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So close all open applications and give the computer at least 5 minutes before proceeding with more radical measures. Shutdown process can be a long process because MacOS doing things to make sure that no data is lost or corrupted especially if you have a lot of open applications. If Mac does not immediately shut down then give it some time. Note however that if you hold the Power button for less than 2 seconds and release the button the MacBook will go to a sleep mode. The Touch ID is used to log in to the computer but it also serves as a Power button when needed. The new MacBooks with touch bars have a Touch ID instead in the same place where the Power button is used to be. On Mac laptops, the Power button is usually in the right top corner. Immediately release the Power button.Ĭhoose the option you need. MacBook will display a list of options: Restart, Sleep, Cancel or Shutdown. Press and hold the Power button for 2 seconds. In the popup window check the box next to “Sleep” and schedule sleep, restart or shutdown. At the bottom right corner click on the Scheduled button. Open System Preferences from Apple menu (by clicking on Apple logo).
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If you need to shut down at some point in the future, you can try to schedule it. If you want to reboot instead of shutting down type following: The computer will shut down cleanly similar to shutting down from Apple menu and you would not need to wait a minute like with the first option. Hit Enter, type in the password and hit Enter again. Start Terminal app from Applications\Utilities folder or by using key combination Command and Space and typing Terminal. Once all the apps are closed, your Mac should shut down. If you have any open applications you may see warnings that suggest you should save your data. You can cancel the process or click on the Shut Down button to skip the countdown. The operating system will pop up a message that your Mac will shut down and a clock counting down from 1 minute. This will drop down a list of menu options which include Sleep, Restart, and Shutdown. In order to shut down or restart from Apple menu click on Apple logo in the top left of the screen. There are 3 ways to gracefully shutdown or restart Macs: Whenever possible it is always to shut down computers gracefully. Let’s dive in what options do you have when the computer gets unresponsive and the challenges associated with each option. The problem with data, however, is still very possible. So with hard restarts, the chances that your Mac will be physically hurt are virtually non-existent. And now when all new laptops come with solid state hard drives the number of mechanical pieces that could break during sudden power loses got even smaller. These files can be anything from an open Page or Word document or files that were being replaced during a system update.Īpple designs computers specifically anticipating unplanned shutdowns and restarts. What it could potentially do is to corrupt the open files on the hard drive. My friend recently had to forcefully restart her Mac and since she was worried, she asked if forced shutdown or restart could damage a Mac? A forced shutdown or restart does not damage your Mac hardware. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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