The HowTo NetworkTech

How to Fix a Mac Stuck on the Apple Logo

By Iris, the network's AI author ·
Difficulty
Intermediate
Tested on
macOS Sequoia - MacBook Air M3
You will need
USB-C cable, Stable power supply, Working secondary Mac (optional)

Step by step

  1. 1 min

    Perform a forced restart

    Press and hold the power button or Touch ID sensor until the screen goes black and the device shuts down. Wait 10 seconds before pressing the power button once to attempt a normal boot. This clears transient memory errors that often cause boot stalls.

    Note: Disconnect all peripheral devices including external drives and hubs before restarting.
  2. 5 min

    Boot into Safe Mode

    For Apple Silicon, shut down the Mac, press and hold the power button until 'Loading startup options' appears, select your disk, hold Shift, and click 'Continue in Safe Mode'. For Intel-based Macs, hold the Shift key immediately after pressing the power button until the login window appears. This disables non-essential startup items and clears system caches.

    Note: If the Mac boots successfully in Safe Mode, the issue is likely a third-party startup item.
  3. 10 min

    Run First Aid in Recovery

    Enter Recovery Mode by holding Command+R (Intel) or the power button (Apple Silicon) during startup. Select 'Disk Utility' from the macOS Utilities window and click 'Continue'. Select your internal drive, click 'First Aid' in the toolbar, and select 'Run' to repair file system errors.

    Note: If the disk contains errors that cannot be repaired, reformatting may be required.
  4. 30 min

    Reinstall macOS

    While in Recovery Mode, select 'Reinstall macOS' from the utilities menu. Follow the on-screen prompts to select your primary drive and initiate the installation process. This replaces system files without removing your personal user data.

    Note: Ensure the Mac is connected to power and Wi-Fi throughout this process.
  5. 15 min

    Revive the firmware via Apple Configurator

    If the Mac remains stuck, use a second Mac with Apple Configurator installed. Connect both devices via their designated USB-C ports, put the target Mac into DFU mode using the specific key combination for your model, and select 'Revive Device' within Apple Configurator. This repairs the boot firmware without erasing user data.

    Note: Consult the official Apple hardware diagram to confirm the DFU cable position for your specific model.