How to Fix a Pink Screen on Your Mac/MacBook: Causes and Solutions

How to fix a pink screen on Mac/MacBook? This is a quick fix guide for the Mac pink screen issue.

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Why is my Mac screen pink?

During setup, your MacBook Pro/Air suddenly has a pink screen. You might be scared because it's not as common as a black screen [1] or white screen on a Mac.

A "Pink Death Screen" means that your laptop won't turn on or is experiencing some issues. The system uses the pink screen to alert you that your MacBook needs to be repaired as soon as possible.

A pink screen on a Mac can be caused by various issues. For example, some users have reported that their Macs would suddenly display an error, turn pink, and automatically restart while engaged in resource-intensive activities.

So why does my Mac go pink and freeze?

Reason 1: Kernel Panic

A kernel panic is a system crash that occurs when the core of the operating system (the fundamental part of it) encounters a catastrophic failure from which it can't recover. This can be caused by various issues, such as hardware malfunction, programming errors, or malicious files. The machine will display a pink screen with a notification indicating a kernel panic.

Reason 2: Display Resolution Issues

A damaged or malfunctioning monitor can cause a pink image. This could be the result of physical damage to the monitor or the graphics adapter.

Reason three: software incompatibility.

An older software, a misconfiguration, or a faulty SMC or GPU can all clash with the screen's image rendering and lead to the Pink Screen of Death.

Now that you know the common reasons for a pink screen on Mac, it's time to delve into how to fix the problem and recover lost data when it happens. Let's get started!

Act in Advance: Recover Lost Data from a Mac with a Pink Screen Issue

Some people report that their Mac shows a pink screen and requires them to restart macOS. Generally, a pink screen immediately raises concerns about a major security breach.

Thus, to ensure the safety of your client's data, you should provide a dedicated data retrieval app. A customized data recovery app would be great for Apple users, who can download and run a powerful utility like the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

It aims to assist in recovering deleted files from Mac, whether the loss is due to file system corruption, hardware failure, or accidental deletion. Thanks to its user-friendly interface, files can be restored quickly even by users with no prior experience. The best features of this data recovery software include:

• Ultra-fast scanning of partitions and devices
• Extensive support capabilities
• Data recovery after system crashes, formatting, hard drive failures, and user errors

With the latest version of the tool, you'll have access to the following features:

- ? Improved search quality for the NTFS file system - ?️ Integrated movie recovery feature - ❌ Includes the ability to bypass bad sectors

Please download the latest version of Data Recovery Wizard and follow the steps below to recover your data:

Step 1: Select the location to scan

Run the Mac Data Recovery Wizard, select the hard drive, SSD, SD card, USB flash drive, or TF card from which you've lost data, and click Find Lost Files to start scanning.

Note: Before data recovery, it's better to click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup for your Mac to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can be written with new data again.

Step 2. Filter Lost Mac Data

The software will automatically scan for lost data on your MacBook or iMac. Once the scan is complete, you can filter the required data using the “Type” and “Path” buttons.

Step 3: Recover Lost Data or Files

Preview the files and then click the “Recover” button to restore lost data to another location.

8 Ways to Fix a MacBook That's Frozen on a Pink Screen

This article will walk you through eight solutions, from basic troubleshooting to more involved software fixes. So, how do you fix the pink screen on your Mac?

• Solution 1: Check Power Source and All Peripherals
• Solution 2: Reset SMC to Fix Pink Screen Issue
• Solution 3: Reset NVRAM Settings
• Solution 4: Reset the Graphics Processor
• Solution 5: Investigate Third-Party Software Incompatibility
• Solution 6: Address Kernel Panic on Your Mac
• Solution 7: Utilize macOS Recovery Mode
• Solution 8: Reinstall macOS to Solve Pink Screen Freeze

Solution 1: Check the power and all peripherals

Before attempting more complex solutions, it's best to employ some basic troubleshooting strategies. So, you need to check your MacBook's power status and disconnect all peripherals. Hence, inspecting all external devices is crucial. Unless you want to dodge the issue, you must follow through with the steps outlined below.

Step one: Make sure your Mac is turned off.

Step 2: Disconnect all peripherals from your computer.

The third is to check for obvious damage to your device.

Step 4: Connect a mouse and keyboard to the computer.

Step 5: You need to confirm that the problem is still present. If it is, make sure that it's a problem with the hardware.

Solution 2: Reset the SMC to fix the pink screen issue

The SMC, or System Management Controller, is responsible for monitoring power, switching display modes, controlling LEDs, and putting the system to sleep. Resetting the SMC might fix the pink screen issue on your MacBook. Here's how to reset the SMC:

Step one: Unplug the power adapter, and turn off your Mac.

Step 2: Hold down Shift, Option, and Control, and then click the app's icon. Release all keys after about 10 seconds.

Step three: Power up – turn on your laptop.

The steps to reset the SMC on a Mac mini or iMac are as follows:

Step one: Power down the computer and unplug it from the power source for 15 seconds.

Step 2: Plug in the power cord – and restart your computer

Solution 3: Reset the NVRAM settings

Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) is a type of RAM that stores parameters such as startup disk selection, kernel panic details, and display resolution. A sudden change in these settings can also cause a pink screen of death. To resolve the issue on your MacBook Pro, follow these steps to reset the NVRAM:

Step one: Turn off the laptop.

Step 2: As your MacBook restarts, hold down the Option, Command, P, and R keys at the same time.

Step 3: Release all buttons when you hear the second startup sound.

Note: If your Mac has a T2 Security Chip, wait until the Apple logo appears and disappears before releasing the keys.

When your MacBook finishes starting up, enter System Preferences and make any necessary changes.

Fix 4: Reset the Graphics Processing Unit

A GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is responsible for accelerating visual processing, and can be either discrete or embedded. If your MacBook has both kinds of GPUs, you may experience problems when it switches between them. You can disable the automatic switching of the GPU to fix this issue. You can reset the GPU by choosing one of the following methods:

Enable security options

Step 1: Start your computer in Safe Mode

Step 2: Choose the “Apple” option.

Step Three: Select “Energy Saver” from the System Preferences menu.

<Step 4> Clear the check box next to Auto Graphic Update.

Here are four others:

1. Solution 5: Check for Third-Party Software Incompatibility
2. Solution 6: Address Kernel Panic Issues on Your Mac
3. Solution 7: Utilize macOS Recovery Mode
4. Solution 8: Reinstall macOS to Fix Pink Screen Freeze

Fix 5: Check for Incompatibility with Third-Party Software

A pink screen typically appears on a MacBook after updating the operating system, such as from macOS Big Sur to macOS Monterey. This is because third-party utilities might still need updates to function properly on the new system. Additionally, this pink screen issue is quite common on MacBooks with the M1 chip.

Boot your Mac into Safe Mode to check for and resolve issues with incompatible third-party programs. In this mode, macOS only launches necessary software and devices without loading any third-party code.

Figure 6: Check for third-party software incompatibility issues

To enter Safe Mode on an Intel-based MacBook, follow these steps:

Step 1: Wait 10 seconds after turning off the computer.

Step 2: After restarting, hold down the Shift key.

Here are the steps to enter Safe Mode on an ARM-based M1 Mac:

Step 1: Wait 10 seconds after turning off the power.

Step 2: Hold down the Power button until your device shows the boot screen and the “Settings” menu.

Step 3: Select the boot disk, then hold down the Option key and choose “Boot in Verbose Mode.”

Fix 6: Resolve kernel panics on Mac

A “kernel panic” can be the result of a system crash, a software malfunction, software inconsistency, or malware. To fix a panic, start up in Mac's Recovery Mode first.

For Mac computers with the Apple M1 chip

Step 1. If you have an Apple Mac with an M1 chip, turn it off first. Then, press and hold the power button.

Step 2: Release the Power button when you see the Startup Chooser screen.

Step 3: In the Utilities menu that appears, choose Disk Utility and click Continue.

For Intel-based MacBooks

Step 1. If you have an Intel-based Mac, hold down the Command, Option, R, and Shift keys to start it up. Hold all of them down.

Step 2: You must remove these keys, but you must do so before the wheel stops spinning. Make sure your Apple device is connected to a stable internet connection.

Fix 7: Use macOS Recovery Mode

You can achieve the same effect using macOS Recovery Mode.

Step 1. To enter macOS factory reset, hold down the Command + R keys.

<b>Step 2:</b> Choose Utilities.

Choose Terminal.

Step 4. Enter the following command in the terminal window:

The next sentence only needs to be translated into American English: NVRAM fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00 This appears to be an NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory) entry from a macOS or iOS device, storing system configuration data. Specifically, `gpu-power-prefs` suggests it relates to the power preferences for the graphics processor. The hexadecimal value `%01%00%00%00` would need more context to be interpreted correctly.

Solution 8: Reinstall macOS to Fix the Pink Screen Issue

If none of the methods in this article work, try restarting your operating system in Safe Mode. This can remove damaged files, programs, or configurations that might be causing the pink screen.

Since reinstalling macOS erases your data, it's important to back up your information first. Here's how to reinstall macOS in Recovery Mode:

Step 1: Start your Mac in macOS Recovery mode.

Step 2: In the Utilities window, choose Reinstall macOS, then click Continue.

Next up, just translate this sentence into American English:

Step 3: Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Assuming that the issue isn't with the logic board or a component, your MacBook should now be free of the pink-image problem.

If any of these methods helped you fix your Mac's screen problem, be sure to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms!

Ultimately

In short, if your MacBook screen is consistently pink and none of the software adjustments help, it's likely a hardware issue. It could be a problem with the display cable or the graphics processor, both of which typically require attention from an authorized professional.

If the above 8 fixes worked for you, it was likely a kernel panic or a temporary glitch. Usually, this is not a sign of something dangerous! If you lost data in the process of fixing your pink screen on Mac, install Data Recovery Wizard for Mac right away!

Frequently Asked Questions About Mac Screen Freezing Issues

Please refer to the FAQ for a better understanding of the "blue screen of death" error.

Why is my MacBook Pro M1 showing a pink screen of death?

A pink screen on a Mac might be caused by third-party software that doesn't run properly on this operating system.

2. What is a kernel panic on a Mac?

If your Mac unexpectedly restarts and you see a kernel panic error message that says your device restarted because of a problem, the cause might be a software issue. Malfunctioning or mismatched hardware, including peripherals connected to your Mac, can also trigger a kernel panic.

Why is my MacBook screen black?

A black screen on the Mac can be caused by corrupt content on your startup disk.

How do I reset the SMC on a MacBook?

To reset the SMC, follow these steps:

• Shut down your MacBook.
• Plug the MagSafe or USB-C power adapter into your Mac and a power outlet.
• With your Mac turned off, press and hold the Shift-Control-Option keys and the Power button at the same time.
• Release all the keys and then press the Power button again to turn on your Mac.