Hello Dear Friends and Fans! This is your own Steve Sadiq. I am here with you to share another value-added and informative article with you. Today I will discuss with you about how to Reset SMC on Mac. Have you noticed that sometimes the lights of your keyboard stop working, battery indicator behaves strangely? I have also heard from people that their fan speed suddenly increases without any additional load on the Macbook.

Step 1 SMC Reset. Follow these steps for iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, and Xserve. Choose Apple menu Shut Down. After your Mac shuts down, unplug the power cord. Wait 15 seconds. Plug the power cord back in. Wait 5 seconds, then press the power button again to turn on your Mac. For Intel-based Xserve computers that aren't responding, you can shut. Macbook Pro 2018, 15” (I presuming no difference in operation). After your Mac shuts down, press and hold the right Shift key, the left Option key, and the left Control key for 7 seconds. Then keep holding those keys while you press and hold the power button for another 7 seconds. This video will show you how to Fix your MacBook by resetting SMC System Management Controller. This process can fix many issues with your MacBook. I have a MAC PRO 3,1 8-Core that all USB ports stopped working, I tried the SMC reset, and it does not work, PRAM and NVRAM reset dont work since the USB ports don't work, I dont have a wireless keyboard or mouse (bluetooth), and even if I had I cant configure them since I cannot use the mouse or Keyboard. So basically stuck.

Yet another component of your Mac’s hardware that stores crucial settings is the System Management Controller (SMC), a circuit that deals with power management, temperature.

I have started thinking about and collecting information about such kind of complaints. Some people also complained about the power button not responding, whereas, some complaints were like they are not getting a proper response on led open and close. As many people who follow me and continuously read my articles know that I try on Mac and find out the solution myself. So I have started experimenting.

After a series of experiments, studies, and discussions at the Apple forums and with Apple support team, I have come to the conclusion that I have to reset SMC on my mac. Now the next question was how to reset SMC. Being a Mac Pro user, it was not at all difficult for me, but I realized that those who are new or not related to this field might not know this thing. Like me, they will have to spend a lot of their time to

What is SMC? Do you guys know?

Contents

SMC stands for System Management Controller. This is basically the control center for minor operations that remain active during Mac use. Such minor operation may include controlling fan speed, certain indicators on Mac. Performance monitor. Backlit keyboard monitor etc. These functions make Mac stand out of the crowd. SMC is the control center of these.

My knowledge, discussions, and research say that if SMC is not working properly. You might face these issues. And the only solution is to reset SMC on Mac. Now the Question arises that how to reset SMC. This is very easy and you can do it in quick and easy steps.

HOW TO RESET SMC ON MAC

I have a good news for you guys. A good thing about the reset of SMC is that you don’t need to reset your entire machine. You can simply reset your SMC to factory settings. This will fix the issue. I have covered all the queries in this article which were related to the SMC reset issue. Hope you will like it.

Possible Indicators Demand SMC Reset

I am going to share with you guys some indicators which demand SMC reset. These issues will be resolved by resetting your Mac. But there are many symptoms a Mac may suffer from that a simple SMC reset can fix. The Include:

• Power button doesn’t function well.
• Display brightness function doesn’t work well.
• The keyboard backlight behaves strangely.
• Battery indicator lights, if present, behave incorrectly on Mac notebooks with a non-removable battery.
• The fans run at high speed, even though it isn’t under heavy usage.
• The status indicator light, if present, behaves incorrectly.
• The display backlight doesn’t respond correctly to ambient light changes.
• Mac performs unusually slowly.
• MacBook or MacBook Pro doesn’t charge through its built-in USB-C port.
• The Mac doesn’t respond properly to the lid opening and closing.
• Your Mac sleeps or shuts down unexpectedly and you can’t turn it back on.
• The battery doesn’t charge properly.

Mac Categories in context to resetting SMC

I have always suggested you this and I am going to repeat it.

Safety Always 1st. This is what I always do and strongly recommend.

Your data is an integral part of your life. This is one the most important asset of your life. Before performing any kind of such operations, it is strongly advised to you to take the backup of your data so that if anything goes wrong, your data remains safe.

Before resetting the SMC determine whether the battery is removable or not. That is because the process of resetting SMC for the Macs that have a non-removable battery is quite different. In addition to that also keep an eye on the open application and save your work and close all applications. Sometimes a simple reboot might solve the issue but it is better to reset your SMC on Mac once you have the issue.

I have categorized Mac in context to this issue because the method is different for each category. These are,

• Resetting SMC on iMac
• How to Reset SMC on Mac with non-removable battery [ MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook ]
• Reset SMC on Mac with removable battery [ MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook ]

Resetting SMC on iMac

If you want to reset SMC on your iMac then follow the steps given below.

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Unplug the power adapter.
3. Wait for 15 seconds.
4. Plug in the power cord.
5. Press the power button to start your Mac.

Now that you have reset the SMC on your Mac, it should be back to operating as normal.

If the SMC reset didn’t fix your problems, if you’re still having issues, you may wish to try running the Apple Store to rule out a defective component on your Mac.

How to Reset SMC on Mac with non-removable battery [ Mac includes: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook ]

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Plug in the MagSafe power adapter.
3. Simultaneously press and hold the left shift, control, and option keys and at the same time press the power button for at least 10 seconds
4. Release all keys at the same time.
5. Press the Power Button to start your Mac

Reset The Smc Macbook Pro 2018

Reset SMC on Mac with removable battery [ MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook ]

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Disconnect your Mac portable from its MagSafe connector.
3. Remove the battery.
4. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
5. Insert the battery.
6. Reconnect the MagSafe connector.
7. Turn your Mac on.

Concluding Thoughts

Hope you guys have found this article very informative and useful. I believe that after you follow the step by step process, you will definitely learn about how to rest SMC on your Mac. In this article, we have learned that what is SMC and how to reset SMC.

A summary of the article is that SMC stands for System Management Control. This basically controls the functions such as light on the keyboard, processor speed, lid opening and closing indications, battery indicator etc. If you are facing any of these issues, you can reset your SMC and hopefully, these issues will be resolved.

Resetting The Smc For Mac Pro Model

APPLE advancements always keep on changing the Mac, so I have categorized the MacBook on the basis of battery removal. With a removable battery. Mac with non-removable battery and iMac. The step by step process to reset the SMC on Mac different versions is different.

I have shared with you all the 3 step by step methods. Hope you will find it easy.

Must try these and then write to me that did you find these methods useful. Also, do give me an honest feedback about my article. In Case of any Questions, you can ask me in the comments sections.

This is Steve Sadiq signing off for today.

Stay Blessed.

Peace 🙂

Important Disclaimer:

Here it is extremely important to mention that the issues highlighted in this article might be due to some other reasons as well. Not always it is possible that these issues are only and only due to SMC malfunction. I am trying to say that majority of the times resetting the SMC usually solves the issues.

Most Mac users are familiar with the concept of RAM, or random access memory, and many are probably much too used to running out of it. Two elements of RAM are PRAM (parameter random access memory) and NVRAM (non-volatile random access memory), which appear in PowerPC and Intel Macs respectively.

These elements are responsible for holding information about how a Mac is configured, including date/time, mouse, volume, and various other things. They are powered by a battery independent of the Mac itself, so their information is retained even when the machine is switched off.

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SMC stands for System Management Controller, the full name of which offers up a nice analogy for non-technical folks looking to understand what an SMC does. Like an air traffic controller or a train controller, the SMC is responsible for controlling a number of Mac’s functions:

• Detecting (and responding to) the opening/closing of a laptop lid

• Analyzing a power button being pressed to determine if it should respond by putting the Mac to sleep or shutting it down completely

• Managing battery performance and displaying remaining battery life

• Adjusting fan speed to control the temperature of a Mac

• Controlling backlighting and detecting ambient light to set appropriate levels

When any of these things go wrong, it can be hugely frustrating. That’s true not only because it can make using your Mac much more difficult, or even impossible, but because the issues it puts out are so random it can make you feel like you’re being haunted!

This article looks at some of the common problems that result from SMC or PRAM/NVRAM malfunctions, as well as how to reset them to solve those problems.

Common PRAM/NVRAM And SMC Issues

First things first, we need to pinpoint whether a PRAM/NVRAM issue or an SMC problem (or neither, for that matter) is what’s causing all the trouble. Without knowing that, there’s no way to find out whether a PRAM reset or SMC reset on MacBook Pro, iMac Pro, or Mac Pro will help.

Let’s start with some of the problems commonly associated with SMC issues as, until you realize what’s going on, they can be some of the most frightening for a typical Mac user:

• Your Mac doesn’t turn on when you open it

• The trackpad doesn’t work

• You can’t connect to WiFi

• The lights or backlights on your Mac are behaving erratically

• Your fan is running extremely high, even during non-intensive processes

• Your computer runs or shuts down slowly

Meanwhile, PRAM/NVRAM problems might cause issues like:

• Incorrect date or time being displayed

• Keyboard doesn’t respond as it should

• Volume doesn’t work correctly

• Erratic scrolling and mouse-clicking behavior

• Problems with AirPort

• Sudden and unexplained shutdowns or problems setting the correct boot volume

That’s a hefty list of potential problems and, while encountering any one of them on their own is unpleasant, your Mac exhibiting multiple items from the list is downright frustrating. But before delving into how to reset PRAM/NVRAM or SMC, it’s wise to take a few steps to isolate other potential causes of these issues.

With CleanMyMac X, for example, you can perform quick and easy scans to see if there’s anything wrong with your hard drives, check for malware, purge cluttered caches, and more. All you need to kick things off is a single click of the Scan button, although you can also manually delve into individual issues if you prefer.

Resetting PRAM/NVRAM on Mac

PRAM/NVRAM reset is quite a bit easier to do than resetting SMC, so let’s start there. If you’re not sure whether you have PRAM or NVRAM, there’s no need to check manuals or google “what is a PRAM?” to find out.

Regardless of which one your Mac uses, the process to reset PRAM on Mac or perform a NVRAM reset is exactly the same:

1. Power down your Mac and disconnect all USB devices (except wired keyboards)

2. Press the power button and hold down ⌘ + Option + P + R immediately after doing so

3. Hold those keys until your Mac restarts and you hear a second startup chime or, for Macs with a T2 Security Chip, until the Apple logo appears and disappears a second time

4. Check the Startup Disk, Date/Time, and Display sections of System Preferences to ensure that everything looks the way you want it

That’s all there is to it. You may notice that some of your preferences relating to keyboard layout, mouse tracking, time, and volume have been lost, so you might like to make a note (mental or otherwise) of these if you’re very particular about them.

Easily reset SMC on Mac

There are various ways to complete a Mac reset SMC, depending on the Mac model you have. As SMC reset on MacBook Pros with a removable battery is the easiest, let’s begin from there:

1. Power down your MacBook

2. Remove the battery

3. Press the power button and hold it for five seconds

4. Reconnect the battery and turn on your MacBook

No removable battery? The process will be a bit different:

1. Power down your MacBook

2. Press Shift + Control + Option on the left side of your keyboard, then the power button or Touch ID, and hold them all for 10 seconds

3. Release all keys and turn on your MacBook

If your MacBook has a T2 Security Chip (i.e. it’s a model from 2018 or later), the process looks different yet again:

1. Power down your MacBook

2. Press the power button and hold it for 10 seconds, then restart

3. If that doesn’t help, press the right Shift key + left Control key + left Option key, then hold them for seven seconds

4. Release all keys and turn on your MacBook

That lack of consistency (five seconds, seven seconds, 10 seconds, right Shift, left Shift) might seem a bit infuriating when you read all of the different methods together, but it’s not so bad once you’ve determined the MacBook model you have and the steps you need to take.

Reset SMC on Mac Mini, iMac, or Mac Pro

As with MacBooks, there are a couple of different routes on how to reset SMC with other Macs. The one you need to take will vary depending on the age of your Mac. For older (i.e. pre-2018) Macs the process is very simple:

1. Power down your Mac

2. Unplug your power lead and wait 15 seconds

3. Reconnect your power lead and wait another five seconds

4. Turn on your Mac

For newer Macs with a T2 Security Chip (e.g. an iMac Pro), you’ll need to take the following steps for an SMC reset:

1. Power down your Mac

2. Press the power button and hold it for 10 seconds

3. Release the power button and restart your Mac

4. If that hasn’t resolved the issue, power down your Mac again

5. Unplug your power lead and wait 15 seconds

6. Reconnect your power lead and wait another five seconds

7. Turn on your Mac

Congratulations: you now officially know how to reset SMC on Mac!

Issues caused by PRAM/NVRAM or your System Management Controller can be pretty scary when you don’t know what’s causing them, but once you figure out what the culprit is, they are not too difficult to deal with. Using software like CleanMyMac X, mentioned above, to monitor the health of your Mac can be helpful for eliminating other possible causes.

Another useful utility for this is iStat Menus because it monitors key indicators like hard drive temperature, memory load, battery cycles, and fan speed. You’ll notice plenty of crossover here if you go back to the list of “symptoms” indicating that PRAM/NVRAM or SMC are causing problems on your Mac. Reset SMC or PRAM/NVRAM to deal with anything flagged up as peculiar by iStat Menus and your Mac will be back to its old self in no time!

Setting up the iStat Menus app is only a matter of installing a couple of key components and setting the level of detail you want it to show in the menu bar. It’s definitely worth checking out, as anything that can detect early onset of PRAM/NVRAM and SMC issues is a good thing in our book.

Best of all, both iStat Menus and CleanMyMac X are available for a free trial through Setapp, a platform of more than 150 Mac apps and utilities that can solve even the most difficult technical challenges your Mac can reveal. Try it today and keep the guard on your Mac up by default.

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

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