Despite the fact that Apple makes pretty reliable gadgets, they still freeze from time to time. This applies to iPhones, iPads, and even MacBooks. And we are talking not only about old models, in which the risk of freezing, logically, is much higher, but also for new gadgets that have just come off the assembly line. Fortunately, there is no need to wait until the MacBook wakes up – there are many ways to restart it, even if it freezes so seriously that it does not respond to keystrokes and others. Today we will tell you how to force restart your Macbook.
How to properly restart your MacBook
Force restarting your MacBook assumes that all files and programs will be closed without first saving, so there is a risk of losing unsaved data. In general, it depends on the program: as a rule, text editors make a backup and offer to open it after enabling it, but sometimes this does not happen. Therefore, restarting the Mac in this way is only in extreme cases.
This is especially unsafe during macOS updates , as a result of which the operating system may not be installed correctly: as in the case of the iPhone, sometimes it seems that the installation of the update freezes, but it’s better to spend a little more time than get a non-working device. So, if possible, then wait a while and restart your Mac in the usual way: it takes a few minutes or longer, but there will be no risk of data loss.
What to do if your Macbook freezes
One of the reasons why Macbook freezes can be any connected flash drive or external drive. In this case, the work of the laptop may not be completely paralyzed, but the storage may stop responding. This is due to the low read / write speed of the device and most often occurs when copying files. The best way is to eject the disc. If possible, do this in a secure way to avoid data corruption. Drag the external one to the trash icon in the Dock, or open the Finder and select “Eject” next to the drive in the sidebar.
In addition, the whole problem may lie in frozen applications, especially if there are a lot of them. You can try manually closing them – there is a chance that the MacBook will still come to its senses and continue to work. If any of the applications refuses to close, you can always close it forcibly.
- Press Option + Cmd + Escape to open the Force Shutdown window.
- Select the problematic application from the list.
- Click Force Quit.
After that, right from there you can select “Restart”. But experts first recommend turning off the Mac in the usual way using the Apple menu. If, however, this still fails, then the whole point is not in the program, but in the system itself – you need to act immediately.
Force Restart MacBook
There are several ways to force restart your MacBook in order to get it back to a working state. But you only need to do this when applications do not respond for a long time, the mouse cursor does not move, key combinations do not work, or the laptop just behaves strangely. There are several ways.
- Hold down the power button on your MacBook until the screen turns off. It usually takes about 10 seconds, but sometimes you have to wait longer. After the screen goes blank, you can turn on the laptop again.
- You can use the safer method: quickly press Control + Option + Cmd and the power button to turn off your MacBook. But the keyboard shortcut may not work if the system is unable to safely close the application.
- Instead, you can use the same keys without Option to force shutdown your MacBook . In this case, hold down the keys until the computer turns off.
But waiting until the MacBook runs out is definitely not worth it: it takes a lot of time and increases the risk of losing unsaved data. In addition, you should not remove the battery, especially if you have to disassemble the computer case. So the chance is that you will damage the internal components.
