12" Retina MacBook will not turn on

[Apples n' Stone]

My 1.2 GHz 512GB MacBook will not power up, I have just got home and it did seem a bit cold. Not cold enough for any damage but cold. It would not power up so I plugged it in and it made the charging sound. So It seems to still be working, tried a power cycle and no joy. Any ideas? Need it running for A-Levels tomorrow... thanks
-Stone

 

[Queen6]

Try holding down the "Power" key for a good 30+ seconds, next up would be try an SMC Reset. Once the SMC resets you should see the charging image on the display. Notebook will then boot normally, after this it gets trickier; is it charged, is the charger and to cable good, now we are down to hardware.

Q-6

 

[Apples n' Stone]

Try holding down the "Power" key for a good 30+ seconds, next up would be try an SMC Reset. Once the SMC resets you should see the charging image on the display. Notebook will then boot normally, after this it gets trickier; is it charged, is the charger and to cable good, now we are down to hardware.

Q-6

No Joy, tried them again ... :/

 

[Queen6]

No Joy, tried them again ... :/

The SMC reset on the rMB seems a little more difficult to achieve, like it`s more sensitive to the timing, have seen some post reflecting the same. I tried resetting my rMB out of curiosity and it took a couple of goes to get it right.

Anybody else have another rMB to try the power pack and cable? Number "1" question right now is are you backed up?, the computer you can live with going down, the data not so.

Q-6

 

[SSD-GUY]

I remember reading you had a previous issue with your MacBook. I would take it in to the Apple store and get it looked at, as you need it up and running for exams etc.

 

[Apples n' Stone]

I remember reading you had a previous issue with your MacBook. I would take it in to the Apple store and get it looked at, as you need it up and running for exams etc.

Yes, that was me! I have been talking with a chat rep and it seems to be fine now... last time that just turned out to be the three pins on the charger wall plug which I got replaced for free

 

[Apples n' Stone]

The SMC reset on the rMB seems a little more difficult to achieve, like it`s more sensitive to the timing, have seen some post reflecting the same. I tried resetting my rMB out of curiosity and it took a couple of goes to get it right.

Anybody else have another rMB to try the power pack and cable? Number "1" question right now is are you backed up?, the computer you can live with going down, the data not so.

Q-6

As your average insanely paranoid student I have it all backed up, iCloud Drive, USB Stick, time capsule, downloaded and stored locally on my MacBook Pro when I get home... I just have to be sure of these things!

But all seems okay now, diagnostics found nothing. But I will keep an eye on it, the machine is the best I have ever had when it works. and taking into account my exams, I have not seen anyone on the forum seem so genuinely concerned before!

Thank you, all sorted now (admins can close this thread if they like)

 

[kotty]

what did you do to fix it?
thanks

 

[Queen6]

As your average insanely paranoid student I have it all backed up, iCloud Drive, USB Stick, time capsule, downloaded and stored locally on my MacBook Pro when I get home... I just have to be sure of these things!

But all seems okay now, diagnostics found nothing. But I will keep an eye on it, the machine is the best I have ever had when it works. and taking into account my exams, I have not seen anyone on the forum seem so genuinely concerned before!

Thank you, all sorted now (admins can close this thread if they like)

Obvious question that may help others in the same situation, what worked, how did you restart the Notebook.

Q-6

 

[Apples n' Stone]

Obvious question that may help others in the same situation, what worked, how did you restart the Notebook.

Q-6

Honestly, after trying to start it with a long press (30 seconds) followed by hitting the power button and (COMMAND+OPTION/ALT/P+R) we had nothing. then after trying to hold the power button for about twenty seconds it just started as normal. Weird but glad it works!

 

[mackie8]

this happens to my 2016 MB ... im using it then suddenly it shuts off...and wont open after that...
i re plug the charger but no charging sound.... tried SMC reset .. and it works ....

i dunno what happened

 

[willzude]

As your average insanely paranoid student I have it all backed up, iCloud Drive, USB Stick, time capsule, downloaded and stored locally on my MacBook Pro when I get home... I just have to be sure of these things!

But all seems okay now, diagnostics found nothing. But I will keep an eye on it, the machine is the best I have ever had when it works. and taking into account my exams, I have not seen anyone on the forum seem so genuinely concerned before!

Thank you, all sorted now (admins can close this thread if they like)

How did you fix the problem? I am facing the same issue and need the computer for school. Thanks.

 

[Hamster89]

The SMC reset on the rMB seems a little more difficult to achieve, like it`s more sensitive to the timing, have seen some post reflecting the same. I tried resetting my rMB out of curiosity and it took a couple of goes to get it right.

Anybody else have another rMB to try the power pack and cable? Number "1" question right now is are you backed up?, the computer you can live with going down, the data not so.

Q-6

[doublepost=1511088522][/doublepost]

The SMC reset on the rMB seems a little more difficult to achieve, like it`s more sensitive to the timing, have seen some post reflecting the same. I tried resetting my rMB out of curiosity and it took a couple of goes to get it right.

Anybody else have another rMB to try the power pack and cable? Number "1" question right now is are you backed up?, the computer you can live with going down, the data not so.

Q-6

Hello wondering what exactly you did to reset the smc on the macbook 12 , I cant seem to have luck sometimes it works otherwise it doesn’t , can You describe the best method to reset smc on the 12 inch MacBook

 

[Marcopolo53]

Macbook SMC Reset

Power Down, plugin adapter

Hold Shift, Control, Option and Power Button

Hold combination for 10 seconds and release

Power button to power up

 

[Queen6]

[doublepost=1511088522][/doublepost]

Hello wondering what exactly you did to reset the smc on the macbook 12 , I cant seem to have luck sometimes it works otherwise it doesn’t , can You describe the best method to reset smc on the 12 inch MacBook

Same as posted in #14

 

[cursedearth]

Honestly, after trying to start it with a long press (30 seconds) followed by hitting the power button and (COMMAND+OPTION/ALT/P+R) we had nothing. then after trying to hold the power button for about twenty seconds it just started as normal. Weird but glad it works!

Old topic but just wanted to share my experience as well.

Last night my Macbook 12" started doing the same thing. I had used it 30 mins prior to it completely switching off. After 30 mins, I tried switching it on but it was showing the low battery image so I proceeded to connect my charger but it wouldn't charge. Changed the wall socket and everything but I could feel the static on fingers so knew the charger was fine. I read online to reset the SMC which I did but after doing that the low battery imagine wouldn't appear either.

Tried everything you tried but to no avail. I was about to plan a trip to the Apple Store but I wasn't ready to drop a bomb on repairs because I knew it'd be expensive (it's a 2015 model, so out of warranty). Figured it was a failed logic board that might need replacing courtesy of Google search.

Anyways cutting to the chase, today I got into work with my laptop and charger, charged it up and tried switching it on and resetting the SMC, holding the power button but no dice. I'm not sure what I did but it just magically turned on again. The batter was at 0% but it's fully charged now. Tried switching it off and back on again and it works fine.

I've never experienced a product dying and resurrecting itself again back to flawless working condition 24 hours later. I really want to know why this happened. I wish Apple would give a statement on this.

 

[Marcopolo53]

It kind sounds like a hardware issue. Only Apple would be able to determine if it really is that.

 

[cursedearth]

It kind sounds like a hardware issue. Only Apple would be able to determine if it really is that.

I'm not sure it is. Laptop's been working completely fine since yesterday. Showed the same symptoms as the OP's laptop.

 

[Marcopolo53]

Same symptoms, same issue. Can only be sure by having it looked at by Apple. If you can live with an unreliable machine that works on and off then . . . ?

 

[Mike Boreham]

Anyways cutting to the chase, today I got into work with my laptop and charger, charged it up and tried switching it on and resetting the SMC, holding the power button but no dice. I'm not sure what I did but it just magically turned on again. The batter was at 0% but it's fully charged now. Tried switching it off and back on again and it works fine.

Glad you got it sorted, though as you say what happened is a bit unclear! As described you reset SMC with it switched on....which you can't do. SMC reset is done with it powered off.

I had a similar incident with my 2016 12" MacBook. It just would not start up. Dead as a do-do. I rang Applecare who had me reset the SMC and it came to life. This happened nearly a year ago and has not happened since.

(It wasn't battery as it had been on charge and immediately after the problem it was 90%).

 

[UltimateAK86]

My 1.2 GHz 512GB MacBook will not power up, I have just got home and it did seem a bit cold. Not cold enough for any damage but cold. It would not power up so I plugged it in and it made the charging sound. So It seems to still be working, tried a power cycle and no joy. Any ideas? Need it running for A-Levels tomorrow... thanks
-Stone

I’ve had this same issue about three times over the years on my 12” 2015 512GB SSD, 1.3Ghz Macbook. The screen will just go black right in the middle of working, it will shut off and then it won’t power on, usually at the worst possible time but not necessarily when it’s under load. I’ve noticed a pattern that leads to this, however. And a solution that has worked all three times when resetting the SMC and PRAM alone didn’t make any difference.

First, I notice usually a few days before the crash when I go to plug in the USB-C charge cable I will see a static spark between the end of the ground shield on the plug and the MacBook itself right as I go to plug it in. I noticed this a few days before the crash two out of three times it’s happened, so I think it has something to do with the SMC getting scrambled. All I can gather is since the power adapter itself is not grounded, maybe a static charge is being stored in the cable somehow and searching for ground on the laptop, causing a stir in the NVRAM and SMC parameters when it gets connected.

Resetting the SMC with a long 20-30 second hold of CMD + Shift + Option + Power will result in a chime from the speaker that the power is plugged in, but the screen will not light up and no battery indicator will show. Unplugging and replugging the power does the same, but the power button won’t do anything, caps-lock light won’t turn on and no touchpad haptics. If I continue SMC resets, sometimes following the chime the screen will glow a bit then dim, pressing power will make the Apple logo and a load bar show for a few seconds and then it will shut down automatically. That’s as far as it will go until I do the “fix”.

To resolve this issue I use a USB-A (rectangle end) to USB-C cable, plug the USB-A end into a grounded USB port (in this case my iMac) and then the USB-C end into the Macbook. Wait a few seconds for the ground to do its magic and then press the power button. It boots every time. Since I’ve seen this a few times I’ve gone the gamut trying other ways to get the machine to boot but this ends up being the only way to get back in.

I hope this helps someone.

 

[Four by Six]

I hope this helps someone.

Here's my take on the problem... I view it as two separate problems, and mine (the original 2015 12" MacBook) has had both.

The OP problem: The laptop is dead and will not turn on. Mine has done this several times. Plugging and unplugging the power, and pushing the power button again and again over several hours to days, and eventually it just turns on as normal. I never found a solution. My point is don't do anything drastic like opening the case or sending it back for repair until you just keep trying - it will most likely fix itself. I haven't had this issue in over a year.

The problem in last post: The screen just goes black in the middle of work - instantly, faster than a blink of your eyes. I have found the laptop is NOT shutting down. The screen is just going black. I don't think it is just the backlight, as I have played around with flashlights and polarized filters, and can't see any image on screen. I think the entire display is off. My solution to this problem is just to open and close the lid multiple times, and eventually it pops back up, with your work intact. Do NOT shutdown or reset the computer. It has not crashed, only the display is off. Mine does this about once a week. All I do is open and close the lid a few times, and everything pops back up, and I continue my work.

I also hope this helps someone. I love my MacBook and take it everywhere. I'm willing to put up with these annoying issues, as long as I don't lose my data or work, and so far I haven't.

 

[Macbook12inch]

Old topic but just wanted to share my experience as well.

Last night my Macbook 12" started doing the same thing. I had used it 30 mins prior to it completely switching off. After 30 mins, I tried switching it on but it was showing the low battery image so I proceeded to connect my charger but it wouldn't charge. Changed the wall socket and everything but I could feel the static on fingers so knew the charger was fine. I read online to reset the SMC which I did but after doing that the low battery imagine wouldn't appear either.

Tried everything you tried but to no avail. I was about to plan a trip to the Apple Store but I wasn't ready to drop a bomb on repairs because I knew it'd be expensive (it's a 2015 model, so out of warranty). Figured it was a failed logic board that might need replacing courtesy of Google search.

Anyways cutting to the chase, today I got into work with my laptop and charger, charged it up and tried switching it on and resetting the SMC, holding the power button but no dice. I'm not sure what I did but it just magically turned on again. The batter was at 0% but it's fully charged now. Tried switching it off and back on again and it works fine.

I've never experienced a product dying and resurrecting itself again back to flawless working condition 24 hours later. I really want to know why this happened. I wish Apple would give a statement on this.

I’m having a similar issue right now with my 2015 12” MacBook. It won’t power on and resetting stuff helped nothing. Can you elaborate on how you fixed this please? Thanks!

 

[Four by Six]

Same here... still experiencing the same problem as before. Laptop will just black screen. However, I do not reset it as I know it will resurrect itself eventually. I just plug it into power and keep opening and closing the lid. Wait an hour. Open and close the lid. Wait... And eventually it wakes up like nothing ever happened, same programs and windows open. I've been living with the prob, but I wish there was a fix, since you can't buy the 12" MacBooks anymore.
[automerge]1573009270[/automerge]

I’m having a similar issue right now with my 2015 12” MacBook. It won’t power on and resetting stuff helped nothing. Can you elaborate on how you fixed this please? Thanks!

We might have different problems, but my fix is jus to open and close the lid lots of times while plugged in. YMMV

 

[ChrisS85]

I am banging my head up against a brick wall with my MBP 12 Retina. I went through a period where the keyboard and trackpad wouldn't work. After resetting the SMC Pram etc, it came back to life. All of a sudden it now won't turn on. Absolutely no life, tried SMC PRAM, long press of power button-nothing. Literally dead, anyone have any suggestions?