Having Macbook Air won’t turn on problem might be a devastating experience to most users. Every device nowadays like the Macbook Air seems to be not exempted from these kinds of problems. Just imagine if you have an important business or anything that needs your Macbook to fulfill and you won’t be able to do that due to the said situation.
If you’ve recently opened your Macbook Air but you found out that it’s not turning on, feel free to read this whole article. The contents provided below should help out those affected users of Macbook Air that are just getting a black screen on their devices and showing no indication that it is turning on.
What to do if Macbook Air won’t turn on
One factor that could result in a black screen or won’t turn on issue on Macbook Air and other computer is overheating. If the device has succumbed to an error that causes the temperature to rise above the normal operation, it will usually turn off automatically to prevent further damage on the system.

Not turning on issue could also be due to the Macbook is not responding when pressing the power button, especially if it has incurred glitches from a Mac OS update.
If you have not charged your Mac or it has not been connected to a direct power source, make sure that it is plugged in. If you have a spare charger or power cable, you can also try swapping it out to determine if it is caused by a defective charging wires. You can also test your current cable to a lamp or other devices to determine if it is damaged or still working.
After ensuring that it is connected to a power source, wait for a few moments before turning the power on. It may need time to recuperate from a battery drain. You may need to wait for a couple of minutes before a charging indicator will appear if the Macbook’s battery has been completely dead. You may check for signs like sounds from a fan, hard disk or other startup sound to determine if it is already receiving power.
If there is no success and you have waited long enough, proceed in performing the steps below.
First solution: Check hardware and perform a power cycle on your Macbook Air
If the Macbook Air is not turning on, try checking the hardware components on your computer. You may unplug all accessories that are connected to your Macbook Air such as portable keyboard, mouse, printer, drives, USB ports or mobile devices. There might be an issue with one of the connected devices that’s preventing a successful start up on your Macbook Air.

Once all connected devices are unplugged, try performing a power cycle on your device. Fixing a Macbook Air that has been stuck on a black screen or has been frozen and not responding to power presses can be done by performing a force restart. This process will cut off the power supply and helps in executing a force restart. It might provide an easy fix to the not turning on problem on your device.
Here’s how to do it:
- Press the Power button for at least 10 seconds.
- Release the Power button and wait for it to start up.
If your Macbook Air is only on a frozen state, this procedure will forcibly turn off the power and a force restart will be initiated.
Last solution: Perform a System Management Controller Firmware reset
SMC or System Management Controller Firmware is the processor on your Macbook Air that is responsible in controlling thermal and power management, battery charging and other features on your computer like video mode switching or the hibernation process. Performing a reset on SMC could help you in resolving issues that are related to power and battery on your device that’s causing the Macbook Air that won’t turn on.

System Management Controller Firmware also plays a vital role in controlling the behavior of your Macbook’s hard drive and power supply. Since you’re experiencing an issue with the power on your device that’s preventing a start up, this process might do the trick in resolving the problem.
If you would like to perform this as a last resort, here are the steps:
- Plug in the power cable to your Macbook Air. Make sure that it is on a direct power source.
- Press the Shift+Control+Option keys at the left-side of the keyboard and the Power button on your Macbook Air, then hold those buttons down.
- Release those four buttons all at once and then press the Power button. This will turn on your Macbook Air.
If your device is able to start up, allow it to complete the reboot process. Once done, update the MacOS as it will fortify the system and fix some errors that may have caused the won’t turn on issue. This should also prevent other issues from occurring on your Macbook Air.
To update the software on your Mac, follow these steps:
- Select Apple menu.
- Select System Preferences.
- Then click on Software Update.
You can also update the software by selecting Apple menu > About This Mac > Software Update.
If there is a software downloaded from the App Store, you may install that by:
- Select Apple menu.
- Click on App Store.
- Then select Updates.
Setting your Macbook Air to check for software updates automatically can be beneficial in the future as it will remove the hassle of manually checking for software updates. Apple releases software updates periodically which contains important security updates and fixes to some reported errors, so it is reasonable to set it on automatic updates. To do that, refer to the steps below:
- Select Apple menu.
- Select System Preferences.
- Then click on Software Update.
- Select Automatically keep my Mac up to date to automatically install MacOS updates.
You can also set advanced update solutions on your Macbook Air. To receive future updates automatically, it is recommended to select Check for Updates, Download new updates when available, and Install system data files and security updates under the advanced update solutions. Just keep your Macbook Air plugged in to a power source, so that it will automatically install software updates in the future.
Still having a Macbook Air won’t turn on problem
If you’re not able to fix the situation on your Macbook Air after trying the recommendations above, you may contact Apple Support, Apple Store or the nearest Apple service center in your area to get additional information as well as official recommendations on how to deal with the not turning on issue on your Macbook Air.