What to do if your Mac won't shut down

Close frozen applications

Sometimes running programs freeze and prevent the device from rebooting. In this case, the Mac may show the message "The program does not allow restarting the computer", but not always.

Close frozen programs. To do this, right-click on the icon in the Dock and select Force Quit.

What to do if your Mac won't turn off: quit frozen applications

You can also try clicking Apple → Force Quit or press Alt + Cmd + Esc, point to a frozen application, and select Quit.

After closing all programs, try shutting down again.

End unnecessary processes

It happens that applications do not respond to either the End command or the window close button. In this case, you can kill the process through the "System Monitor" - this is almost the same as the "Task Manager" in Windows 10.

Click Launchpad → Others → System Monitor. Or open Spotlight with Cmd + Space, start typing the word Monitoring, and your Mac will find it for you.

In the window that appears, select the process that you cannot close, and click the "Stop" button (with a cross, the first on the panel). Mac will ask you to confirm your actions - click "Force Quit".

What to do if your Mac won't turn off: end unnecessary processes

Repeat this for any frozen applications and try shutting down your Mac again.

Disconnect peripherals

If external drives, flash drives, cameras and other stuff are connected to the computer, they can prevent the system from shutting down. Therefore, deactivate everything except the mouse or trackpad.

Right-click the media, then select Eject. Or drag its icon to the Trash. Don't worry, this will not remove it, it will only allow it to be disconnected.

What to do if your Mac won't turn off: Disconnect peripherals

If the disc cannot be ejected, then you have found the problem. You can click the Force Checkout button. Or open "Terminal" and type the command there:


diskutil list

A list of your drives will appear. Remember the name of the device that cannot be disconnected and enter the command:


diskutil unmountDisk force / Volumes / device_name

The system will now be able to shutdown normally.

Try a forced shutdown

If the measures taken have not led to anything, deactivate the computer forcibly.

On most Macs, it's enough to hold down the power button and wait for the screen to go out. On a MacBook with a Touch ID key, you need to hold it down for a few seconds. To turn on the device again, you need to close and open the cover.

Alternatively, you can try pressing Ctrl + Cmd + Eject or Ctrl + Cmd + Touch ID.

Boot into Safe Mode

The above steps can be used in isolated cases, but if your Mac is experiencing shutdown problems all the time, you need to fix the cause.

First of all, try rebooting into Safe Mode. macOS will scan your disk for problems and try to fix them. In addition, third-party fonts, kernels, system cache and some other things that could (in theory) cause problems will be removed.

Shut down your Mac. If necessary - forcibly.
Press the power button, then immediately press and hold the Shift key.
Release Shift when you see the login window.

Then reboot as usual.

Reset SMC

The System Management Controller (SMC) is responsible for things like power management, battery charging, and keyboard backlighting. Sometimes shutdown problems can be caused by a problem with the SMC, so it is worth trying to reset it.

On stationary Macs, shut down the computer, unplug the power cord, and wait 15 seconds. Then reconnect the cable and after 5 seconds press the power button to turn on.
On laptops with a removable battery, shut down the Mac, remove the battery, and then press and hold the power button for 5 seconds. After that, you need to install the battery and press the button to turn it on.
On laptops with a non-removable battery, turn off the Mac and press and hold the Shift + Command + Option combination with the power button for 10 seconds. After that, release all keys and press the power button to turn on.
On newer MacBooks (2018 and newer), the procedure is slightly different. Disconnect the laptop, press and hold for 7 seconds the right Shift key, the left Option and the left Control key. Without releasing them, hold down the power button for 7 seconds. Then release all keys and the power button, wait a few seconds and turn on the laptop as usual.

Reset PRAM and NVRAM

The non-volatile memory NVRAM and PRAM are used by the Mac to store settings such as disk boot order, screen resolution, and time zone information. Sometimes crashes in this memory prevent the system from shutting down.

Disconnect your Mac.
Press the power button (or Touch ID on some MacBooks).
Press and hold Alt + Cmd + P + R.
Release these keys after 20 seconds. The Mac should boot normally.

Reinstall macOS

If no effort can fix the problem, reinstall macOS. Back up all your important files and documents. Turn off your computer, then turn it on again and hold down the Cmd + R keys. In the recovery menu that appears, select the "Reinstall macOS" option and follow the instructions on the screen.