How to Fix MacBook Air M1 Not Turning On Issue

There are various factors that can cause your MacBook Air to not turn on. It could be due to its battery not having enough charge, faulty charger, a software glitch, or even a hardware failure. To fix this you will need to perform several troubleshooting steps.

The MacBook Air M1 is the latest Air model available in the market today that uses Apple’s latest M1 chip. It’s faster and more powerful than previous generation models with its battery able to last s much as 18 hours on a single charge.

What do I do if my MacBook Air 2020 won’t turn on?

What do I do if my MacBook Air 2020 won't turn on?

One of the issues that you don’t want to experience with your MacBook Air M1 is when it does not turn on. This can be a frustrating experience especially if you have some locally stored data that you want to access or if you want to use the laptop for productivity tasks.

Here’s what you need to do to fix this problem.

Solution 1: Charge your MacBook Air M1

Charge your MacBook Air M1

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that your MacBook battery has sufficient charge to turn on the laptop. If the battery is fully drained then you won’t be able to turn on the device.

In order to properly charge your M1 MacBook you should use its original power adapter. If you don’t have this available with you then make sure that the power adapter you are using has an output of at least 30 watts.

Aside from the power adapter you will also need to make sure that the USB-C power cable you are using is working. You can check if it works by using it no another USB C device.

To charge your MacBook Air

Connect the 30W USB-C Power Adapter to a power outlet.

Connect the USB-C Charge Cable to either one of the the Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports of your MacBook Air.

Leave the MacBook Air charging for 3 hours.

When the battery has been fully charged try to turn on the M1 MacBook and check if the issue is fixed.

Solution 2: Perform a power cycle on your M1 MacBook

Perform a power cycle on your M1 MacBook

If the battery of your M1 MacBook is fully charged but it still does not turn on then try doing a power cycle.

Force your Mac to turn on

  • Press and hold the power button on your Mac for at least 10 seconds.
  • If you see no change on your Mac, press and release the power button.
  • If your Mac turns on but gets stuck on a particular screen then proceed with the following steps listed below.

M1 MacBook gets stuck on screen with circle with a line through it

This means that your Mac startup disk has an operating system that it cannot use.

  • Press and hold the power button on your Mac for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off.
  • Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold both Command and R to start up from macOS Recovery.
  • While in macOS Recovery, use Disk Utility to repair your startup disk.
  • If Disk Utility found no errors or repaired all errors, reinstall macOS.
  • If the issue persists then contact Apple Support.

M1 MacBook stuck on screen with a folder and question mark

This means that your Mac does not have a startup disk or the operating system is not available.

  • Make sure that your preferred startup disk is selected in Startup Disk preferences.
  • If the issue persists then follow the steps for fixing the circle with a line on it.

M1 MacBook starts up to Options with a gear icon

  • Select a startup disk, such as Macintosh HD. Then click Continue to start up from that disk.
  • Select Options, then click Continue to open macOS Recovery. From there you can reinstall macOS, use Disk Utility to repair your disk or erase your disk, and more.
  • Click Shut Down or Restart.

M1 MacBook starts up to a blank screen

  • Press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds.
  • You should see the startup options window, which includes a gear icon labeled Options. Select Options, then click Continue.
  • If you never see the startup options window, release the power button, then press and hold it again for another 10 seconds.
  • Contact Apple Support if the issue persists.

M1 MacBook stuck on Apple logo screen

  • Press and hold the power button on your Mac for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off.
  • Turn on your Mac.
  • If the issue persists, press and hold the power button until your Mac turns off.
  • Unplug all accessories from your Mac, including printers, drives, USB hubs, and other nonessential devices.
  • Turn your Mac back on.
  • If the issue persists, once again press and hold the power button until your Mac turns off then use Disk Utility to repair your startup disk.

Solution 3: Revive your M1 MacBook using Apple Configurator 2

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If the problem is caused by a corrupted operating system caused by a power failure when you tried updating the operating system then you will need to revive or restore your MacBook using Apple Configurator 2.

Here are the things you will need to perform this task.

  • Another Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15.6 or later
  • A stable internet connection.
  • The latest version of the Apple Configurator 2.
  • A USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to USB-A cable to connect the two Macs. You should make sure that the cables support both power and data. Thunderbolt 3 cables aren’t supported.

First step: Connect the two Macs

  • Connect your M1 MacBook Air into the power source and turn it ON.
  • Plug-in the USB-C cable and connect the two Mac computers.
  • Launch Apple Configurator 2

Second step: Prepare the M1 MacBook Air

  • Press the power button and hold the following keys simultaneously for about 10 seconds: The right Shift key, The left Option key, The left Control key.
  • After 10 seconds, immediately release the three keys but continue to hold down the power button until a DFU icon appears in Apple Configurator 2 on the first Mac.

Third step: Revive the firmware and install the latest version of recoveryOS

  • On the first Mac’s Apple Configurator 2 window, select the DFU icon of the Mac that you want to revive.
  • Go to Actions > Advanced > Revive Device, and click Revive.
  • Control-click the selected DFU icon, select Advanced > Revive Device and click Revive.
  • Wait until the process is done. The Apple logo will appear and disappear on the second Mac during the process.
  • When completed your Mac will reboot. ( If unsuccessful proceed to the fourth step immediately.)
  • Quit the Configurator app on the first Mac and unplug any cables or adapters.

Fourth Step: If the revive process fails then you should restore the firmware

  • On the first Mac’s Apple Configurator 2 window, select the DFU icon of the Mac that you want to revive.
  • Go to Actions then Restore Device, and click Restore.
  • Control-click the selected DFU icon, select Actions then Restore, and click Restore.
  • Wait until the process is done. The Apple logo will appear and disappear on the second Mac during the process.
  • When completed your Mac will reboot.
  • Once you’re done with the process, you’ll see the macOS Setup Assistant on the second Mac computer. In case you don’t see the macOS Setup Assistant, repeat the restore process.
  • Quit Apple Configurator 2 app on the first Mac and unplug any cables or adapters.

Solution 4: Contact Apple support

Contact Apple support

In case the troubleshooting steps you performed fails to fix the problem then you should contact the nearest Apple Store and have the M1 MacBook Air repaired.

Feel free to visit our YouTube channel for additional support and troubleshooting guides on various devices

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