You can take your Mac to an Apple service provider to replace the battery. If you experience issues with sleep, wake, power, charging your Mac notebook battery, or other power-related symptoms, you might need to reset the SMC (System Management Controller). Note: The boot time of your Mac immediately after SMC Reset can be longer than normal. Also, you will be losing power related settings on your Mac, like the time it takes for the Mac to go into sleep mode. Reset SMC On iMac, Mac Mini and Mac Pro. Follow the steps below to Reset SMC on desktop versions of Macs like iMac, Mac Mini and Mac Pro. Easily reset SMC on Mac. There are various ways to complete a Mac reset SMC, depending on the Mac model you have. As SMC reset on MacBook Pros with a removable battery is the easiest, let’s begin from there: Power down your MacBook. Remove the battery. Press the power button and hold it for five seconds. Reconnect the battery and turn on your. To reset SMC on your Mac, you’ll need to shut down your Mac. If the computer won’t shut down, press and hold down the power button for about 10 seconds or until the Mac powers off. If your Mac has the Apple T2 Security Chip, shut down the computer, press and hold the power button and release it after 10 seconds.
This article explains how and when you can reset the SMC of your Mac. In some situations, you may need to reset your computer’s SMC to fix various issues. This article further details how you can identify these conditions.
The System Management Controller (SMC) is a subsystem that controls all power, light and sensor functions for your Mac. It is possible that the SMC could experience issues that may cause bizarre system behavior.
Why?
There are a number of macOS problems that could be fixed by resetting the SMC. For example, if you are experiencing power or battery problems on your Mac (e.g., the battery is not charging,), you may want to reset the SMC. The followings are some of the sings you may see that may require you to reset it:
- Your Mac’s power button is not working, nothing happens when pressed.
- Your Mac sleeps or shuts down unexpectantly.
- The fans run constantly even though your Mac is not experiencing heavy use.
- Your Mac shows a black screen.
- Your Mac’s lights (such as status indicator, keyboard backlight, battery indicator lights) behave incorrectly.
- Your Mac is running extremely slow even though Activity Monitor does not show any unusual activity.
- Apps are not responding. (How to see what apps are running on your Mac)
- Problems with external displays.
- Your MacBook is overheating.
Before resetting the SMC, try the standard troubleshooting tips below. Test the issue after completing each troubleshooting step to determine if your issue still occurs:
- Press Command + Option + Escape, do you see any unresponsive apps? If so force quit it.
- Restart your Mac by choosing the Apple menu from the upper-left menu bar and then Shut Down.
- If your Mac is unresponsive, force your Mac to shut down by pressing and holding the power until your computer turns off. You will lose unsaved data.
- Turn off your Mac. Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds. Then release the power key. Wait a few seconds. And then press and hold the power button to turn on your Mac.
If these standard tips do not work for you, then it is time to reset it.
Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
Here is how. Different Mac models require different steps. Resetting the SMC works slightly differently on different Mac computers:
MacBook models with the T2 chip
MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models introduced in 20118 or later include the T2 chip. If you are unsure, open System Information on your Mac to learn if your computer has the chip:
- Press and hold the Option key and while you holding the key, click Apple menu > System Information.
- Click Controller or iBridge. It will say “Apple T2 chip” if your computer has this.
How to reset:
- Turn off your Mac by choosing Shut Down from the Apple menu.
- Press and hold the following three keys: Control (on the left side), Option (Alt) (on the left side), Shift (on the right side).
- Keep holding these three keys for 7 seconds. Then while holding the keys, press and hold the power button.
- Now press and hold these 4 keys for an additional 7 seconds. Then release all keys.
- Wait a few seconds. And press the power button to turn on your Mac.
All Desktop models
These include iMac, iMac Pro, and Mac Pro models. Here is how:
- Turn off your Mac.
- Unplug its power cord.
- Wait 15 seconds.
- Now plug the power cable back in.
- Wait 5 seconds.
- Turn on your Mac by pressing the power button.
MacBook models with a nonremovable battery
These models include all MacBook Air models, as well as MacBook and MacBook Pro models introduced in mid-2009 or later. The only exception is the 13-inch MacBook (Mid 2009). These models do not have the T2 chip. Here is how:
- Turn off your Mac.
- Press and hold these three keys: Shift (left side), Control (left side), Option (Alt) (left side).
- While holding these three keys, start pressing and holding the power key too.
- Keep pressing and holding these 4 keys for 10 seconds.
- Then release all the 4 keys.
- Wait a few seconds. And press the power button to turn on your Mac as usual.
MacBook models with a removable battery
Is your battery removable? Just look at the bottom of your computer. Do you see some mechanism for removing the battery? If you have a MacBook and MacBook Pro models introduced in early 2009 or earlier or 13-inch MacBook (Mid 2009), then your computer has a removable battery.
- Turn off your Mac.
- Remove its battery.
- Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
- Then reconnect the battery.
- Turn on your Mac by pressing the power button as usual.
Hopefully, now you reset the SMC, your issue is fixed. If not, it is to contact Apple support.
Reset the SMC on computers that have the T2 chip
If your Mac has the Apple T2 Security Chip, follow these steps. If you need help, contact Apple Support.
Notebook computers with the T2 chip
Before resetting the SMC, try these steps:
- Shut down your Mac.
- Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds, then release the button.
- Wait a few seconds, then press the power button to turn on your Mac.
If the issue persists, follow these steps to reset the SMC:
- Shut down your Mac.
- On your built-in keyboard, press and hold all of the following keys. Your Mac might turn on.
- Control on the left side of your keyboard
- Option (Alt) on the left side of your keyboard
- Shift on the right side of your keyboard
- Keep holding all three keys for 7 seconds, then press and hold the power button as well. If your Mac is on, it will turn off as you hold the keys.
- Keep holding all four keys for another 7 seconds, then release them.
- Wait a few seconds, then press the power button to turn on your Mac.
Desktop computers with the T2 chip
- Shut down your Mac, then unplug the power cord.
- Wait 15 seconds, then plug the power cord back in.
- Wait 5 seconds, then press the power button to turn on your Mac.
Reset the SMC on other computers
If your Mac doesn't have the Apple T2 Security Chip, follow these steps. If you need help, contact Apple Support.
Notebook computers with a nonremovable battery
This applies to MacBook Pro models introduced in mid-2009 through 2017, MacBook Air models introduced in 2017 or earlier, and all MacBook models except the MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009).
- Shut down your Mac.
- On your built-in keyboard, press and hold all of these keys:
- Shift on the left side of your keyboard
- Control on the left side of your keyboard
- Option (Alt) on the left side of your keyboard
- While holding all three keys, press and hold the power button as well.
- Keep holding all four keys for 10 seconds.
- Release all keys, then press the power button to turn on your Mac.
Notebook computers with a battery that can be removed
This applies to all MacBook Pro and MacBook models introduced in early 2009 or earlier, as well as the MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009).
- Shut down your Mac.
- Remove the battery. (If you need help removing it, contact an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider.)
- Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
- Reinstall the battery.
- Press the power button to turn on your Mac.
Desktop computers
Mac Reset Nvram
- Shut down your Mac, then unplug the power cord.
- Wait 15 seconds, then plug the power cord back in.
- Wait 5 seconds, then press the power button to turn on your Mac.
About the SMC
The system management controller is responsible for managing behaviors related to these features:
Smc Macbook
- Power, including the power button and power to the USB ports
- Battery and charging
- Fans and other thermal-management features
- Indicators or sensors such as status indicator lights (sleep status, battery charging status, and others), the sudden motion sensor, the ambient light sensor, and keyboard backlighting
- Behavior when opening and closing the lid of a notebook computer
How To Restore Mac Mini
Resetting the SMC doesn't affect the contents of NVRAM or PRAM.