iMac / Macbook does not start - what to do?

If your iMac or MacBook no longer starts and keeps getting stuck on the gray start screen, you can try the following tips. Often these are small problems that you can repair with this guide. You can't break anything. If the problems are not resolved afterwards, you still have to go to a specialist.

Tip 1: Reset the P-RAM when starting the Mac

Sometimes it helps to reset the Mac's parameter RAM. There is a key combination for this that you have to hold down when starting. You may have to reset the screen resolution, time zone and volume afterwards.

1. Make sure your Mac is turned off. If your Mac still hangs on the gray home screen, press the off button for a few seconds.
2. Prepare to press the key combination [CMD (⌘)] + [ALT (⌥)] + [P] + [R]. You must hold down all keys at the same time before the gray start screen appears.
3. Now switch on your Mac and immediately press the key combination. If you weren't fast enough, you can simply turn it off and on again for the next try.
4. Press and hold the combination of keys until your Mac restarts and you hear the startup tone for the second time. Now you can let go and wait for the reset to work.

Tip 2: Unplug external devices and reboot the Mac

In some cases, external devices can keep your Mac from booting. The remedy here is very simple:

1. Unplug all USB devices such as speakers, printers and the like. You should also unplug Thunderbolt devices.
2. Reboot the Mac. If it still hangs, you can turn it off by pressing and holding the On / Off button.
3. If your iMac or Macbook starts up normally, one of the peripheral devices could interfere with the boot process. Just plug one of the devices back in before the next start. once your Mac hangs again, you know which device is causing the problem.

Tip 3: Check Mac hard drive in recovery mode

If the two tips above didn't help you, you can try Recovery Mode. To do this, you must first have switched off the Mac.

1. When switching on, press the [CMD (⌘)] + [R] keys before the gray start-up screen appears. Your Mac should now boot into recovery mode and show you a few options.
2. Select the disk utility from the options that appear. There you will find a list of your drives according to their technical name in the left column. For example, search for your boot hard drive with the name "1 TB WDC WD20034". If you click on it, the normal name of your hard disk should also be displayed, eg "Macintosh HD".
3. Select your start hard disk and click on the "Check volume" button at the bottom right. The process takes a while, but the program will reliably notify you if it finds errors on your hard drive. However, if everything is OK, the program reports "The volume [...] is apparently OK".
4. However, if the hard disk utility detects errors, you should correct them directly with the "Repair Volume" button. Be sure to let the process go through before you restart your Mac. As a rule, the boot problem should be solved.

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If your Macbook does not start despite the measures, there may be a more serious error. You can get help and advice from experts. Specialists will help you on the hotline 030 2237 98 40. Costs will only be incurred with your approval.

If you haven't backed up your data, this incident may be a good reason to do so. We show you how to create a backup with the Time Machine. If you need individual help to solve your problem, please contact the experts in the CHIP forum.