Reset the SMC and NVRAM on Mac: which steps apply?

Identify the Mac before holding keys

Open Apple menu › About This Mac. An Apple chip name such as M1, M5 or A18 Pro means Apple silicon; an Intel processor name means Intel. The Apple silicon guide shows how to read that field.

For Intel, also check whether the Mac has Apple's T2 Security Chip. Hold Option while choosing Apple menu › System Information, then select Controller or iBridge. Apple says the T2 chip appears there by name.

Apple's T2 model list includes Intel MacBook Air and MacBook Pro introduced in 2018–2020, the 2020 27-inch iMac, iMac Pro, 2018 Mac mini and 2019 Mac Pro. The 2020 M1 laptops are excluded. Don't choose a procedure from the purchase year alone.

What SMC and NVRAM actually do

The SMC manages power and hardware behaviour such as charging, fans, lid behaviour and some sensors. Apple presents an Intel SMC reset as a possible response to uncommon faults in those areas. It isn't a routine performance treatment.

NVRAM, historically also called PRAM in troubleshooting advice, stores certain small settings. Examples include sound volume, display resolution, startup-disk choice and time zone. Resetting it may help if a stored setting behaves incorrectly on Intel.

These are separate operations. An SMC reset doesn't reset NVRAM, and neither is a factory reset or a reinstall. If you want to erase a Mac before sale, follow the factory-reset guide instead.

Apple silicon: restart or shut down normally

1. Save your work and connect the Mac to power.
2. Choose Apple menu › Restart. Alternatively, choose Shut Down, let the Mac turn off, then press its power button to start it again.
3. Recheck the specific symptom under the same conditions.

Apple's SMC instructions say no further steps are needed. Its NVRAM page separately states that the Intel reset steps don't apply to Apple silicon and aren't needed. Don't interpret that as a reason to run a Terminal command to force a different reset.

If an app is frozen, try the app-specific route first. If the whole Mac cannot respond, use the forced-restart guide; interrupting power can lose unsaved work, so it isn't the first choice for a Mac that can shut down normally.

Intel laptop with T2

Apple first asks you to shut down, hold the power button or Touch ID for 10 seconds, release it, wait a few seconds, then turn the Mac on. Recheck the problem.

If it persists, use the built-in keyboard:

1. Shut down.
2. Hold left Control + left Option + right Shift for 7 seconds.
3. Without releasing those keys, also hold the power button for another 7 seconds.
4. Release everything, wait a few seconds, then press power to start.

The Mac might turn on while you hold the first three keys, then turn off while you hold all four. The left and right sides matter: this T2 sequence uses the right Shift key. Don't substitute the older laptop timing below.

Intel laptop without T2

For the older Intel laptop branch in Apple's current instructions, shut down and use the built-in keyboard:

1. Hold left Shift + left Control + left Option, then hold the power button too.
2. Keep all four held for 10 seconds.
3. Release them and press power to turn the Mac on.

This branch uses left Shift and one ten-second interval. If the model has unusual hardware or you're unsure which branch applies, confirm its exact identity with Apple before continuing. Opening the case or removing a battery is not part of this guide.

Intel desktop, with or without T2

Apple gives the same desktop timing for these two Intel branches: shut down, unplug the power cord, wait 15 seconds, reconnect it, wait another 5 seconds, then press the power button.

Save work first and allow shutdown to finish before unplugging. This is an Intel procedure; an Apple silicon desktop belongs to the normal restart or shutdown section above.

Reset NVRAM on an Intel Mac

Try correcting the affected setting normally in System Settings first. If it still behaves incorrectly and you have confirmed the Mac is Intel:

1. Shut down.
2. Turn it on and immediately hold Option + Command + P + R together.
3. Release after about 20 seconds. The Mac may appear to restart during that time.
4. After startup, review any affected settings, including startup disk, sound, display resolution and time zone.

This doesn't erase your documents. If the startup shortcut isn't recognized, use Apple's keyboard-shortcut troubleshooting linked from its NVRAM article; repeatedly extending the hold isn't a diagnosis. Apple also notes that an Intel desktop losing these settings every time it is unplugged may need service for the small battery that retains them.

If the symptom remains

Return to the symptom rather than repeating every reset. For charging, check the outlet, compatible adapter and cable with the not-charging guide. For no power, use the ordered startup checks.

For software loaded at startup, safe mode is a more targeted test. For a possible hardware fault, run Apple Diagnostics and record any reference code. A reset that changes nothing doesn't establish which component failed.

Check the symptom afterward

On Apple silicon with macOS 15 or later, Tend's free battery and workload readings can help compare charging state, health, cycles and estimated app watts before and after a restart. Pro adds heat warnings and a daily health record for the battery. Tend doesn't perform an SMC or NVRAM reset and doesn't run on Intel Macs.

Questions

Related guides

Sources

Sources checked 23 October 2026. These are documented steps and specifications; no repair, installation or performance test was run for this guide.

• Apple, Reset the SMC of your Mac, published 8 December 2025
• Apple, Reset NVRAM on your Mac, published 30 April 2025
• Apple, Mac computers with the Apple T2 Security Chip, published 27 May 2026
• Apple, Mac computers with Apple silicon
• Apple, If your Mac does not turn on

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