Has your Mac ever froze to the point where you couldn’t even turn it off? It can be an upsetting experience, leaving you feeling helpless and unsure of what to do. But don’t worry, in this article, we will show you how to force restart or shut down your Mac when it freezes.
There are several ways to force restart or shut down your Mac when it crashes. You can use hard shutdown, PRAM reset, etc. to do it. Besides, there are specific signs that determine if your Mac is frozen, such as unresponsive mouse, trackpad or keyboard, unresponsive applications, etc.
Whether you’re dealing with a system-wide stuck or frozen app, we’ve got you covered.
What to know before force restarting or shutting down your Mac
Before force restarting or shutting down a frozen Mac, there are a few things to consider:
If your Mac is responsible, try to save any unsaved work before the forced restart or shutdown. Otherwise, your current data will be deleted.
Make sure that external storage devices, such as external hard drives or USB drives, are ejected appropriately before forcing a reboot or shutdown.
Consider trying other troubleshooting methods, such as force quitting an unresponsive app or using Activity Monitor to close a suspended process before attempting a force restart or shutdown.
Please note that forcing a reboot or shutdown may lose unsaved changes and possibly corrupt the file system. With this in mind, let’s continue with the methods.
Force restart or shutdown on a frozen Mac: What you need to know
If your Mac becomes unresponsive and hangs, the only way to fix the problem is to force restart or shutdown. No matter what macOS or Mac model you’re running (Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, iMac) or the chipset you’re using, all the steps and methods below are the same.
One of the easiest and most popular ways to free up your Mac is to press the power button for a few seconds until the screen goes black. You’ll find the power button or an empty Touch ID sensor that doubles as the power button in the top-right corner of your Mac’s keyboard.
If you’re using an iMac, you’ll find the power button behind the bottom left corner of the screen. And like Mac, press and hold the power button to force shutdown. If the screen is already black, press the power button until the Apple logo appears.
However, if you do not want to use the power button, there is another way.
2. Use Keyboard Shortcuts
Shutdown or restart your Mac with a very simple keyboard shortcut. There are two keyboard shortcuts; the first method tries to securely close the app first, while the second method forces your Mac to shut down without closing any running apps. Let’s start with the first shortcut.
Method 1: The first method is to safely shut down your Mac. So press ‘Control + Option + Command + Power.’ Make sure you only press the power button briefly; a gentle press does the job.
Method 2: This method will force close your Mac. All you need to do is press ‘Control + Command + Power.’ However, unlike Method 1, you’ll need to press the power button a little longer until your Mac shuts down.
3. Remove the Power Supply and Discharge the Battery
In case none of the methods mentioned above work, the last resort is to remove the power source (if connected) and let your Mac drain the battery. If you’re using an older Mac with a removable back, you can remove the battery from the bottom and put it back and rotate it. If you’re using a desktop Mac, simply unplug the power cable and you’re done.
After your Mac’s battery runs out, wait a while before plugging in the power button and turning it on. Like any other method mentioned above, even this Mac freeing technique can cause data loss.
If you are facing repeated or persistent freezing, check if it is a hardware issue that is causing the problem by going to Apple Diagnostics mode. Read on.
How to use Apple Diagnostics to check for hardware problems on a Mac
Apple Diagnostics will allow you to determine if your Mac freezing is a software or hardware problem before you take it to a service center. The steps may vary depending on the chipset your Mac uses. Let’s start with the steps for Apple Silicon.
How to Use Apple Diagnostics on Apple Silicon Mac
Step 1: Press and hold the power button as your Mac boots up.
Note: If your Mac is on, turn it off and start it up.
Step 2: When you see the options window start, release the power button.
Note: You’ll see a clear disc icon and a gear icon labeled Options.
Step 3: Press ‘Command + D’ on your keyboard to run the diagnostics.
That’s it. The diagnostic process will begin. Once done, you’ll see results with one or more Apple Diagnostics reference codes to help you identify potential problems.
Now, if you are using an Intel Mac, the steps are still the same, with some slight modifications. Continue reading.
How to Use Apple Diagnostics on Intel Mac
Step 1: Press the power button to turn on your Mac, and immediately, press and hold the D key on your keyboard.
Note: If your Mac is on, turn it off and start it up.
Step 2: Release the key when you see the progress bar or are asked to select the language.
Your go. When the test is complete, it will display one or more reference codes, which you can check by visiting Apple’s support page and learning more about it.
If you want to repeat the test, click the test again or press ‘Command + R.’ If you have more questions, check out the FAQ section below.
FAQ about Force Restart or Shutdown Mac when Freezing
1. What causes the screen to freeze?
Several reasons can cause the screen to freeze on a Mac. This includes software problems, hardware problems, overheating, power problems, and incompatible external devices. Identifying the cause helps you determine the best course of action to address it.
2. What is a hard reboot on Mac?
A hard reboot, also known as a hard reset, involves cutting off the device’s power completely and then restarting it. It is often used as a last resort to fix problems or problems with a Mac.
3. How do I safely restart my Mac?
To safely restart your Mac, click the Apple menu in the top left corner > select Restart/Shutdown > click Restart/Shutdown in the pop-up window.
Free up your Mac
Knowing how to force restart or shut down a frozen Mac is helpful, whether you’re an advanced user or a newbie. Following the steps mentioned above, you can get your Mac up and running in no time. You may also want to read how to use Low Power Mode on a Mac.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
