Resolve Hardware Issues with Your Apple Mac

Like any computer, your Apple computer can experience some potentially serious issues over the course of its life. A wide variety of things can go wrong, from a complete failure to start up, to unexpected kernel panic screens. In this guide, we'll go over how to troubleshoot what's plaguing your Mac.

This guide will go over potential generic solutions that should work on all versions of Mac OS X, but the images depicted within this guide will vary depending on how old your Mac is, and what version of OS X it is running.

1. Remove all peripherals from your Mac computer.
   • If you are using an iMac, your ports will be on the rear of the machine.
     
     
     
   • If you are using a Macbook, your ports will be on either side of the machine.
     

This works nearly the same on any modern Mac, with the difference being whether the Mac has a physical power button on the back of the machine or if it’s a MacBook, where the power button is a part of or slightly above the keyboard.

1. Hold down the Power button on the Mac until it shuts down completely, this may take 5-10 seconds or so.
   
   
   
2. Wait a few seconds then press the Power button again to boot the Mac.
   

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   
   
   
2. Immediately press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard.
3. Release the Shift key when you see the login window.

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   

Any unsaved work will be lost.

Disk Utility is designed to be easy to run, and help fix many small issues with your Mac's storage disk. Keep in mind, though, it is also designed to do major repairs and has the capabilities to cause problems if not used correctly. This guide will walk you through the proper options to select to use it safely.

Running Disk Utility can take a long time, especially on larger hard drives. Please make sure you won't need your computer for at least 1 hour before beginning this step.

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   
2. Immediately after your Mac restarts (some Mac computers play a startup sound), press and hold the command ⌘ and R keys until the Apple logo appears, then release the keys.
   
   
3. Click Disk Utility, then Continue.
4. In the bar on the left, highlight your hard disk.
5. Click the First Aid button at the top.
    
6. Click Run.
7. Disk Utility will scan your hard drive, and attempt to repair any issues it has.

If you are prompted to complete the repairs yourself, or get an error about disk failure, reach out to Apple Support immediately.

Activity Monitor shows the processes that are running on your Mac, so you can manage them and see how they affect your Mac's activity and performance.

There may be occasions when a piece of software on your Mac will crash or become unresponsive and take up too much CPU or memory. The best option is to go to the Activity Monitor and see what’s causing the congestion.

Items in the list can be arranged alphabetically or numerically, by clicking each heading at the top of the column (Process Name, %CPU, CPU Time, and so on).

1. Click the title bar at the top called %CPU. A small arrow will appear and should point downwards. This will show the items with the highest percentage of CPU usage at the top. If there is a process that is running very high, it may be malfunctioning and causing a problem.
   
   
   
2. To terminate a process that may be causing a problem, click on it with your mouse to highlight it, then click the X button in the upper-left corner of the Activity Monitor window.
   
   
   
3. You will be asked if you really want to quit the process. Click Force Quit.
   

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   

Any unsaved work will be lost.

1. Open the Apple Menu and click About This Mac.
   
   
   
2. Click on Storage.
   
   
   
3. Click on Manage.
   

Optimize Storage

1. Click on Optimize.
   
   
   

   When storage space is needed, iTunes movies or TV shows that you already watched are removed from your Mac. Click the cloud icon next to a movie or TV show to download it again.

Empty Trash Automatically

1. To automatically delete your trash, click Turn On.
   
   
   

   Enabling this feature will permanently delete any items that have been in the trash for 30 days.

Reduce Clutter

1. Click the Review Files button, then choose any of the categories in the sidebar, such as Applications, Documents, GarageBand, iOS Files, iTunes, or Trash.
   
   
   

   You can delete files or programs by either clicking on the "x" when hovering over the item or by right clicking and choosing delete.

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   

Any unsaved work will be lost.

This works nearly the same on any modern Mac, with the difference being whether the Mac has a physical power button on the back of the machine or if it’s a MacBook, where the power button is a part of or slightly above the keyboard.

1. Hold down the Power button on the Mac until it shuts down completely, this may take 5-10 seconds or so.
   
   
   
2. Wait a few seconds then press the Power button again to boot the Mac.
   

1. Click the Apple menu, then click onApp Store.
   
2. Select Updates on the bar at the top.
   
3. Any pending updates for your Mac will be listed here. Select Update All to apply these updates.

1. Click on the Apple Menu, then click System Preferences.
   
2. Choose Users & Groups.
   
3. Choose Login Items at the top. Then, choose your username on the left. Then, click the Lock icon at the bottom. You may need to type in your Mac password to unlock this screen.
   
4. Look through the list on the right. If you see an item you don't recognize, or an item you don't use frequently, highlight it by clicking its name, then click the Remove – button below to remove it.
   
   

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   

Any unsaved work will be lost.

NVRAM (nonvolatile random-access memory) is a cache of settings specific to your Mac. Resetting NVRAM is safe, however you will need to reset some of your minor customizations, such as volume, time zone, or screen resolution.

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Shut Down... (2).
   
2. Wait for your computer to shut down, and turn off.
3. Turn your Mac back on by pushing the Power button.
   
4. Immediately push and hold the option, command ⌘, P, and R keys on your keyboard.
   
   
   • If your Mac plays a startup sound, release the keys after the second time it plays.
   • If there is no startup sound, release the keys after the second time the Apple logo disappears.

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   
   
   
2. Immediately press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard.
3. Release the Shift key when you see the login window.

1. Click the Apple menu, then click onApp Store.
   
2. Select Updates on the bar at the top.
   
3. Any pending updates for your Mac will be listed here. Select Update All to apply these updates.

1. From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
   

Any unsaved work will be lost.