Do you have a broken MacBook on your hands? There may be hope for your favorite computer. Discover five ways to identify and troubleshoot a broken MacBook.
According to Apple, initial Mac owners keep their devices for an average of at least four years. After this, the owners then either resell or pass them along to another person as a gift. Other Mac users also return their old Macs to Apple.
All that implies how most Macs last for no less than four years.
However, that’s only true for Macs whose owners follow a strict maintenance program. Many other Apple users end up with broken MacBook units, or at the very least, deal with a lot of issues with their Macs.
Fortunately, most minor to moderate MacBook problems are repairable. We’ll share all the must-know details about these top issues and how to fix them, so be sure to read on.
- Problematic Keyboard
Have you noticed your MacBook creating duplicate characters or not responding right away? If so, then take that as a sign you have a broken MacBook Pro or Air keyboard. Apple itself acknowledged this as an issue with its butterfly keyboard.
Part of the company’s apology involved creating the Keyboard Service Program. There’s a long list of eligible MacBook, Pro, and Air models, starting from the early 2015 MacBook model. If your Mac is part of this list, an authorized service center should service it for free.
- Stuck on a Gray or Blue Screen
When you power on a Mac with a Retina screen, it should immediately appear illuminated. It should then turn from completely black to a really dark shade of gray. In non-retina Macs, the screen should either be blue or gray.
That part of the boot process should only take a few seconds before the Apple logo shows up. If it doesn’t, or you only see a blue, gray, or nearly black screen, you likely have an erratic start-up drive. Another possible culprit is a faulty peripheral connected to one of your Mac’s ports.
If you have any external device plugged into your Mac, perform a full shut down first. Simply press and hold the power button until you hear an audible click and your screen goes black. Disconnect all the connected peripherals before you power on your Mac again.
If the problem persists, it’s likely your start-up drive that’s having some issues. In this case, you should bring your Mac to the nearest authorized service center.
- Apple Logo During Start-Up Doesn’t Disappear
As mentioned above, the Apple logo should show up a few seconds after you power on your Mac. When this appears, it means that your Mac has found the connected start-up drive. Right below the Apple logo is a progress bar that should move along as your Mac goes through the drive.
Once your computer has loaded everything, the next thing you should see is the log-in screen. How long before you see this depends on how much data your Mac contains. It can take less than a minute, but it should never be more than several minutes.
So, if that Apple logo doesn’t go away after, say, five minutes, it only means something’s wrong. The same goes for if the status bar doesn’t budge at all.
Please note that the same screen appears while Mac is installing a macOS update. This one takes a lot longer, though, sometimes an hour or more.
If you’re only restarting your Mac, the issue is likely again due to a faulty peripheral. It may also result from start-up drive issues, especially if you’re running out of storage. As such, a hard reset also serves as one of the first steps on how to fix a Mac stuck on Apple logo.
If that doesn’t work, you can try rebooting your device in Safe Mode. If you make it past the reboot and log-in, the next thing to do is get rid of as many apps and files you no longer need. Doing so frees up storage in your Mac, so it’ll also have less data to go through during start-up.
If none of those steps work, it’s time to take your Mac to a service center.
- MacBook Not Starting at All
A surefire sign you have a broken MacBook Air or Pro is if it doesn’t turn on at all, even if you’re sure your charger works. In this case, the screen will stay dead and black no matter how many times you press the power button. The problem is likely your Mac’s battery; you can have an authorized service center replace it for you.
- Apps Freeze and Crash All the Time
This issue can occur when you run out of memory (RAM) or if your apps are malfunctioning themselves.
Insufficient RAM, in turn, can be due to running multiple apps simultaneously. You’ve overtaxed your Mac, so it can no longer cope up with all the tasks you’re making it do. An easy way to prevent this is to limit the number of active apps you have.
You can also force quit the problematic app if your screen gets stuck on the frozen software.
If you don’t have many apps open at the same time, you may have malware running in the background. Do note that Mac malware is on the rise, with infection rates being an estimated 1,100% higher in 2020 than in 2019. Install anti-malware and use the same app to get rid of any malicious program it discovers.
If your apps are the culprit, they may be acting up because they’re out-out-date. See if there’s any available update or patch for the programs, and if there are, install them right away.
Use These Tips To Get Your Broken MacBook Working Again.
As you can see, many symptoms of a broken MacBook, from stuck screens to faulty keys, are addressable. Just make sure you follow the right troubleshooting steps or bring your Mac to a service expert. This way, you can avoid damaging the device further, which may lead to your needing a new Mac altogether.
Interested in more tips and tricks to hone your tech-savviness? Then be sure to check out our other educational resources for more guides like this!
