Futurology

Mac Troubleshooting 101: How to Solve Common MacBook Problems

It’s no surprise that you have a Macbook. These computers are known for reliability and provide a great user experience. You can use the same Mac for many years and never experience a single issue.

However, that won’t always be the case. As time goes on, your Mac will get older and start experiencing issues. The question is, do you pay for expensive repairs or learn how to fix MacBook issues yourself?

If you’re ready to learn how to fix common MacBook problems yourself, this post will help. So keep reading to learn several Mac troubleshooting tips to help you fix common MacBook problems.

Blank Screen on Startup

Are you having problems getting your Mac to start? Unfortunately, that does sometimes happen. You’ll turn the power on, only to get a grey screen where the operating system should be loading.

If you want to solve this problem, you’ll need to boot your system safely. So the next time you start your Mac, hold the power button until you get your startup options. You’ll see a list of startup discs when you get to this screen.

Once you select your disc, you’ll see the option to start your Mac in safe mode. Click this option to see if your Mac boots.

In most cases, your Mac will boot fine since you’re loading minimal resources. Once you get into safe mode, run all the system checks possible. You can also run software updates to ensure a program isn’t causing the startup problem.

In most cases, these actions will fix the issue and let you start your Mac normally again.

Slow Startup Time

One of the great things about Macs is the fast startup time. You don’t need to wait forever for your operating system to load and can get up and running in no time. Unfortunately, however, those fast startup times don’t last forever.

As time goes on and you install more software on your Mac, you may start experiencing slow startup times. This is because many applications want to start when you turn on your computer automatically. The more applications that start when your Mac boots, the slower your startup time.

You can speed things up by disabling software in your startup list. Look for the list of startup programs in your system preferences and disable anything you don’t need. The fewer things you have loaded when you start your Mac, the faster the startup time will become.

Programs Are Sluggish

Macs are known for their performance. They’re powerful enough for regular internet browsing, streaming videos, and heavy graphics work. But, unfortunately, that speed doesn’t last forever.

The more programs you load on your Mac, the fewer resources you have for your current work. Luckily, you can do a few things to speed things up.

One of the most common issues for a sluggish Mac is your internet browser. Modern browsers are fast, but they aren’t excellent at freeing resources after closing tabs. Often, your closed tabs stay open in the background after you close them on your browser.

You can speed up your computer by rebooting or restarting your browser. Doing this will clear your resources and speed up the rest of the applications.

Screen Is Flickering

One of the biggest reasons some people buy a Macbook is the screen. It’s a high-resolution display that does excellent at displaying colors and provides a great viewing experience.

The problem is that your screen resolution is only as good as the software that runs it. So if you’re asking the question, “why is my MacBook flickering?” you have a few things you can do to fix the issue.

One common issue that causes screen flickering is corrupt video drivers. Reinstalling your video drivers is a quick way to reset your video configuration and resolve flickering issues.

Another common problem is graphics switching. Your processing is spread across different graphics chips if you have a standalone GPU. Turning this off will stop the Mac from switching between onboard graphics and a more powerful GPU and stop the flickering.

Bluetooth Doesn’t Work

More devices than ever use Bluetooth to connect. While this is great for avoiding wires and creating reliable connections, Bluetooth doesn’t always work as planned.

If you’re in this situation with your Macbook, you can do a few things. The first is to reboot your computer. Sometimes clearing out all the unused applications in memory does the trick for reestablishing your Bluetooth device connections.

If that doesn’t work, you may need to reset your devices in your Bluetooth control panel. First, open your Bluetooth control settings and remove the device you’re trying to connect. Then, re-establish the connection to see if it works after that.

Incorrect App Opening Files

Macs usually do a great job figuring out what programs to use with what files. But unfortunately, those file associations can break at times. Your Mac will try to open your files with the wrong application when that happens.

This problem happens because your Mac sets up the wrong file association in its settings area. Macs store a list of common file types and what programs they should use to open those files. If you want to solve the problem, you’ll need to go to the settings area for file types and fix the file association.

You can also use a keyboard shortcut if you don’t want to head to the settings area. Press the Cmd+I keyboard combination to open the file not opening correctly. From there, you can set the default app for the file type to ensure it opens correctly in the future.

Now You Can Handle Mac troubleshooting Like a Pro

It sometimes seems like computers are magical devices you can’t understand, but that’s hardly the case. You can do many things when your Macbook is not working to fix things yourself. Now that you know the Mac troubleshooting tips above, you’re ready to take on MacBook repairs yourself.

Do you want to learn more tips that will help you get the most from your tech? Then, check out the blog to read the latest technology articles.

Jacob Maslow

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