How to recover from the White Screen of Death when booting a Mac

As my colleagues and I started recalling the Mac White Screen of Death cases we’ve dealt with, we estimated that 7–8 out of 10 were related to software issues, with only a few requiring hardware repairs. This means that most of you can probably fix your Mac on your own without heading to a service center.

In this article, I’ll break down why a Mac white screen at startup might not be a big deal, what the MacBook white screen of Death means, and how to fix it if your Mac boots to a white screen.

How to recover a Mac stuck on a white screen: Quick solutions

Let’s save you some time. I’ve gathered the key solutions in the table below — if you’re confident, just dive right in. Need more detailed instructions? Scroll down for step-by-step guidance and additional tips.

Your solution	Steps
Disconnect external devices	Unplug all peripherals, restart Mac, reconnect one device, and if the white screen persists, repeat the process with all devices.
Boot into safe mode	Enter safe mode, run Disk Utility and fix the errors, if any. Then, remove suspicious login items.
Use Disk Utility	Restart in recovery mode (press power button, then Command + R), open Disk Utility, and run First Aid.
Reset PRAM/NVRAM	Reboot Mac holding Command + Option + P + R, then release after the second chime.
Reset SMC (Intel Macs)	Power off, hold Control + Option + Shift + Power, release after 7 seconds, and restart.
Reinstall macOS	Boot in recovery mode, select Reinstall macOS and follow on-screen instructions.
Clean system junk	As the next step, use CleanMyMac to remove outdated caches, remnants, junk files and other clutter.
Monitor system health	As the next step, install iStat Menus to monitor CPU, GPU, disk, and temperature for proactive maintenance.

What is the white screen of death?

The white screen of death usually happens when your Mac can’t boot the operating system for some reason. You can think of it like this: the computer runs its boot program, but, at some point, something goes wrong (for example, Mac can’t find the startup disk), and it freezes.

Sometimes, Mac flashes with the white screen for a second or two, and sometimes, gets stuck on it.

Here are the most common causes of a Mac white screen of death:

• Conflicts with external devices (printers, monitors, keyboards).
• Corrupted system files (for example, due to malware or errors during a macOS update).
• Software conflicts with macOS (like incompatible software).
• PRAM/NVRAM issues.
• SMC failures.
• Hardware damage (GPU, SSD, logic board, cables — pretty much anything).

From my experience (and my colleagues’), Macs with Intel processors seem more prone to the white screen problem than those with M-chips. Older computers are also more likely to need hard drive repairs.

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How to fix the white screen of death on your Mac

I have subjectively put the fixes in the order that seems easiest and most appropriate to me. You can go randomly, but I definitely recommend leaving the macOS reinstall for last.

Disconnect external devices

Peripherals can sometimes prevent your Mac from booting due to driver conflicts, damaged hardware, or a misplaced boot disk.

To test this theory, turn off your Mac completely, unplug all cables except essential ones (like the power cable), and then turn it back on.

If the computer boots normally, it’s one of your external devices that’s misbehaving. Now, you just need to find the culprit.

Here's how to fix a white screen of death when the peripheral is causing the problem:

1. Plug in one of the external devices you were using when the white screen appeared.
2. Restart your Mac.
3. If the white screen doesn’t appear, disconnect the device and try the next one.
4. Restart your Mac again.
5. Repeat this process until you identify the device causing the white screen issue.

If this fix worked and your Mac is now turning on normally, I recommend cleaning it up next. You should get rid of system junk, outdated caches, remnants of old apps, and similar clutter that may conflict with other hardware or other apps.

For me, CleanMyMac works best, deleting gigabytes of junk every week (I do regular cleanups at least once a week). When I need a quick cleanup, I run Smart Care. When I have more time, I go through all the scans — Cleanup, Performance, Protection, and more.

Honestly, I can’t overstate how well it works. CleanMyMac is the app I would keep on my laptop if I were forced to uninstall all but one maintenance tool. 

Boot your Mac into a safe mode and clean it up

We’ll need to use safe mode to determine if the white screen of death is caused by the operating system or something else that is installed on your MacBook.

Safe mode loads only the essential system components without which macOS cannot function. Thus, if your Mac boots normally in safe mode, the white screen issue is likely caused by third-party software, such as installed apps or login items.

Besides isolating your Mac from unnecessary stuff, safe mode also performs basic cleanups — it scans disks and clears the system cache. That’s why, sometimes, just entering safe mode can fix the problem, but it’s usually better to combine it with additional troubleshooting steps.

Step 1. Enter safe mode.

Here’s how to boot into safe mode on a Mac with M chip:

1. Shut down your Mac completely.
2. Press and hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears.
3. Select a volume.
4. Press and hold the Shift key.
5. Click Continue in safe mode.

Your Mac should reboot automatically, and you should see the “Safe Boot” in the menu bar.

Here’s how to boot into safe mode on your Intel Mac:

1. Power down your Mac completely.
2. Press the power button to turn your Mac back on.
3. Immediately press and hold the Shift key.
4. When you see the Apple logo on the screen, release the Shift key.

Step 2. Run Disk Utility to find and fix disk errors

1. Open Disk Utility (via Spotlight or Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility).
2. Select your boot disk (usually, Macintosh HD) and click First Aid.
3. Fix the errors you find.

Step 3. Remove problematic login items

1. Go to System Settings > Users and Groups > Login Items.
2. Uninstall any programs that you think might be causing the problem. I would start with suspicious items that you don't remember installing, outdated utilities, antivirus apps, and disk management tools.
3. Select them and remove them by clicking the minus (-) button.

Use Disk Utility to verify or repair disks

If you can't get into Safe Mode, Recovery Mode might work.

1. Power your Mac down completely.
2. Press the power button to turn your Mac on.
3. Immediately hold down the Command + R keys.
4. Release the keys when you see the Apple logo.
5. When prompted, select Disk Utility > Continue.
6. Choose the disk you'd like to repair.
7. Select the First Aid button.

Disk Utility works with errors related to the formatting and directory structure of a Mac disk, so it can help.

Reset PRAM/NVRAM

PRAM/NVRAM (non-volatile random-access memory) stores information that is important for starting your Mac: boot disk settings, kernel panic logs, some display configurations, and more. Your Mac's firmware manages these settings to ensure proper operation. If they are not configured properly (for example, the wrong boot disk is selected), a white screen of death may appear.

In this case, resetting PRAM/NVRAM may help. Don’t worry — it’s safe and does not affect your files, apps, or data.

Here's how to reset the PRAM/NVRAM on your Mac:

1. Power down your Mac completely.
2. Press the power button to turn your Mac on.
3. Immediately press and hold these keys: Command + Option + P + R.
4. When you hear your Mac’s startup chime or see the Apple logo, release the keys.

The PRAM/NVRAM reset process is similar for MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac, but only works on computers with Intel chips. If you use an Apple Silicon computer, a simple reboot will do the same thing.

If resetting PRAM/NVRAM did the trick, I’d suggest installing iStat Menus as the next step. It doesn't solve the white screen problem directly, but it can indirectly help your Mac run more efficiently. iStat Menus monitors CPU and memory usage, fans, temperature, and more. If something goes wrong, you will know about it and will be able to fix it in time. I'm sure it's better to cool down your Mac when it's, say, overheated than to deal with a damaged battery or screen later on, right?

Reset SMC

The SMC (System Management Controller) is responsible for power and thermal management, display functions, and more. Resetting it often helps fix a slow-booting MacBook and the blank white screen.

Here's how to reset the SMC on your Mac to get rid of the white screen of death:

1. Turn off your Mac completely.

2. Press and hold Control + Option keys (both on the left side of the keyboard) + Shift (on the right side of the keyboard).

1. Hold for 7 seconds, then press and hold the power button.

2. Hold for another 7 seconds.

3. Release and wait a few seconds.

4. Turn on your Mac.

Just like resetting PRAM/NVRAM, resetting the SMC doesn’t affect your files, apps, or personal data. It only adjusts system-level settings. If you need, read more about how to reset PRAM/NVRAM and SMC on Mac.

Reinstall macOS

If there are no signs of disk corruption and all methods have failed, try reinstalling macOS.

Here's how to reinstall the latest version of macOS on your Mac:

1. Enter macOS recovery mode.

1. On Mac Silicon: Press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window. Click Options > Continue.

2. On any other Mac: Press the power button, and immediately after this, press Command + R (for the current version of the most recently installed macOS), Option + Command + R (for the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac) or Shift + Option + Command + R (for the macOS that came with your Mac). When you see apple logo or spinning globe, release the keys.

2. When you see the Utilities window, select Reinstall macOS > Continue.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. 

If you need a detailed guide, check out this article: How to reinstall macOS [Without messing up your data].

What can I do to avoid a white screen in the future?

I'm not a fan of preventing every specific problem; instead, I prefer focusing on keeping the Mac in good overall health. The rules are pretty similar for the most common problems, including the white screen of death.

• Clean your Mac regularly. I use CleanMyMac, which hangs in the background and monitors whether everything is okay with my laptop. It alerts me if it detects excessive load, suspicious software, or anything else I need to know about. 
• Keep track of indicators and sensors. iStat Menus does this for me. It monitors the CPU and GPU, but temperature and fan operation are more important to me. If components are not overheating, they are less likely to fail.
• Monitor battery health. A bloated or overheated battery can cause problems for itself and nearby components. I check the battery health using either iStat Menus or Endurance.

I have quite a few other maintenance apps, but these seem to be the most relevant in this context. All of them (as well as most of my Mac apps) come to me from Setapp, a platform with over 250 macOS and iOS apps. They are all available in an ad-free subscription and in premium versions. Newcomers can try them for free for 7 days, and for members, the subscription starts at $9.99 per month.