MacBook Pro Won't Turn On: 10 Troubleshooting Tips to Try

Check your power cables.

Make sure your power connections and cables are working. If you have a damaged or faulty cable, it won't give your MacBook Pro the charge it needs, no matter how long it's plugged in. Inspect both the cable and power adapter for signs of damage. If there's no damage, try a different outlet.

Let your MacBook charge fully.

If your MacBook has been dead and powered off for a while, it can take longer to charge up enough to power on. Plug it in and leave it to charge for a few hours before attempting to turn it on.

Press and hold the power button.

Do this for at least 10 seconds. If your MacBook Pro has a Touch ID, press and hold that for 10 seconds instead. After 10 seconds have passed, release the power button. Then, press the power button normally. If the laptop still doesn't power on, skip to the next step.

Unplug all accessories.

Disconnect all external keyboards, speakers, and devices. If you use a wired mouse, disconnect that as well. Once all accessories have been unplugged from your device, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds and release. Then, press the power button normally.

Reset the SMC.

This is the System Management Controller, which controls power management on your Mac. To reset it, do the following: Press Shift + Control + Option and press the power button at the same time. Release after 10 seconds. Press the power button normally.

Reset the NVRAM/PRAM.

This is the non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM). This process is done automatically on Macs with Apple silicon, but it must be done manually with Intel-based Macs. Do the following: Turn off your MacBook. Power on your MacBook again. Immediately press and hold Option + Command + P + R at the same time. Release after 20 seconds.

Use an alternate display.

Connect an external monitor to your laptop. If your MacBook Pro turns on but the screen is black, the issue may be with the screen itself. Plug your laptop into an external monitor to check if you're able to project your laptop. If you can see your laptop's contents, it's likely your MacBook screen is broken and needs repairing.

Use Recovery Mode.

Enter Recovery Mode to run Disk Utility. Do the following: Apple silicon: With the Mac turned off, press and hold the Power button until the startup screen appears. Click Options > Continue. Intel-based Mac: With the Mac turned off, press and hold Cmd + R, and then press the Power button. Release Cmd + R when you see the Apple logo. Click Disk Utility. Select your Mac's drive. Click First Aid. If prompted, click Repair Disk.

Contact Apple.

This may be a hardware issue, and you may still be covered by Apple's warranty. You can contact Apple on their website at https://getsupport.apple.com/.

Factory reset your MacBook.

Factory resetting your device will erase all photos, videos, content, and data on your device. Do this as a last resort. You can reset a MacBook Pro with or without the password. Do the following: Apple silicon: With the Mac turned off, press and hold the Power button until the startup screen appears. Click Options > Continue. Intel-based Mac: With the Mac turned off, press and hold Cmd + R, and then press the Power button. Release Cmd + R when you see the Apple logo. Select Disk Utility. Select your boot disk. Select Erase. Enter a new name for the disk and select APFS as the format. Click Erase. Exit Disk Utility. Select Reinstall macOS [version]. Follow the on-screen instructions. Set up your MacBook Pro.