Mac keeps restarting over and over? Mac keeps restarting on its own? MacBook Pro keeps restarting at boot? No worry. After reading this article, you can not only know why your Mac keeps restarting (Part 1), how to fix the “Mac keeps restarting” issue (Part 2) but also how to avoid spontaneous restarts on your Mac (Part 3). If you have encountered the similar problem on your iPhone X, iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus in iOS 11, go to the article about how to fix iPhone X/8/8 Plus keeps restarting to learn how to solve the problem.
- Restart Mac With Keyboard
- Mac Apps Open On Startup
- Restart Mac In Recovery Mode
- Apps Auto Open After Mac Restart Mode
- Notice
- Looking for the free software to transfer photos from iPhone to computer or from computer to your iPhone? Read the article to get what you want.
Part 1: Why Mac keeps restarting
In most of the cases, the main contributor to the 'Mac/MacBook Pro keeps restarting' issue is 'kernel panic'. The 'kernel' refers to the operating system of your Mac. Why does kernel panic lead to abnormal restarts? That's because the operating system has detected an issue on your Mac and the restart must be performed to fix the issue, which is usually caused by the faulty software or a problematic hardware. How to decide whether kernel panic is occurring? Generally, a message will pop up on your Mac screen showing you 'Your Computer restarted because of a problem'. If you are in the very situation, don't hesitate to get possible solutions in Part 2.
Part 2: How to fix Mac/MacBook Pro Keeps Restarting
- Apps that are set to open automatically will have a check mark next to Open at Login. Tap that option to uncheck it and disable it from opening. Disable Login Items on Startup.
- Ever wondered, why your Mac starts running slow after a few months or years? There are a number of reasons behind it; out of them, one of the reasons is that apps automatically start when you restart or turn ON your Mac. These apps mostly mention this when you install them, but most of us just ignore it.
- After unchecking the option, the next time your Mac starts up, the application will no longer open. Stop Apps from Opening Automatically on Mac Using Settings. In case the App which is opening automatically during startup is not located on the Dock of your Mac, you will need to go into the Settings Menu of your Mac to disable such apps.
- So - try this Quit all apps from the Dock, close all finder windows. From the Apple menu, choose Force Quit. Force Quit everything that's in that folder, other than Finder. Restart your Mac. Which apps, if any, launch automatically this time?
I have a Mac Pro 2010 that restarts after a shutdown - but only after being on for the whole day. If I shutdown in the day (after a few hours) it seems does so correctly. But when I shutdown at 1am or 2am in the morning, after a whole day being on, it restarts once. An immediate shutdown after this restart.
If your Mac or MacBook Pro keeps restarting over and over, you first need to know where the problem is. Is the software installed on your Mac the cause of the issue or the hardware on your Mac to connected to your Mac the cause of the issue? If the kernel panic is related to hardware, follow the first two tips to learn what to do. While if the problem is related to software installed on your Mac, follow the last two tips instead. (Other solutions to common Mac/iDevice problems are also covered, go to iOS & Mac Topics to find what you need if you want.)
For hardware related kernel panic:
The kernel panic could be caused by a peripheral device or a combination of peripheral devices that has been connected to your Mac or the internal RAM or third-party hardware. Thus hardware troubleshooting is inevitable to solve the 'Mac keeps restarting' issue.
Tip 1: Check the peripheral devices connected to your Mac
Step 1: Shut down your Mac and disconnect all the peripheral devices. (Keep the display, keyboard, and mouse that are from App connected only. )
Step 2: Start your Mac and use it as usual.
Step 3: Troubleshoot hardware.
- If your Mac works properly after you use it for a period of time and no kernel panic occurs, you must know that there is something wrong with the peripheral device that previously connected to your Mac. To check which peripheral device is the 'culprit', connect one peripheral device to your Mac at a time and test. If a single peripheral device doesn't cause the 'Mac keeps restarting' issue, you can try to connect two or more peripheral devices to your Mac and test.
- While if a kernel panic occurs later, it must be something wrong with the internal RAM or third-party hardware. If so, follow tip 2 to check the hardware.
Tip 2: Check the internal RAM and third-party hardware on your Mac
Step 1: Shut down your Mac.
Step 2: Remove the third-party RAM and internal hardware from your Mac. Reseat your Apple RAM if you get one. If not, reseat the RAM you have instead.
Step 3: Start your Mac and use it as usual.
Step 4: Do troubleshooting.
- If the 'Mac keeps restarting' problem doesn't happen after you use your Mac for a period of time, you know that the third-party RAM or third-party internal hardware should to replaced to avoid the kernel panic.
- If your Mac keeps restarting again, you need to go to the Apple Store nearby with your Mac to seek help from Apple.
For software related kernel panic:
Tip 3: Reinstall operating system on your Mac
Step 1: Use macOS Recovery to reinstall macOS.
- Hold and press the key combination (Command + R) on your Mac keyboard immediately after you press the power button to turn on your Mac until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.
- Choose Reinstall macOS in the window and click Continue.
Step 2: If you have reinstalled macOS successfully, go to App Store >Updates to install all the updates on your Mac.
Step 3: Before you reinstall the third-party software, download and install all the third-party software updates.
Step 4: Do troubleshooting.
- If the kernel panic doesn't occur, you have solved the issue successfully.
- While if your Mac keeps restarting again, follow tip 4 introduced below.
Tip 4: Fix 'Mac keeps restarting' issue related to software
Step 1: Use macOS Recovery to start your Mac. (Refer to step 1 in Tip 3.)
Step 2: Use Disk Utility to back up your disk image to an external drive with enough free space.
Step 3: Wipe the internal drive via Disk Utility.
Step 4: Install OS X and start your Mac from the internal drive.
Step 5: Go to App Store >Updates to install all updates on your Mac.
Restart Mac With Keyboard
Step 6: Reinstall the third-party Apps on your Mac and copy the user data from the backup you have just created.
Part 3: How to prevent Mac from restarting
Unexpected restarts of Mac could be quite annoying, Thus it's necessary to learn how to prevent the problem from happening. The most effective way to avoid kernel panic is to always update your software to the latest version. You just need to go to App Store >Updates to make it. Easy, right? Hope you won't meet the 'Mac keeps restarting' issue again. For other problems like Mac running slow, Mac stuck on the login screen, Mac won't turn on and more, you can also find the fixes in the related article.
Although I love and adore music, I tend to get distracted when one of my favorite music streaming apps Spotify automatically opens up on startup in Mac. Here, selecting the right playlist becomes more important than my office tasks. Does that happen to you as well? Then you need to stop Spotify from opening on Mac startup.
How to Stop Spotify From Opening Automatically on Mac Startup
Quite like the feature of upgrading to Spotify premium, the app does not keep the said setting handy. It was after some poking around that I found the setting. In doing so, I found a setting perfectly suited to my case.
As I mentioned, I love music and tend to get distracted when Spotify pops up. So, instead of preventing Spotify from opening on startup, I can choose it to start and minimize on my Dock. This way, the app remains always approachable, without distracting.
Step #1. Open the Spotify app on your Mac.
Step #2.Log in to the app (skip the step if already logged in).
Step #3. Select Spotify from the top menu (next to Apple logo on Mac) and click on Preferences.
Step #4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select Show Advanced Settings.
Step #5. Now, scroll up to Startup and Window Behavior setting.
Mac Apps Open On Startup
Step #6. From the drop down menu in front of Open Spotify automatically after you log into the computer, select
- No to stop Spotify from opening on mac startup
- Minimize to keep Spotify minimized during startup
Restart Mac In Recovery Mode
In case, this method does not work for you, there’s another method you can try.
Change System Settings to Prevent Spotify from Opening on Mac Startup
So basically, your system keeps the log of apps that automatically open during the startup. This log might be pushing your Spotify app to open during every boot. All you need to do is remove Spotify from the list.
Step #1. Tap on Apple () icon and select System Preferences from the menu.
Step #2. Select Users & Groups.
Apps Auto Open After Mac Restart Mode
Step #3. Here, switch to Login Items tab from the top bar.
Step #4. Select Spotify and click on Minus(-) from the bottom of the page.
You can also check the hide option; this will hide the application when you turn on your computer.
That’s all folks!!
In the world of music streaming, Spotify stands tall amongst its competitors. However, it is some small user-interface related issues that holds the app back. While no setting is difficult, finding and reaching that particular setting is a laborius process. For instance, you can only upgrade or delete your spotify account permanently via web.
While I wish Spotify takes heed of such issue and simplify these task.
Here are some more Spotify tutorials for you:-
Jignesh Padhiyar is the co-founder of iGeeksBlog.com who has a keen eye for news, rumors and all the unusual stuff that happens around Apple products. During his tight schedule, Jignesh finds some moments of respite to share side-splitting contents on social media.
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