If your Mac’s screen keeps freezing, you might be able to fix it yourself by trying these solutions from our in-house tech wizards.
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Troubleshoot with Safe Mode
Safe Mode prevents certain software from loading as your Mac starts up, such as login items, unnecessary extensions and others. It can help you identify if any issues you may be experiencing are caused by that software.
Mac with Apple silicon
- Shut down your computer.
- Turn it back on and press and hold the power button until the start-up options screen appears.
- Choose the start-up disk, then press and hold the “Shift” key and click “Continue in Safe Mode”.
- Your computer will automatically restart. If prompted, log back in.
Intel processor-based Mac
- Turn on or restart your computer, then press and hold the “Shift” key until the login window pops up.
- Release the key and log in.
- You may be prompted to log in again – you should see the words “Safe Boot” appear in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
If the problem continues even when in Safe Mode
If the issue continues or your Mac restarts several times and then powers down again when in Safe Mode, you should reinstall macOS.
Reset NVRAM
The non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), sometimes called the parallel random-access machine (PRAM), is a small portion of memory that your computer uses to save and have lightning-speed access to certain settings such as sound, start-up disk selection and even the time zone. Most of the time you can control these settings in your System Preferences, but if you can’t, resetting your NVRAM may help!
If your Mac has Apple silicon
If your Mac computer has Apple silicon, you don’t need to worry about resetting your NVRAM as these devices don’t include a manual reset option.
If your Mac is Intel-based
If your Mac doesn’t have Apple silicon, then your computer has an Intel processor and features an NVRAM reset option. Follow the instructions below to reset it.
- Shut down your Mac.
- Turn on your computer and immediately press and hold Option-Command (⌘)-P-R.
- You can release the keys after about 20 seconds – you may start to hear the restart sound a few times or see the Apple logo pop up on the screen.
- When your Mac does restart, make sure to readjust your system settings as they could have been reset in the process.
- If these steps didn’t work, see these guidelines to continue troubleshooting.
Reinstall macOS
macOS Recovery is a great way to reinstall your Mac operating system.
How to start up from macOS Recovery
First, check that your computer is connected to the Internet. Determine whether your Mac has Apple silicon or an Intel processor, and then follow the instructions below.
Apple silicon
Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until the start-up options screen pops up. Go to “Options”, then click “Continue”.
Intel-processor based Mac
Turn on your Mac and press Command (⌘)-R at the same time. Continue to hold the keys until the Apple logo or another screen appears.
If you’re prompted, select your user profile, click “Next”, and enter your password.
Reinstall macOS
Keep in mind that reinstalling macOS doesn’t delete your data. To install it, click Reinstall macOS on the Utilities tab in macOS Recovery, then select “Continue”.
- If you’re asked to unlock your disk, simply enter the password you normally use to log in to your computer.
- If your disk isn’t recognised, or you see a message that says it can’t install on your Mac, you’ll need to erase your disk before continuing – be sure to back up your disk before you do so.
- Make sure to install macOS on Macintosh HD if prompted.
- Leave your Mac on and open to finish the installation – be aware that it may restart a few times and the screen may turn on and off during the process.