive mode and copy important files by connecting it to another computer via a FireWire, Thunderbolt or USB-C cable. To start in this mode, press and hold the T key while turning on.

7. Run in detailed logging mode

⌘V (Command + V)

By default, macOS does not display a detailed startup log, showing only a loading bar. If problems arise, you can enable a detailed log, which will help you understand at what stage of the download the error occurs. To do this, when turning on, press the combination ⌘V (Command + V).

8. Start in Safe Mode

When your Mac won't boot normally, you might want to try starting Safe Mode. It checks the disk and turns on only the basic components of the system, which allows you to determine which specific programs or services are causing errors. To boot into Safe Mode, press and hold the ⇧ (Shift) key.

9. Single-player mode

⌘S (Command + S)

This mode launches the system in an even more stripped-down version - only the command line is available in it. Nevertheless, with its help, specialists will be able to diagnose and correct errors if they exist. To launch in single-user mode, press the key combination ⌘S (Command + S).

10. Run diagnostics

macOS has built-in hardware diagnostic software that can help identify hardware problems. To run diagnostics, press and hold the D key.

11. Running network diagnostics

⌥D (Option + D)

If the boot disk is damaged, you will not be able to run the diagnostic test. In such cases, network diagnostics will help, allowing you to run the test via the Internet. To do this, press the combination ⌥D (Option + D)

12. Recovery mode

⌘R (Command + R)

When you boot into recovery mode, you can access Disk Utility, reinstall macOS, and restore data from a backup. To enter recovery mode, press and hold ⌘R (Command + R).

If your Mac has a firmware password, you will be prompted to enter it.

13. Network recovery mode

⌥⌘R (Option + Command + R)

A mode similar to the previous one, which, if the Internet is available, allows you to reinstall macOS by downloading the system distribution directly from Apple servers. To use it, press ⌥⌘R (Option + Command + R).

14. Reset NVRAM or PRAM

⌥⌘PR (Option + Command + P + R)

If you're having problems with your display, speakers, cooling fans, or other Mac components, you can try resetting your NVRAM or PRAM to resolve them. To do this, at startup, press and hold the ⌥⌘PR keys (Option + Command + P + R).

If your Mac has a firmware password set, this method will not work.

15. Reset SMC

A more radical reset method is to return the system management controller (SMC) to default settings. It is used if the previous method did not help. Depending on your Mac model, resetting the SMC works differently.

On desktop computers You need to turn off your Mac, unplug the power cable and wait 15 seconds. Then reconnect the cable, wait five seconds and press the power button to turn on.

On laptops with a removable battery You need to turn off your Mac, remove the battery, and then press and hold the power button for five seconds. After this, you need to install the battery and press the button to turn it on.

On laptops with a non-removable battery You need to turn off the Mac and simultaneously press and hold the Shift + Command + Option buttons for ten seconds with the power button. After this, release all keys and press the power button to turn on.

On a MacBook Pro with Touch ID, the sensor button is also the power button.

Sometimes even users of such reliable technology as Apple have a question: the MacBook is frozen, what should I do? First of all, you need to figure out what led to this incident. Since the PC owner himself is often to blame for this. But it is also possible that the equipment itself may break down, or there may be problems with the hardware.

Reasons for freezing

All possible causes of hanging can be divided into three main categories:

• program crash;
• OS crash;

Program crash

Apple technology is quite conservative. Despite this, some companies, as well as just private programmers, develop software for MacBooks. Such crafts often cause equipment to freeze.

You can cope with this trouble in various ways:

• check all installed programs for malware;
• use special quarantine;
• use Gatekeeper.

The best way to deal with a problem is to prevent it from occurring. That is why the equipment from the manufacturer in question has a function to check programs for the presence of malware.

If there is even the slightest probability of something like this being present on the PC, a corresponding message will immediately be displayed on the computer screen. This feature also allows you to quarantine the application.

The Gatekeeper feature, which is implemented in OSX Lion 10.75, makes it possible for their developers to attach special signatures to programs. Installing software that does not have a special digital signature is simply impossible. Gatekeeper is blocking it. Using this function makes it possible to prevent possible freezes.

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OS crash

Often, various types of problems arise due to a failure of the MacBook operating system. Moreover, this is only possible if certain actions are taken by the attackers.

This failure occurs as a result of a deliberate DoS attack - a denial of service occurs. To do this, the attacker needs to send just one network packet to his victim. This is possible in Apple OS X and iOS.

This problem is due to insufficient buffer size in the operating system itself. It simply cannot accommodate a package of a certain size. The result of this phenomenon is an emergency termination of the OS, or simply freezing. To start working again, simply restart your PC.

You can prevent this problem from occurring in the following ways:

• enable firewall;
• install an antivirus and scan your MacBook with it.

Hardware failure

MacBookPros released at the very beginning of 2011 and equipped with an Intel processor with integrated graphics, as well as a discrete accelerator from AMD, sometimes fall victim to hardware failures.

They occur in the following cases:

The reason for this phenomenon is the degradation of the graphics core under the influence of high temperatures. This problem can only be resolved by performing an expensive board replacement process, which is not always economically justified.

Turn off the MacBook if it freezes

If your MacBook freezes, you just need to turn it off and then turn it on.

This can be done in various ways:

• emergency shutdown;

Emergency shutdown

Sometimes, as a result of a freeze, an Apple computer simply stops responding to commands from the keyboard, and also does not respond to the Power button.

You can resolve this situation using a special key combination: Control+Option+Power. After clicking these buttons, the MacBook should turn off. You can also use Eject instead of the Power key.

If the computer does not respond to this key combination and continues to hang, then you should contact an authorized service center. Under no circumstances should you try to disconnect the battery yourself, as this process involves completely removing the cover from the back of the PC.

There is also a very high probability of accidentally damaging the special connector that is used to connect the battery.

Sleep/Reboot/Shutdown

To go into sleep mode on a MacBook, you can use a special key combination: Option+Command+Power/Eject. After pressing these buttons simultaneously, the PC will go to sleep. You can also simply close the laptop lid - the result will be completely the same.

You can also switch to sleep mode in various other ways:

• in the Apple menu, select the item called “Sleep Mode”;
• if the laptop you are using has a disk drive, then press the following combination: Command+Option+disk eject key;
• you can press the Power key.

The restart process allows you to resolve a problem such as a freezing personal computer.

You can reboot in various ways:

• using the Power button - when frozen, you should hold it for a long time, after turning off the power, you need to press Power again;
• If the mouse cursor is active and you can use it to perform various tasks, then you can use the usual restart method - by clicking on the Apple button and selecting restart.

The shutdown process is not complicated.

You can run it even if the PC is frozen:

• hold down the Power button for a long time;
• If the mouse cursor is active, click on the Apple button and select the option to turn off.

Under no circumstances should you wait until your MacBook runs out of battery and turns off on its own. Since this negatively affects the condition of the battery.

A full discharge can even cause it to fail. Since the cost of this computer component is quite high, it is not worth the risk.

The device does not turn on

If for some reason the MacBook does not turn on, then you must first find out the cause of this event. And only then take any measures to resolve this situation.

If launchPC did not happen, then:

• for some reason, the shutdown was performed incorrectly, so the system cannot start - just use the automated recovery system;
• The power circuit on the motherboard is damaged.

The most serious problem is damage to the power circuit. In this case, it is not possible to repair the computer yourself. That is why the best way out of the situation is to contact a service center.

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Forced termination of programs

Most often, the reason a personal computer freezes lies in running applications. To solve this problem, you can simply perform a force shutdown.

You can do it in two ways:

• press the key combination Command+Q;
• use the “Force Quit” command located in the Apple menu:

1. click on the “Force Quit” option;
2. select the appropriate application in the window that opens;
3. click on “finish”.

After finishing the application on a MacBook, it is best to restart it using standard means - also through the menu that opens in the upper left corner of the screen.

If you cannot disable the application, you must perform an emergency reboot or shutdown the PC.

Most often, a problem such as freezing can be resolved “peacefully”. But if completing programs, rebooting, and other similar measures do not lead to a positive result, you should definitely contact a specialized service center.

Apple products are some of the best in the world, but even with this factor, MacBooks, like any other technology, are subject to minor malfunctions. Therefore, every user of Apple products should know how to reboot a MacBook. System failure can occur as a result of complex programs or due to long-term operation of equipment. Of course, MacBooks are less susceptible to such problems, but they still have their own errors, so every user should be prepared for them and know how to fix them.

Rebooting MacBook Using Keyboard

The first method is to reboot using the keyboard. This type of startup is the simplest and fastest, but has its drawbacks, since a so-called hard reboot is performed. Such a process is not always desirable due to its aggressiveness.

How to restart a MacBook from the keyboard? To perform this action, you need to hold down the power key for at least five seconds, otherwise the system will simply go into sleep mode, after which the device will turn off. As soon as the MacBook turns off, you will need to turn on the equipment or start recovery mode.

Restart MacBook using keys

For those users who were wondering how to restart a MacBook using keys, there is the following method, which is also very simple to perform. But it is only suitable for MacBooks equipped with the Touch Bar.

In order to reboot the device, you need to use the Touch ID key. To do this, you need to press and hold this key until the equipment restarts. But there is one nuance in the presented method: to turn on the computer again, you need to close and open the lid of the device.

Keyboard shortcuts to reboot the device

The best way to reboot the device is a special key combination. It allows you to safely and quickly restart the device, and the combinations themselves are not complicated, and remembering them will not be difficult. You can restart your MacBook using key combinations in one of the following ways:

1. You need to press the Control key and the power button at the same time, and then in the window that appears you will be presented with three actions to choose from: shutdown, reboot, sleep mode. Select the required action using the cursor.
2. To immediately reboot the device, you need to hold down the following key combination Control-Command-Power (Power or Eject - the top right button on the keyboard). The method is convenient in that the system will not prompt the user for an action, but will immediately reboot.
3. The Command-Option-Control-Power key combination will allow you to turn off the device, then use the power button to start the MacBook back. With this method, all programs that were open will automatically close, and when working with text documents, files will be automatically saved. The device will be disconnected without a prompt window.
4. To reboot the device, as well as find out the cause of the problem, you need to use the Command + V combination, after which the device will conduct diagnostics and indicate the problem that has arisen in the system.
5. Command-S - serves to restart in single-user mode. The team will handle the troubleshooting themselves.
6. There are often cases in which the reason the MacBook freezes is a running program, and if the user encounters it, then there is no need to rush to restart the MacBook. You can close the problematic program using the keyboard shortcut Command+Q.
7. If problems arise with audio or video (this situation is considered last because it is quite rare) or incorrect operation of coolers (if the user hears the active operation of the cooling system with minimal equipment load), it is necessary to reset the PRAM settings. To do this, you need to start the MacBook with the Option+Command+P+R keys pressed, and the device will launch the latest hardware settings saved in the database.

Reboot your device into recovery mode

This question does not arise often, and yet: how to restart a MacBook in recovery mode? If the device freezes during an update or in other cases, you can use the NetBoot network image to restore the system. To do this, you need to hold down the N key when turning on the device. The method allows you to access the boot image of the Mac OS, which is located on the server; it will not work if you disconnect the IMac from the Internet.

The next method also requires an Internet connection. When rebooting the system in recovery mode, you need to start the MacBook with the Command + R key combination pressed. This will allow you to start working with the disk (diagnostics and formatting) or reinstall the system.

If your MacBook freezes during an update or the operating system is faulty, you need to identify and fix the problem. To do this, you need to use This will load only the necessary system functions. To use Safe Boot Mode, you need to restart your iMac and while booting up, hold down Shift until the boot indicator appears. If your MacBook has multiple operating systems installed, you can select a boot disk. To perform this operation, you must hold down the Option key when starting the device.

Every time a user wonders how to reboot a MacBook, it is necessary to understand that rebooting is not turning the device on and off, it is a complex process in which the equipment must save data and perform a safe shutdown. Therefore, it is not recommended to perform a hard shutdown of the device; it is better to wait a little or try all safe methods, otherwise it may lead to hard drive failure. Also, if the device is completely frozen and does not allow you to open the command window, it is best to use a key combination, which will avoid further problems with the system. Never remove the battery and wait for your MacBook to run out!

In conclusion

The most important thing is that there is nothing complicated about rebooting the device. Only theoretical knowledge on this issue is needed. The user should not be afraid to solve the problem themselves.

Absolutely everyone probably knows that computer equipment has a “habit” of freezing. However, not everyone knows what to do correctly when such a problem arises. For this reason, sometimes actions are taken that lead not to a positive result, but to aggravation of problems. To prevent this from happening, it is useful for beginners to familiarize themselves with the recommendations on how to turn on, turn off and restart a MacBook.

To successfully work with a MacBook, you need to know how to turn on, turn off and restart your MacBook.

Armed with such knowledge, the user will never panic in the event of a technical failure, but will calmly carry out all the simple steps to restore the successful functioning of your MacBook.

Basic ways to work with a MacBook

We are sincerely happy for you if you have become the owner of such a modern device as a MacBook, which is a product of the famous company Apple. To ensure that your acquaintance with a new device is always accompanied by positive moments, we recommend that you immediately familiarize yourself with the principles and methods of working with such a laptop.

Absolutely every owner will be able to turn on the device, since they can easily find the power button on the keyboard, accompanied by an icon identical to that found on the keyboard of other computer devices. Just press the power button and the device will start and delight you with its work.

ADVICE. This is not difficult to do, but we only recommend that you initially pay attention to the cursor. If at this moment he looks like a spinning multi-colored ball, then just step aside so as not to “heat up” your irritability with forced anticipation, not to bring it to the “boiling point” state. Know that a spinning multi-colored ball indicates that your MacBook is trying to fulfill the specific request you asked it.

If you do not see such a ball or you do not have time to wait for the processing of your request to complete, then we suggest that you forcefully close the program. This can be done in two ways. The first method involves holding down two keys at the same time: Command and Q. Entering such a combination directs the gadget to close the current software application.

You can also use the second method. To do this, pay attention to the menu bar. It is always located at the top of the screen. Don't be alarmed, if you don't see it, it means you opened the last window in full view mode. Just move your mouse cursor to the top edge of the screen and the menu bar will immediately appear. You can also move your mouse cursor to the upper right corner and click on the icon with two arrows. In this case, the window will return to normal mode and the menu bar will no longer be hidden. Now click on the second Finder option.

In the list that opens, you will find the “Force Quit Finder” option, click on it. After these actions, a new window will appear, which will list the processes running at that moment on your device. All you have to do is select the problematic software application, highlight it and click on the “Finish” button. In a few seconds the problem will be resolved. If you still need this program, you just need to re-enable it.

Shutdown rules

If your device is functioning successfully and there are no glitches, then the moment you need to turn off your MacBook, you should use a special function of the device.

To do this, click on the apple icon in the top menu bar. In the list that opens, select the “Shutdown” option, click on it, the operating system will do the rest automatically, you just have to wait. By the way, using this method, you can not only turn off your device, but also, if necessary, restart it and put it into sleep mode. It all depends on what tasks you need to complete.

However, unfortunately, it often happens that your “obedient” device suddenly refuses to perform the actions that you actively direct it to. Simply put, your MacBook begins to freeze, not responding to mouse movements or pressing certain keys. In this case, you have to perform actions that lead to forced shutdown of the gadget.

Many experienced users have given this process a name such as “hard restart”. It involves pressing the power button and holding it for several seconds. There is no specific amount of time during which you need to definitely hold the button, it is important to do this until the screen turns black. If you still need to continue working, then you can turn your device back on.

So, the principles of turning a MacBook on and off are not at all complicated. It is only important to carry out exactly these actions, and not be guided by the advice of false experts who recommend removing the battery, leaving a frozen MacBook on, waiting for the battery to completely discharge. Such actions can provoke even more serious problems, so do not give in to amateurish calls.