Jul 24, 2019 Shut down your Mac. Disconnect all peripheral devices, such as hard drives or printers. If you have a desktop Mac, make sure that only a display, keyboard, and mouse or trackpad are connected. Turn on your Mac. Use your Mac for the amount of time that it.
System cleanup in one click
We’ve been taught that Apple devices are a standard of reliability. If you want a stable computer, you get a Mac. If you want a phone that can handle hours of unbreakable connection, you get an iPhone. There’s some truth to it, but it would be wrong to think Apple devices are invincible. If you’ve ever experienced random Mac shutdowns, you know for sure Apple experience is not always flawless.
Worst of all, shutdowns might happen while you’re working on something important. This results in unsaved documents and your work being seriously delayed. In this article, we’ve collected all fixes you’ll ever need if your Mac starts shutting down. It also includes the guide to fixing a 13-inch MacBook Pro misbehavior.
Jun 23, 2020 Apps Crashing on iPhone or iPad: Tips to Fix the Issue #1. The first thing you do when you find that an iPhone app keeps crashing is a “soft reset.” What this basically does is clears the memory by killing apps and gives you a head start. This is what you do to do a soft reset: Press the home and power buttons simultaneously. Jan 09, 2019 MS Word keeps shutting down Hi I use Word Office 365 on both my PC and MAC.except the Word on the MAC book frequently shuts down and I get a message that Word shutdown unexpectedly and sorry for the inconvenience, then I have to restart Word and sometimes lose data. Dec 09, 2016 It only happens at whenever i turn it on, though. My mac air (I got it July 2016) seems to only have this issue whenever the 'iCloud storage is full' window pop up and whenever another app is running, usually Chrome. Question: Q: My MacBook Air keeps shutting down unexpectedly More Less. Is your MacBook Pro randomly shutting down, even with plenty of battery life left? You’re not alone; reports of MacBook Pros shutting off prematurely are showing up on various forums and support.
One savior for all Mac issues
Save hours of your time, treating Mac shutdowns, app misbehavior, and other problems with Setapp — 180+ best apps for Mac.
Troubleshooting random Mac shutdowns
Restarting your Mac is always the first idea that should come to mind. And sometimes, it really helps. Even though your Mac is technically shut down, restart Mac once again — the proper way. This will kill the background processes, ensuring your Mac has a healthy startup.
Once you power up your Mac after a shutdown, press Command + Alt + Esc to force quit background apps and then put your Mac to sleep, restart, or shut down from the Apple menu.
Unfortunately, this will hardly prevent your computer from shutting down again. If your computer keeps shutting down, consider SMC and PRAM resetting.
Reset the SMC
The SMC (System Management Controller) is responsible for battery and thermal management as well as any processes related to closing and opening your MacBook lid and pressing the power button. Clearly, it might be a part of the shutdown problem.
There are some differences on how to reset the SMC, depending on the type of computer you own. Pick your device from the list below and try it out.
MacBooks with removable or nonremovable battery
Reset the SMC on Mac laptops with removable battery:
- Shut down your Mac.
- Remove the battery (if you don’t want to do it yourself, go to the nearest Apple Service Center or Apple Retail Store).
- Press and hold the power button for a few seconds.
- Reinstall the battery and turn on your computer.
Reset the SMC on Mac laptops with nonremovable battery:
- Shut down your Mac from the Apple menu.
- Hold Shift + Control + Option + the Power button (or Touch ID button) for about 10 seconds.
- Release the keys and turn on your computer.
Mac desktop computers
Here’s how to reset the SMC if you’re an owner of iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro, or Xserve. Note that this method works only for desktop computers without the Apple T2 Security Chip.
- Shut down your Mac from the Apple menu.
- Unplug the power cord and wait for about 15 seconds.
- Plug the power cord back in and wait for about another 5 seconds.
- Turn on your computer.
Computers that have the Apple T2 Security Chip
Here’s the complete list of Macs with the Apple T2 Security Chip:
- iMac Pro
- Mac Pro (2019)
- Mac mini (2018)
- MacBook Air (2018 or later)
- MacBook Pro (2018 or later).
You can also find out whether your computer has the T2 Security Chip by holding Option > Apple Menu > System Information. From there, navigate to Controller or iBridge in the sidebar. You’ll find the answer under “Model Name.”
Here’s how to reset SMC if your computer has the T2 Chip:
- Shut down your Mac from the Apple menu.
- Hold the power button for about 10 seconds.
- Release the power button and wait for a few seconds before turning on your Mac.
If it didn’t work, try shutting down your Mac and then unplug the power cord. Wait for about 15 seconds, plug the power cord back in, and turn on your computer.
Here’s how to reset SMC if your computer doesn’t have the T2 Chip:
The traditional reset method for Macs without the T2 Chip is identical to the one described above. However, if it doesn’t eliminate the problem, you might need to try this one:
- Shut down your Mac from the Apple menu.
- Press and hold the right Shift key + the left Option key + the left Control key for about 7 seconds.
- Once the Apple logo appears on your screen, continue holding Shift, Option, and Control + the Power button for another 7 seconds.
- Wait for your Mac to turn off and release the buttons.
- Turn on the computer again.
Reset the PRAM
PRAM, or Parameter RAM, is another part of your computer that might be responsible for misbehavior. It stores lots of minor preferences — including those related to the startup disk. Resetting PRAM might be a good way to prevent shutdowns:
- Shut down your Mac from the Apple Menu.
- Press the Power button and hold Command + Shift + P + R.
- Release the keys once you see the Apple logo for the second time, hear the second startup time, or after 20 seconds.
After resetting PRAM, you might need to go to the System Preferences and adjust some of your settings — including volume and display resolution.
Update your macOS
There’s always less likelihood your Mac will be shutting down if you keep the macOS up-to-date. Unless you use 32-bit apps that are unsupported on macOS Catalina, we recommend to upgrade your Mac. You can check for any pending updates in Apple Menu > About This Mac > Software Update.
How to fix 13-inch MacBook Pro shutting down
If you have a Mac Pro with a Touch Bar instead of function keys, there’s a dedicated troubleshooting method for your device. While Apple hasn’t launched the hardware replacement program for this device yet, it’s important you make note of the following:
- Discharge your MacBook Pro battery to 90% and below.
- Close all open applications.
- Connect the charger and switch to the Sleep Mode.
- Close the lid and let your Mac Pro charge for about 8 hours.
- Turn on your computer and update it to the latest macOS version.
If MacBook keeps restarting
Another issue is your Mac getting into the loop of constant restarting. It might be impossible to trace the reason for such restarts, so make sure you know all the fixes. But before taking any further steps, create a bootable back up of your disk with Get Backup Pro to keep everything you store on your Mac protected.
Disconnect peripheral devices
Make sure no external devices such as hard drives or printers are connected to your Mac. If it’s a desktop computer, you might leave a keyboard, mouse, and a display connected — but nothing beyond that. Turn on your Mac and continue working as usual.
Update software
Quite often, outdated software might cause restarting. Here are a few tips on how to deal with it:
- Update apps if you have any software updates pending.
- If there’s a particular app causing the problem, contact the developers to help you solve it, or remove the app from Mac.
- Reinstall third-party apps.
Reinstall macOS
If you’ve exhausted all the update attempts, your next step would be to reinstall macOS from Recovery. You’ll need to erase your startup disk first, but with the data backed up, there’s no need to worry. You can check the instructions on how to reinstall macOS on the Apple Support page.
Keep your Mac healthy and avoid the trouble
In many cases, random shutdowns have their symptoms: Your computer starts slowing down, the fans run at full speed and make loud noise, the apps go unresponsive. The other times, there’s no sign. Nothing. So it’s better to keep your Mac performance controlled so that you be warned whenever something goes wrong.
Tidy up your Mac with CleanMyMac X
CleanMyMac X is a cleaning utility for Mac that makes your machine tidier and therefore faster and stronger. It eliminates all the clutter from your hard drive and operating system in one scan.
Cluttered Mac is generally slower. If there are heaps of apps that haven’t been updated on your Mac, it can also shut down unexpectedly. This is where CMMX comes to help. From old caches to duplicates, CleanMyMac X wipes away everything that might be hampering your progress. The app will tell you about malware threats and let you know if there are any particularly large files you haven’t attended to.
Prevent future Mac shutdowns
Get iStat Menus to stay in the know about your Mac’s health. So that you never even get close to fixing a shutdown.
Monitor Mac’s health with iStat Menus
Your Mac will give you a hint when it’s not doing well if you have iStat Menus. The app adds tons of Mac health indicators to your menu bar. You’ll be able to control free disk space, instantly see what apps are draining your Mac’s battery, and view active processes. It’s the best way to ensure your computer never even starts misbehaving.
Create bootable backups with Get Backup Pro
We couldn’t emphasize this more: Before running any diagnostics or reset on your Mac, create a bootable backup of your disk. If you accidentally or purposefully delete anything, you’ll be able to get it all back with Get Backup Pro.
While all three utilities mentioned above are pretty pricey if you buy them separately, we recommend to use them via Setapp. It has all of these, plus around 160 other useful Mac utilities for a monthly subscription price starting at $9.99.
If your computer keeps shutting down
Take it to the nearest Apple Service Center. If you’ve tried to force shutdown Mac, reset SMC/PRAM, and update your macOS, but your Mac continues acting naughty, you’ll need to get service for your Mac. Most likely, it will be wiped — so prepare a backup in advance. Anyway, we wish you a long-living Mac and a productive work routine!
Apple products are usually known for their high build quality and longevity, compared to other manufacturers. However, sooner or later some hard- or software will fail on you. You’re not alone here. As a matter of fact, just in the last four days I spoke to four senior Apple advisors, one Retail Store, one Certified Service Partner and spent many hours chatting with the support…
So a few weeks ago my 2012 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro started shutting down on its own. While on battery power (an nowhere near a charger) the device simply went to sleep.
After repeatedly pressing the power button I saw the low-battery indicator, but after plugging in the device I still had more than 30% battery left.
This is just one case of battery failure, that Apple can’t explain. There are many other people who experience similar problems with their battery as well. Especially when it comes to the following models, for which Apple actually extends its warranty:
Laptop Shutting Down Unexpectedly
- MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012)
- MacBook Pro (17-inch Early 2011)
- MacBook Pro (17-inch Late 2011)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15 inch, Early 2013)
After hours and hours of research and calls with Apple, I actually found two quick fixes that might even do the trick for you.
Reset SMC to fix battery and other hardware problems
The System Management Controller (SMC) is responsible for a number of hardware inside your MacBook. It controls everything from all the lights in your Mac, the battery, fans and parts of the logic board.
Here are just a few signs that you should reset your SMC:
Mac Book Keeps Shutting Down Apps Free
- Mac fans running too loud
- Keyboard backlight not working as it should
- Unexpected shutdowns or restarts
- Mac isn’t charging
- Icons keep jumping in your Dock
How to reset SMC on your MacBook Pro
If you don’t have a removable battery:
- Shut down your MacBook Pro
- Plug in the original power adapter
- Press (not hold) Shift-Control-Option (alt) and the power button at the same time and release all at the same time
- Press the power button to turn on your MacBook Pro
While you press the button combination from above, keep an eye on the LED indicator on your MagSage adaptor. In most cases it will blink once and switch colors. Don’t worry, that’s normal.
If you have a removable battery:
- Shut down your MacBook
- Disconnect the power adapter if it’s connected
- Remove the battery
- Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds
- Put the battery back where it was, plug in the power adapter and turn your MacBook on
Reset PRAM – fix most of your MacBook problems
PRAM is not to confused with RAM. The Parameter RAM is responsible for storing all the small settings on your Mac. It’s responsible for the “small things” such as remembering your alarm, volume settings, display resolution or even your startup disk. It might not seem that all too important, but if there’s something wrong with your PRAM your MacBook will suffer.
As a matter of fact, resetting the PRAM solves almost all of the problems I have ever had with my Mac over the last three years.
How to reset PRAM on any Mac computer
This is probably the easiest fix there is:
- Shut down your MacBook
- Press the power button and then immediately →
- Press and hold Option-Command-P-R
- Hold until you hear the startup sound twice
- Release the buttons and let your Mac turn on normally
Update to the latest Mac OS
With every new version of Mac OS, Apple developers do their best to fix all of your software problems, some of which might have not played along well with your hardware. Just do yourself a favor and update your Mac to the latest OS.
Don’t worry, you won’t lose any of your data, settings, passwords or whatnot. After upgrading to El Capital I even noticed a slight improvement in my battery life (random shutdowns aside).
Let Apple fix your computer
If you own one of the models I mentioned at the top of the article, it most likely won’t even matter if you’re still on AppleCare or not. However, if you are, it might also be a good idea to let Apple have a look at your device and eventually fix it for you if there’s in fact a hardware issue.
If you don’t want to waste time for a trip without knowing if you actually have hardware defects, go ahead and run Apple’s diagnostics tools to figure it out.
Apple Hardware Test or Diagnostics
Depending on your model, you should be able to use one of two pieces of software to find hardware issues and defects on your machine. Check out Apple’s guide on how to run it and check if there’s anything wrong under the hood of your Mac.
If you see any kind of hardware errors popping up in the system, go visit Apple and tell them what you found.