When the Mac stops working (both a desktop Mac and a Macbook, regardless of the model or version), it is possible to reset the SMC to at least try to fix a malfunction related to the laptop battery, if the power button is not responding properly, the device goes to sleep or shuts down unexpectedly, or the fans are completely blocked.
Known as System Management Controller (SMC) or Controller Management System it consists of a chip that are installed on all motherboards of the Mac, and controls the power supply, hard disk when it is in sleep or the backlighting of Macbook keyboards, just to name a few examples.
In this way, resetting the SMC can be useful to solve some problems associated with the power of our Mac , since sometimes it would be necessary to restart it. But how can we do it?
Resetting SMC on a Macbook with a removable battery
If you have a Macbook prior to 2012, it may have a removable battery . In these cases, resetting the SMC is even easier and simpler.
Simply turn off the Macbook, disconnect the AC adapter if the Mac is connected to it, remove the removable battery, and press the power button for a period of at least 5 seconds.
Once this is done, we must proceed to put the removable battery back in its place, and restart the Mac normally.
Resetting SMC on a Macbook with internal (non-removable) battery
If our Macbook is more recent, it is most likely that it does not have a removable battery, because it has been installed internally. If so, the process to follow is a little different.
First, we must turn off the Macbook and connect the AC adapter to the Mac and then to a power outlet.
On the keyboard, we simultaneously press the keys Alt + Ctrl + Shift + the power button , to release all the keys and the power button at the same time. Finally, we restart the mac.
Resetting SMC on a Mac Pro, iMac, and Mac Mini
The truth is that on a desktop Mac it is also perfectly possible to reset the SMC. To do this, we must turn off the Mac and unplug the device’s power cable.
Now, we have to wait 15 seconds, then reconnect the power cable and then wait another 5 seconds. Finally, we proceed to restart the Mac normally.
