How to Fix a Mac That's Stuck on a White Screen [macOS Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur]

When your Mac boots up, you might occasionally encounter the white screen of death. It may seem like your Mac is broken, but there are a few simple solutions to this problem. Wondering what to do when your Mac shows a white screen? Click here to jump to the solution.

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A white screen on your Mac at startup is an indication that there's something wrong with your computer. If your MacBook is stuck at the login screen and won't turn on, you won't be able to access any of your information. In addition to a white screen, you may also experience the Mac black screen of death on your Mac.

This often happens after a macOS update and prevents your Mac from booting. The white screen of death means that a process is still running on your Mac, and it needs to finish before it can decide what to do next.

Why does my Mac get stuck on a white screen?

While Macs are generally very reliable, they can sometimes run into issues that prevent them from starting up normally. When a Mac has a design flaw or defect, users might encounter a blank or white screen. Here are a few common reasons why this might happen:

< li > Power failure < / li > < li > Incorrect connections < / li > < li > Hardware damage < / li > < li > Software compatibility issues and vulnerabilities < / li >

This white screen issue typically occurs after installing a new version of the operating system, dealing with incompatible drivers, or when certain app updates fail. It results in your Mac displaying a white screen during startup until you take steps to restore normal operation.

Recover Files from a Mac White Screen of Death

Regardless of the cause, consider data safety before attempting any method to fix a Mac that won't turn on and displays a white screen. If your Mac has a problem that's preventing it from starting up correctly, you risk losing data. Forcing your device to restart multiple times can lead to file and data loss.

Thus, when your Mac won't turn on and you see a white screen, your first priority should be to recover data from an unbootable Mac. We recommend using the Data Recovery Wizard Bootable Media tool to create a bootable disk.

Here are the steps to recover deleted files using Data Recovery Wizard Bootable Media for Mac:

The following steps will guide you through starting up your Mac and using the Data Recovery for Mac tool to recover your data:

First, you'll need to boot your Mac into Recovery Mode:

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• Shut down your Mac and hold the power button (Touch ID) until you see "Loading startup options."
• Select "Options," then click "Continue" to enter macOS Recovery.

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• Shut down your Mac completely, then restart while holding down "Command + Option + R."
• Hold these keys down until you see a spinning globe on the Mac screen.

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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 running macOS 10.15 or later.

Step 2: Select the Volume on Your Mac Hard Drive

Select the drive where the lost data was stored, then click “Find Lost Files.” The utility 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 it scans by file type and storage location. You can find the files you need by clicking on "Type" or "Path" in the left panel. Then, check the box in front of the data you wish to recover.

Step 4: Recover and save the data to an external disk

When you click “Recover,” a window will prompt you to select a location to save. Choose your external drive as the new location to store the recovered data.

How to Fix a White Screen on Startup on a Mac

So, how to fix the white screen on Mac? We have five practical solutions that should help Mac users fix the problem:

Method 1: Disconnect All External Devices

If your Mac gets stuck on a white screen during startup, it might be an issue with a peripheral. You can easily isolate and identify the cause by systematically unplugging them.

Peripheral devices include your keyboard, mouse, and any external disk drives. Later, you can restart your Mac and reconnect each device one at a time.

So, before attempting more extreme measures (such as trying to start up in safe mode or otherwise), turn off your Mac and unplug all wired and wireless peripherals except for your keyboard, mouse, and any other essential devices needed for restart.

Method 2: Booting in Safe Mode

Usually, the easiest way to fix a white screen on a Mac is to start your device in Safe Mode. Here's how:

While hearing the startup sound, press and hold the Shift key. When you see the Apple logo and progress bar, release the Shift key. Once your Mac boots into Safe Mode, head to the Applications folder and delete any outdated software, then empty the Trash. Restart your Mac. If your Mac starts up normally, consider cleaning unnecessary caches, duplicate files, and junk files.

Safe Mode prevents outside factors, like a printer or driver, from interfering with your startup process. In addition, Safe Mode disables some macOS features to reduce the amount of work your Mac has to do to reach the login screen, which can help resolve a White Screen of Death issue.

Method 3: Repair the disk with Disk Utility

A problematic hard drive can cause a white screen. To fix it, use the Disk Utility and follow these instructions:

Step 1: Restart your Mac.

Step 2. Hold down Command + R.

Step 3: Release the keys when you see the Apple logo.

Step 4: In the macOS Recovery window, click Disk Utility, then locate the drive you want to repair.

5. Choose “First Aid” to repair the disk.

Click on “First Aid”.

When it's done, Disk Utility will show you the status of your drive. Disk Utility can fix a variety of disk issues, including a Mac that's frozen on a white screen.

Alternatively, if this is the first error to occur on the drive, you might be able to delete the volume and restore from a backup.

Method 4: Reset the PRAM or NVRAM

Resetting the NVRAM or PRAM might resolve startup issues. NVRAM (non-volatile random-access memory) is a small part of your computer's memory that stores certain settings, including screen resolution, startup disk selections, and recent kernel panic information.

Here's how to reset the PRAM and NVRAM on your Mac:

• Restart your Mac and hold down Command + Option + P + R.
• Release the keys when you hear the startup sound.
• Wait for your Mac to finish starting up.

If the settings stored in your Mac's PRAM or NVRAM are causing the white screen issue, resetting the PRAM or NVRAM might help.

Method 5: Reinstall or Upgrade macOS

If none of the other fixes work and your Mac is still stuck on a white screen, you may need to reinstall macOS.

If possible, back up your data and files using Time Machine or another method before reinstalling macOS, so you can fix any damaged software without deleting your files and data. When you're ready, follow these steps:

1. Hold down Command + Option + R or Command + Option + Shift + R when starting up your Mac. This will initiate [Mac Internet Recovery Mode](/computer-instruction/mac-internet-recovery-mode.html). 2. Release the keys when you see the Apple logo. 3. Once your Mac finishes starting up, select "Reinstall macOS" from the Utilities menu, then click "Continue." 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

In summary

If you're seeing the White Screen of Death when starting up your Mac, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air, it could be due to a hardware or software issue. To fix it, you'll need patience and to troubleshoot each part separately. Don't forget to use professional data recovery software to retrieve data from your Mac, otherwise your information may be lost forever.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mac White Screen Issues

**1. What is a white screen freeze?**

If your Mac starts up to a white screen, it could be due to a damaged display, disk permissions, software errors, and other MacBook issues.

2. What should I do if my Mac starts up to a white screen with a question mark?

If you see a question mark folder on your Mac, try these solutions.

• Repair the startup disk in macOS Recovery Mode.
• Reset the NVRAM on your Mac.
• Reformat the Mac startup disk.
• Restart macOS.

3. What is a Mac white screen of death?

When your Mac first boots up, it can be affected by hardware issues, software problems, and even design flaws in certain models of Macs. In addition, if your Mac has incompatible drivers, it may get stuck on the white startup screen.

< strong > 4. How do I restart my Mac if the screen goes white?

1. Press and hold the power button for several seconds.
2. Wait more than 20 seconds after your Mac turns off.
3. Restart your device by pressing the power button.