Common MacBook Problems and How to Fix Them - Part 1

Is your MacBook is not working? Is it not turning on? Your device Bluetooth cannot connect? Your keyboard is not functioning, etc. you are not alone. Many Mac users are experiencing the same issues.

In this part, we will review some other common problems of the MacBook and how to fix them.

The Mac is not charging

If your laptop isn't charging here are a few things to try. First, make sure that the outlet is working and everything is plugged in. Try charging your device using another power outlet and if possible, another cable. Inspect your charger and cable for any sign of physical damage or something that prevents your device from charging. Keep in mind that chargers and Macs can overheat and may need to cool down before charging properly.

Incidentally, if you have an older Mac with a removable battery, you can reset the battery by removing the battery for a few minutes and reinstalling it. If you are lucky this will bring your old Mac back into life.

If that doesn't work, try resetting the PRAM and SMC of your Mac. That is the System Management Controller. To reset SMC, shut down your device. Once it's off, connect the MagSafe adaptor and hold old down Control, Shift, Option and the Power button for around four seconds, before releasing all at the same time. After that press the power button to start up the Mac and check if the issue fixed.

Still no luck, press down the option key on the keyboard and click on the battery icon on the menu at the same time. This will show you the health status of the battery. If the page says to replace your battery, you have no solution other than taking your MacBook to a Store for a closer look.

Bluetooth won't turn on (or off)

If you get a Bluetooth Not Available error when connecting to a Bluetooth accessory like a keyboard or mouse or a feature that requires Bluetooth like AirDrop, your Mac may suffer from Bluetooth issues.

First, check that Bluetooth is turned on. Go to System Preferences and choose Bluetooth. Here you can see devices that you have paired in the past. 

If you can't see the device you want to connect to in this list, make sure that the device is fully powered on and check the page again. In the case that you can't connect to the device update and restart your Mac. Most of the times, that is all you need to fix this problem.

Sometimes bad interference can Bluetooth device from connecting. To test whether this is the issue for your device, try moving to an open area from your Mac and connect again.

If you're still experiencing issues, you should manually force reset Bluetooth. Open the terminal and type the command:

sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist

and hit enter. Ener the Password if required and hit enter again. Now restart your MacBook, turn on your Bluetooth, and see if it works.

Alternately you can remove the Bluetooth Preference file manually.

Open the Finder and choose Go from the menu, then Go to Folder. Type /Library/Preferences and click Go. Find the com.apple.Bluetooth.plist file and remove it.

Next go back to the Finder and select Go to Folder and type ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost. This time locate the com.apple.Bluetooth.xxx.plist file (note that after Bluetooth there will be a collection of random numbers and letters). When you restart your Mac, these files will be generated again, and will hopefully work properly.

Some keyboard keys stopped working.

This is a common problem with older MacBooks, especially the 2016 models. The keys won't work or start making weird noises. This happens most when the Mac has heated up.

First, see if you can solve the problem yourself. grab a can of air, hold your MacBook keyboard in the vertical position and blow air between keys. This will dislodge the dust may fix the problems with your keyboard.

However, because this is a widely recognised issue with MacBooks, Apple may offer you free repair and replacement service. Take your MacBook to an Apple Store and ask them if they’re still offering a free replacement for this keyboard issue.

The MacBook is running slowly

Many slowdowns are caused by opening too many apps at the same time or filling your hard with unnecessary file or a corrupted card or motherboard. Anyway, when encountering a slow Mac there are few things you can try:

Restart your Mac. This will probably close the troublesome apps and refresh your device RAM and Hard. Sometimes it's just that simple!

Upgrade your laptop to the latest release of macOS compatible with your device.

Keep an eye on the System Activity Monitor and see if there is an unfamiliar eating your system resources such as RAM and CPU.  This could be a sign of malware or an unwanted app. Removing the troublesome app may help to fix the issue.

Clear desktop and cache. Desktop icons suck the resources of your Mac.

Run Apple Diagnostics to see if there is a problem with your Mac.

Sometimes slowdown comes with an unusual noise. This make indicates a hardware issue such as a damaged cooling fan. Then, take your Mac to an Apple Store for a close look.

The screen is flickering

This problem may look in the form of spasmodic dimming of the screen or even a complete loss of display.  Most of the time, this is caused by a problem with your Mac screen. So, first, check your screen for signs of physical damage. If the screen appears fine, you can try these solutions:

Reset PRAM/NVRAM. This will solve many issues of MacBooks.

Check for any macOS update, especially when you haven't updated your Mac for a long time.

Chromium of Firefox has been known to cause a flickering problem in Macs. Remove or disable these apps and hopefully issue will be fixed.

Restart your device in Safe Mode. If the problem fixed, try reinstalling macOS.

The Mac won't shut down

This an uncommon issue with MacBooks. The problem is usually created by a frozen app. Simply open the app manager on your device and force quit the app refusing to close. This will allow your system to shut down normally.

Sometimes FileVault inhibits the system from shutting down. To switch the FileVault off, go to stem Preferences, go to Security & Privacy, and FileVault.

If that doesn't work, try resetting NVRAM and SMC or run Apple Diagnostics. This will find and fix issues preventing your device from shutting down.

The Mac is overheating

If your Mac is overheating fan problems or doing too many tasks with your laptop. First, try the thing you can do to help cool down your Mac. Put your device on a stand, close apps that eat processor and restart your MacBook. If this didn't work it probably a hardware issue.

In this post, we addressed some other issues you may encounter while using MacBooks. Your issue is not listed here, don't hesitate to send us your problem, we will answer you ASAP.