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Resetting SMC and NVRAM on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs

Issue Description 

Power, charging, fan, or hardware-related issues persist. 

Common Causes 

  • Corrupt power settings 
  • Firmware glitches 

Step-by-Step Solution 

Reset SMC 

Intel Macs: 

  • Shut down 
  • Hold Shift + Control + Option + Power (10 sec) 
  • Release → Power on 

Apple Silicon Macs: 

  • No manual SMC reset 
  • Shut down → wait 30 seconds → power on 

 

Reset NVRAM (Intel Macs Only) 

  • Shut down 
  • Power on → hold Option + Command + P + R (20 sec) 

Explore Further 

  • Run Apple Diagnostics 

Prevention & Best Practices 

Reset only when troubleshooting hardware issues.