How to Fix It When MacBook Screen Goes Black (8 Steps)

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Even if you’ve never been a Windows user, you should have heard the phrase “black screen of death” (BSOD) or something similar. You also may have thought Mac had nothing similar… until now.

The Macbook screen goes black when fully opened users may experience is hardly a death sentence, but it is fairly annoying and ruins whatever activities you were previously engaged in.

It’s exactly the kind of problem that brings things grinding to a halt while being frustratingly unpredictable, so we’ve collected a few ways to help you fix it.

‘Fix’ MacBook screen goes black but still running [Best Practice]

Restart your computer then check your system’s power by going to the Apple menu. Click on About This Mac and then System Report. After the report opens, click on Power. Scroll down till you locate the Cycle Count and Condition of your Mac. If it reads Poor, you’ve found the answer.

Why Did Your MacBook Pro Go Black: Possible Causes

Power Issues

It might sound kind of obvious, but power issues are the most common reason your Mac’s screen is blank. Whether it’s a bad battery or a faulty charging cord that lets you fall into the black screen trap, this is always a good place to start looking.

Waking from Sleep

Black screen issues are most common when waking your MacBook from sleep. Whether this is an issue on Apple’s end or the user remains unclear, but it is usually described as opening the lid of your MacBook only to have your screen refuse to wake up but it’s still running.

Although it may seem like your computer has turned on (via the activity indicator, fans, or noises), the screen remains blank. The cause of this scenario remains unclear, but it is a well-recognized situation.

Broken Disk Permissions or Login Items

Sometimes, the cause for your Mac to go black screen or even not allow your laptop to boot up normally is due to broken disk permission issues; While other times the culprit is certain apps that sneak into the auto startup list and affect your MacBook’s booting.

If that’s the case, you’ll have to check those problems and fix them (see Step 5 for more).

Software/App Error

Everybody wants to blame things on a glitch. It’s a simple answer to a seemingly otherwise unsolvable problem, especially if you’re booting to a black screen or something equally infuriating. Some known bugs could be causing the issue, however, so this is a valid possible cause.

Make sure to check official Apple guides such as the security update list or Apple Community Forum to find out if this is your case.

How to Fix Unresponsive Black Screen on MacBook

In this section, we’ll take it from the top and show you how to change an unresponsive black screen back to normal, whether you are using a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.

Step 1: Check Your Power

If your MacBook Pro was previously charging, make sure the plug wasn’t suddenly yanked out of the wall or that anyone tripped over the cord. You should also check your battery cycles to see if it needs to be replaced.

To do this, go to the Apple menu from the top left of your Mac and select About this Mac, then System Report. Once the report opens, pick Power from the right-hand side.

From the power panel, look down until you find the macbook cycle count and condition for your battery. If it says “Poor” or “Bad”, it’s time to consider replacing the battery for your MacBook Pro. This type of apple battery replacement cost around $100 US dollars.

If you can’t buy a battery right now or need a solution in the meantime, keeping your MacBook plugged in should provide temporary relief. While it does reduce the working capacity of having a laptop, it’s only a temporary solution.

Visit this article by Eric on how to fix mac book battery issues.

Step 2: Restarting

If it’s not the battery (or if you can’t access the system report at the moment to check), your next best solution is restarting the machine. You can do this in a couple of different ways:

  1. Use the CTRL + EJECT keys to bring up the dialog box, then press ENTER even if you can’t see the dialog box since “Shut Down” is automatically selected. Then press the power button again once the computer has finished shutting down to restart it.
  2. CTRL + CMD + EJECT will automatically trigger a restart.
  3. Hold the power button for 5 seconds to have it shut down. Wait 15 seconds and press it once again to reboot.

Your MacBook should restart to its normal state, resolving the black screen issue.

Didn’t work? Move onto the next step listed here for a special key pattern that might do the trick.

Step 3: Try a Known Key Sequence

Some users have reported that a specific key sequence dug from the depths of the MacRumors forum has helped resolve their black screen booting issues, so it’s worth a shot trying.

This is what you have to do:

  1. Press the power button once, which normally brings up a shutdown dialog box (you won’t be able to see it with a black screen).
  2. Press “S“, the hotkey for sending your Mac to sleep.
  3. Hold the power button to force a hard shut down.
  4. Wait around 15 seconds before pressing the power again to restart.

And voila, your MacBook should boot as normal instead of to a black screen.

Step 4: Resetting the NVRAM/PRAM

Or… not. If you’re still having problems even after trying multiple methods or the problem is re-occurring it might be time to take a bit more drastic measures. You’ll be resetting the NVRAM/PRAM on your Mac — here’s how to do it.

  1. Shut down your Mac (see above if you aren’t sure how).
  2. Press the power button. Once you hear the startup chime, hold down Command + Option + P + R.
  3. Hold these until you hear another startup chime, then release them.

Your Mac should boot normally now, although you may have lost some settings along the way so make sure to check System Preferences (System Settings on macOS Ventura and above) to see if your display, date/time, and disk options are all in order.

Step 5: Reset the System Management Controller

An SMC reset is another thing you can do to fix a black screen. This is a good thing to know how to do because it can resolve several other issues you might experience with your MacBook, such as overheating slowdowns. 

To reset the SMC on your MacBook, follow these steps: 

  1. Shut down the computer
  2. Connect to the power source
  3. With the MacBook powered down, hold down Shift, Control, Option, and press the Power button at the same time for about 10 seconds
  4. Release the keys
  5. Restart the computer
  6. The SMC should now be reset

The SMC reset can vary from this if you have an older MacBook; check out here for more

Step 6: Boot into Safe Mode

You might be experiencing a black screen for several reasons, and one of them might be issues with your startup disk. You can fix this problem by booting your MacBook into safe mode and allowing it to run a check on the disk. 

To boot in safe mode, follow these steps:

  1. Turn of your computer
  2. Hold down the Shift key while powering back up until you see the Apple logo
  3. Let go of the key after the logo appears

The computer will now start up into safe mode and might take a little longer than you expect as it runs diagnostics on your startup disk.

Once it boots up completely, you can restart again to enter into a normal startup and see if the black screen issue is resolved. 

Step 7: Check & Repair Disk Permissions

Like I said, one of the causes for black screen is due to broken disk permissions. Fortunately, it’s easy to diagnose and fix.

All you need is to run CleanMyMac on your Mac. Open the app, go to Maintenance > Repair Disk Permissions, click “Run” and you’re all set.

Step 8: Check for App Issues or Bugs

Again, the best way to identify those suspicious apps is to run CleanMyMac.

In the Extensions section, check Launch Agents and Login Items. If you find some apps that launch automatically (often without your consent), feel free to disable or remove them.

Another way to do this is by searching the Apple Community for a post that most matches yours to see if any bugs (and ways to squash them) have been identified, although you can also make your post.

Other forums such as MacRumors and iFixit are also great places to start, as well as searching for general articles.

For example, Mark Gibbs from NetworkWorld discovered that using his iCloud password caused the computer to experience an error where it booted to a black screen with just his mouse and no login options.

It’s a strange correlation, but sometimes very random things can send your computer into a frenzy, so it doesn’t hurt to look.

Final Words

Black screens are never fun to deal with. Besides the unending frustration, rebooting and potentially losing your work aren’t exactly enjoyable activities. Hopefully, this guide has helped you alleviate the issue and set you back on your feet.

We’d also love to hear from you if you have another way of fixing the black screen on a MacBook — leave us a comment below to tell us more about it.

About Lorena
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Lorena holds a 13-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip. Her role involves editorial management from writing to editing and ensuring that the articles are informative, useful, and relevant to readers who are new to Mac.

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  • Avatar

    Hannah M

    So, none of these steps seemed to work for me. I’m able to see the login screen, and put my password in- but as soon as I do, I get the black screen every time. I can see the cursor and the screen is clearly on, but I’m not able to do or hear anything. I’m not sure what caused it as I didn’t put my computer in sleep mode. Does anyone have a situation similar to mine and are able to help?

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Student

    I’m replying to my previous comment*
    Okay so I was able to fix the light problem while being in the black screen of death. I simply put my password to login to my MacBook and the light turned on lol. I will reply again once I am able to fix the issue to help others

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Student

    I have MacBook Air and my screen turned black and keyboard light is off except my caps lock key light shows when I turn it off or on.
    I was working on some schoolwork and put my Mac on sleep mode with the lid not closed, but open. When I came back from a 5 minute break, that’s when tat issue began. My laptop can turn on and off and makes noise while doing so which is normal. However, I am concerned my Mac has other technical issues even though it is new and has not been damaged before. Can anyone help me? Nothing on YouTube and websites is working for me. I hope my situation is not out of the ordinary and may still be able to be fixed with little tips and tricks.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    JoAnne Gonnella

    If battery has power, go into the battery icon, upper right hand corner, go into battery preferences, and slide “turn display off after” to keep display on.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    John Green

    The screen on my 2019 MacBook pro (OS 10.14.6) will suddenly go black in the middle of working. I think this is most often a minute or so after waking it up. Plugging in the power supply and waiting a minute or two seems to restore things, but it is not a low power issue – usually it is over 50% charged when it happens. Any suggestions – it’s annoying and I’m worried that one day it won’t resolve itself!

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Flat Earth

    Shine a flashlight thru the back of the macbook apple logo and look at the front side of the screen. You may see the login box or a loading indicator. If you see the login box, enter your login and press enter. If you see the loading indicator, watch it to see if it is stuck.. This may help.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Kaycee

    After trying everything, step 4 worked for me too! Thank you!

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Mooncat

    My daughter’s early 2013 MacBook Pro 13″ screen suddenly went black. I tried all the tricks listed and no result. I connected an external monitor and the desktop shows up without icons. Turned it off by holding the power button down until it shut down, disconnected the charger and removed the back cover. I disconnected the battery for about 15 seconds and reconnected it. Be sure to put the back cover back on before turning the computer on. It will not start without it. Turned it on and the screen worked normally. This may not be a permanent fix. It worked though for now.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    JE Boyce

    I can’t make Step 4 work. I’m pretty fast at hitting the 4 keys, but the computer starts up before I can get them OR it just goes on anyway with no second chime.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    VC

    so, did anyone found a solution to this? as mine is not responding to Cmd+shift+R+P, or any other options suggested. please advise

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Ju ju

    Number 3 Just worked For me!! Thanks a million

    Reply
  • Avatar

    A person on MacBook Pro

    Bruh, i think you just saved my computer 😀 at least i know its not a virus :/ just a open-the-lid/awake-from/sleep problem

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Kevin

    None of these worked. Thankfully I have a new Mac Mini and I can share the screen of my MacBook Pro. som I can see it but on the laptop it is black. I tried plugging in external monitor and it was black. It’s as if the video connections are not working but I guess the graphics card is because I can screen share??

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Narayan

    I tried all the steps and it’s not working for me, please help.
    Did anyone face the same issue as me?
    I have Macbook Pro 2017, when i open my screen like half (less than 40 degrees) screen is working and it goes black when i make it perpendicular.
    Thanks !!

    Reply
  • Avatar

    JaVonneha

    I have a MacBook Air 2013 13”
    Step 3 worked for me!
    Power button once & the letter S once & she came right on! Thanks

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Your mother

    So the topic is “black screen” & you provide us with solutions that can only work if you don’t have a black screen?? Are you some kind of emotional psychopath?? Since when did modern MacBooks (or any modern laptop) have an EJECT button? What would they be ejecting? Thank you for stealing 30 minutes of my life that I will never get back

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Stephen

    Believe it or not, step 3 worked for me. Thanks.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    MarceloCampusano

    it worked for me :
    Shut down your Mac and connect it to your MagSafe adapter and a wall outlet as usual.
    Hold down the Shift+Control+Option+Power button at the same time for a few seconds.
    Release all keys at the same time, then boot the Mac as usual.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    MGT

    Thank you for this information. I am now able to continue my work. It really was helpful finding this site.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Bob

    More than half of your suggestions require a working screen. So they are useless if I have a black screen. Am I the only one to notice this or am I missing something?

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Jerry

    I had no trouble with my MacBook had it for years then updated it shortly after black screen now I cannot turn on my MacBook always a black screen what is it deliberately done so I had to purchase a new MacBook Pro yes I believe so. best way to fix this. Is to buy a Dell it a HP.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Darryl S Paden

    Step 3 worked for me!

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Roselie Louissaint

    Step 4 fixed it for me! God Bless you! Thank you.

    If you are not saved, please turn to Jesus before it is too late!!!

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Eduard

    NONE of the proposed steps worked for me. HOWEVER I managed to solve it by doing the following:

    1-Shut down the Mac
    2-Press the ON button and IMMEDIATELY after, CLOSE the lid bringing the computer to Sleep.
    3-Open the lid (which wakes up the computer into the starting screen)

    After spending hours I just could not believe it was so simple.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Stephen Lucas

    I don’t have a black screen after logging in, but I do get a load of white error text on a black background that starts with Panic (cpu 2 caller… etc)
    I tried step 4 but no joy
    Any other thoughts would be most welcome please?

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Darrick

    Shit don’t work

    Reply
    • Avatar

      John +2348062088132

      This really works for me.
      Thank you

      Reply
  • Avatar

    Jane

    This post didn’t help as my computer will not start/ re boot to take next steps. Can anyone help? My MacBook Pro is only 2 years old. Could it be the battery? Cheers jane

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Bridget Malone

    How are you supposed to check any of the above listed if the screen is black and unresponsive????

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Karen

    Nothing worked for me..keys are lit so I know it is on, but can’t get rid of that black screen. Why do these things happen when you need your laptop the most. Trying not to let this ruin my day.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Xia

    I have a MacBook Pro early 2013, one day the screen went blank while using it, rebooting did not fix, just brings up a black screen. Tried the options here and nothing worked, the Mac boots fine but the screen remains black. If I wait a few days and boot it up I sometimes get a screen for a few minutes then it goes black again without warning. Will have to take it in for repairs as none of the solutions mentioned worked.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Debbie Self

    Just bought a second hand Mac Pro 11. Plugged in all charged up. Keyboard lights as does apple logo but no screen. Have tried steps. . No success

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Maher

    I have been able to solve my screen problem temporarily after resetting the SMC. But if i leave my mac off for a few minutes, its the same problem again. How to stop this permanently?

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Bob

    Still trying to resurrect my workhorse (early 2013 15″ Retina). Desperately needing a couple of files, I bought a new Macbook Air to use as I operated on my old one. I removed the hard drive and used adapter to transfer my files:
    That part worked, so I’m breathing A LOT easier regarding the much-needed file, and now I’m back to trying to get the old one going. Tried all the steps listed (at least the steps I didn’t need to see the screen), to no avail. I’m going to keep trying and will report back if successful.
    Note: check the pins on your hard drive – that part is super important!
    And yes, I’m backing up that super important file on a cloud.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    RC

    Waking computer from dead sleep ..
    installed a cd
    lets it try to boot
    turned off computer
    turn back on to eject…..walla ….screen back on .
    RESET SLEEP MODE ..TO NEVER…

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Habiba

    None of this worked for me.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    George Camacho

    My sons’s 2016 MB pro is just starting to have black screen issues when he tilts the screen 90 degrees. Did those steps it came back on yet slowly. Yet my2015 aluminum case Mb pro runs like a charm maybe I’ll buy one of those used as it seems to be a solution?

    Reply
  • Avatar

    madeline

    none of this is working please help. i was in the middle of work and there were no problems it just went black out of nowhere

    Reply
    • Avatar

      Kathie

      Same thing happened to me. I hope one of the solutions work for me.

      Reply
  • Avatar

    Huia

    great tips, i got mine working from a black screen using the Command+R and then a restart. I was panicking that I broke it.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Jane

    Thanks so much . I kept trying and eventually it restarted . Hurrah
    Jane

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Aaliyah

    So I have tried logging into my laptop multiple times and it doesn’t work when I log in it loads halfway across the bar the screen turns black and turns off, I went and bought a new charger because the old one was broken and tried everything I could find but it still won’t turn on. Any ideas on what’s wrong?

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Naughty Nymph

    What kind of idiot are you?
    Black screen……so how are you getting into the on screen dialogue windows?
    A complete waste of pixels.

    Reply
    • Avatar

      Polo

      Using an external monitor.

      Reply
  • Avatar

    Jet

    Do nothing.

    The problem comes when it falls to sleep then wakes but won’t turn on the screen.

    Letting the system fall back to sleep on its own resolves the problem.

    Reply
    • Avatar

      rc

      Sounds hopeful makes a bit of sense
      mine hasn’t woken yet ,Ill give it a few more shakes
      I tried the codes nothing worked
      ..starting to think theres a conspiracy …,,,to MAC users …..
      new wave screen black outs…..who the EF know …today what can be done
      …………..this should not be happening all of a sudden ,,,time line observation

      Reply
  • Avatar

    Heidi

    Thanks so much! My macbook was suffering from ‘black screen synsrome’. The “Try a known sequence” fix worked.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Geri

    Step 3 worked like a charm. Thank you! I have a 2013 MacBook Air.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Tyra Hill

    Thanks for sharing this amazing and helpful information, that will really help in fixing the screens. I really appreciate your work, keep it up.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Yadidiah

    My Mac book pro opens only half, the screen of my Mac book only works when I put my half open and it goes black when it’s fully opened. The keyboard light is still there so I guess the Mac book is still working. Can anyone help me know my problem and how to solve them.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    daniel

    sometimes my Mac screen goes black for 30 seconds or longer. it’s terrifying but it always comes back with nothing lost. i’m worried that one of these times it will simply die on my and i’ll lose my precious data. any chance of that?

    Reply
  • Avatar

    RobertB

    I was battling this recently as well and then remembered that it also had happened on a Windows laptop I had years ago and the solution for me was to not use the “Sleep” mode at all! Just Lock Screen (if you want) and close lid. Never use Sleep – it is a bug with that feature on many boxes I think!

    Reply
    • Avatar

      rc

      makes the most sense ..now whats the fix …???

      Reply
  • Avatar

    kym kanow

    My macbook goes to the black screen while I’m operating it and with no notice to reason it is then unresponsive an i have to restart the computer the above tread i have tried but to no success
    does anyone have any other reason for this?

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Paul

    Thank You very much.

    Holding the power button on did the trick for this NEW 85-year-old user.

    You’re a lifesaver! Two 2 inch thick Mojave books did not recommend this solution.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Hops

    How does one do step 5 if there is only a black/blank screen?
    Thanks

    Reply
  • Avatar

    CrazyCraftUK

    Nothing I have tried worked. I tried a new video connector, new screen
    The fan spins up and the hard drive makes noise but the screen stays dead.
    What option should I use..?

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Me

    My macbook pro turns on, keyboard lights up, it makes noise on startup. But as the title says black screen is unresponsive. You can not sign in, or see anything but a black screen. No way to get into actual computer. Because the screen is black. Battery is brand new just bought. Was working perfectly fine. I left for hour came back turned on and all black screen I’ve tried everything I have been reading in other sites nothing works. That whole shift ctrl option power does nothing..I’ve had no problems this just all of a sudden.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Ricky

    This is completely stupid!!! My screen won’t turn on!!! How the heck am I supposed to check anything???? I hear noises my keypad lights up but nothing but solid black screen. There is no desktop u can’t sign in u can’t get to anything on the computer at all..

    Reply
  • Avatar

    David

    Hi, I’m never one to be ungrateful but steps 1 and 5 need a screen that isn’t black….so how does that work? Why suggest something you need a working screen for to fix a black screen….have I misread this? ….this is seriously hurting my brain thinking about it???

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Will

    How can I perform any of these steps if I cannot see anything on the “black” screen?

    Reply
    • Avatar

      Amber

      I plugged mine into an hdmi cord into the tv

      Reply
    • Avatar

      Adam L.

      Connect HDMI to an external Monitor and you will be able to see your desktop if your macbook is working with the exception of the screen

      Reply
    • Avatar

      Michael

      Exactly.
      Pretty obvious if you have NO SCREEN. To work with. You CANT WORK.

      Reply
  • Avatar

    Kronika

    I tried everything possible that was suggested above and nothing work. The screen is still black and the fan is still Running. What now?

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Dan

    Tried all of them and still getting the start up page and about half way down the car it goes to a black screen with the spinning wheel and after a few minutes it is just locked up. It’s a 2013 15 inch MacBook Pro. Not one issue until yesterday. Ugh

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Carol

    Nothing has worked on my 2014 MacBook Air. I was typing and it went black. I plugged it in, but the battery wasn’t low.
    It doesn’t make any sounds. It seems completely dead. Which I hope it isn’t!
    Is there something I can do?
    Thank you for any help you can give me.

    Reply
    • Avatar

      Kalah Outlaw-williams

      Did you ever find a fix? Mine did the same thing!!

      Reply
  • Avatar

    Tony Payne

    I’ve found with my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) that when it happens, if I press (not press and hold) the power key, the screen comes back. However when it happens on mine, the whole system is unresponsive so mine may be a different problem. My system is rather old and the battery condition is “service Battery”.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Tarcisio

    Hi,
    Just wanted to share that Step 4 solved my issue. I have a MacBook Pro early 2013.

    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Avatar

      Ernesto Molina Carrón

      Hi,

      same MacBook Pro here, and also step4 did the trick.

      Thanks

      Reply
    • Avatar

      Kevin Heiderman

      Same with me, #4 for my 2011 MacBook Pro, thanks!

      Reply
  • Avatar

    JON

    “Service Battery” Notice with only 304 cycles, from February 2017 – June 2018 (no touch bar). The new battery is not as good by any stretch of the imagination when compared with my 2012 MacBook. Of course the warranty is over, and no word from Apple.

    Reply
  • Avatar

    Magda

    Yeah, many thanks – my MacBook Pro doesn’t have a POWER button or EJECT. Everything switches on, I can hear little chiming, touch pad lights up showing options – the screen is dead no matter what…

    Reply
    • Avatar

      Ag Ro

      Yes, I have the same problem and if I put the screen at a certain angle I can barely see what is on my screen but if I turn the lights off I can see nothing

      Reply