Mac User Guide - Fixing the Black Screen Issue on Mac with 6 Solutions

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Overview of a Black Screen of Death on a Mac

When you turn on your Mac and wait a few seconds, instead of booting up as normal, it suddenly displays a black screen. When this happens, your first thought might be that your computer is broken. Don't panic – there are plenty of ways to fix the issue yourself. First, however, we need to determine why your Mac is suddenly black.

It can happen on a Windows computer, too, though usually, it will lead to a blue screen instead. Besides something as simple as a low battery, two common causes for a black screen on a Mac are software/hardware incompatibility and corrupted firmware.

In the following sections, we'll present some troubleshooting solutions for you to try. Don't worry if you're not a computer expert – just follow the instructions step by step, and you should be able to fix your Mac black screen issue.

Solution 1: Disconnect all peripherals

Though it might sound unbelievable, certain external devices can actually cause your Mac to go black. As hardware, they may be incompatible with certain system settings, preventing your computer from starting up properly. The first thing you'll want to do, then, is eliminate this possibility by disconnecting all peripherals and attempting to boot your Mac again to see if the black screen issue persists.

Solution 2: Force Restart your Mac

This might seem obvious, but it's actually very effective. Most electronic devices can have their issues resolved by restarting them. Many Mac users don't turn their computers off after each use, so they stay in a sleep state for long periods of time. Forcing your Mac to restart can help wake it up.

Step 1: Hold down the Mac's power button for 6-10 seconds.

Step 2: Wait 10 seconds after the computer has turned off.

Step 3: Try turning it back on by pressing the power button again to see if it works normally.

ExFAT vs Mac OS Extended: Which One to Choose?

Every external storage device has a file system format. On macOS, the compatible formats include FAT, ExFAT, APFS, and Mac OS Extended. For some users, it might be difficult to choose between ExFAT and Mac OS Extended since they are not aware of their pros and cons.

Solution 3: Reset the System Management Controller settings

SMC stands for System Management Controller. It's what controls the power, temperature, keyboard lights, display brightness, fans, and other processes on a Mac. In essence, it's what manages the hardware on your Mac. Resetting this can fix black screen issues on a Mac caused by a faulty firmware.

Step 1: Turn off your Mac, then connect it to power if it wasn't already (use a MagSafe adapter).

Step 2. With your Mac turned off, press and hold the Shift, Control, Option, and Power buttons for a few seconds.

Step 3: Release all keys as the Mac starts up.

Solution 4: Change the keyboard layout order

This works for a Mac that displays a black screen after starting up.

Step one: Press the power button once, and wait for the dialog box to appear on the screen.

Step 2: Press the S key on your keyboard, which is the shortcut for putting the computer to sleep.

Step 3: Then, press and hold the Power button for a few seconds to force the device to turn off.

Step 4. Wait about 15 to 20 seconds, then press the power button to turn on your Mac.

Solution 5: Reset the NVRAM/PRAM

This is a troubleshooting step that Apple Support might ask you to try when you contact them for help, and it's generally used to address undefined issues with a Mac. Here's how to reset the NVRAM/PRAM:

Step 1: Turn off your Mac, then turn it back on. Press and hold these four keys: Option, Command, P, and R.

Step 2: Hold those keys for about 20 seconds, during which your Mac might restart.

• For Mac computers that play sound when they start up, release the keys after you hear the startup sound a second time. • For Mac computers with an Apple T2 Security Chip, release the keys after you see the Apple logo and it disappears for the second time.

Solution 6: Reinstall macOS

If none of the above helps, you can try reinstalling macOS. Usually, reinstalling macOS doesn't result in data loss, but we still recommend that you back up your Mac before you proceed.

To reinstall macOS, you need to start up in Recovery Mode. Here's how to do that on different Macs.

For Intel-based Mac computers:

Step 1: Restart your Mac.

Step 2: Hold down the Command and R keys together until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.

Step 3: Select Reinstall macOS from the Utilities window.

For Macs with an M1 chip:

Step 1: Turn off your Mac.

Step 2: Hold the Power button.

Step 3: A message will appear telling you that you're about to be taken to the startup options. Hold the buttons down.

Step 4: Click Options > Continue to begin the recovery.

You can now proceed to reinstall the system, following the instructions.

Step 1: Select “Reinstall macOS” (or the name of your operating system), then click “Continue.”

Step 2: Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reinstallation process.

Your Mac might restart several times during installation. You might see a progress bar or a black screen. Don't turn off your Mac during installation.

Appendix Trick: Recover Deleted/Lost Data from Mac & Prevent Data Loss After Erasing Disk

As mentioned above, when your Mac is having issues, one of the solutions is to reinstall macOS. In Recovery Mode, you'll see an option to reinstall macOS alongside the Disk Utility, which you can use to wipe your disk. When your Mac is severely damaged, reinstalling macOS will require you to wipe the hard drive first, a step that will result in data loss.

To prevent any unexpected data loss and recover lost data when needed, we recommend trying a data recovery tool – the Mac Data Recovery Wizard. One of its highlights is the support for data recovery in Recovery Mode, which allows you to access your system and restore files even when your Mac isn't working properly.

Here are the detailed steps to recover data in Mac Recovery Mode. If you're interested in this software, you can download and try it via the button below.

First, start up your Mac in Recovery Mode, then follow these instructions:

Step 1: Boot into Recovery Mode with the utility software

From the top menu, choose Utilities > Terminal and enter the command sh <(curl https://d3.tools.com/mac/boot.sh). Press Return. Wait for the app to open, which may take a few minutes.

Important: If you see "No such file or directory" or "Host not found," double-check that you've typed the command correctly. Make sure your Mac is connected to the internet and that you're running macOS 10.15 or later.

Step 2: Select the volume on your Mac's hard drive

Select the volume where the lost data was stored and click “Search for lost files”. The tool will quickly locate all recoverable data on the selected volume.

Step 3. Select the lost data you want to recover

The utility will categorize the recoverable data by file type and storage location. You can locate your desired files by clicking on “Type” or “Path” on the left panel. Then, check the box in front of the data you want to restore.

Step 4: Recover and save your data to an external drive

When you click “Recover,” a pop-up will ask you to “Select a location to save the recovered files.” Choose your external drive as the new location to store the recovered data.