The blue screen of death (BSOD) is something every MacBooks Air user dreads. It is a moment when your computer shuts down and displays a blue screen with a technical error message that you don’t understand.
Suddenly, all your work is gone, and nothing seems to be going right. Even the best Mac file recovery software might not be enough to salvage your progress.
Nevertheless, while the panic can be overwhelming, there’s no need to despair — we’ve put together seven methods to fix the blue screen on your MacBook Air.
Before we begin, it’s important to know what causes the BSOD in the first place. There are several possible causes ranging from hardware problems such as a faulty RAM or graphics card, software errors due to an outdated operating system or virus attack, or even an electrical surge caused by power failure.
Therefore, it’s best to troubleshoot each potential cause separately until you find the root of the issue.
- Check for Software Updates: One of the most common causes for Blue Screen on Mac is outdated or corrupt software. To fix this problem, check for available updates in System Preferences Software Update and install them if needed.
This will often resolve any issues caused by bugs and other glitches that might have been patched up in newer versions of macOS.
- Reset SMC: Resetting System Management Controller (SMC) can also help with problems related to Blue Screen on Macs powered by Intel processors.
The reset requires you to unplug your Mac from its power source, wait 10 seconds before plugging it back in again, then press down Shift+Control+Option along with the Power button simultaneously for about 5 seconds and release them afterward.
- Reboot Multiple Times: Rebooting multiple times can also help fix some minor issues.
To do so, hold down Command+R immediately after restarting your machine and wait until the booting process has completed before rebooting once again 2–3 times consecutively until you are able to access your desktop without any further BSOD errors that reappear.
- Run Disk Utility & Repair Permissions: Running Disk Utility & Repair Permissions can help identify any potential conflicts between installed applications that may be causing Blue Screen errors on your MacBook Air machine as well as repair permissions associated with certain files and folders that can potentially interfere with how macOS functions correctly if they become corrupt over time due to normal usage patterns or accidental deletions etc.
To do so, open Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility & select “Repair Permissions” option under “First Aid” tab at top left corner of window which will scan for any permission-related errors automatically then click “Apply” button afterwards if necessary repairs are found during process scan completion stage.
- Reset NVRAM & PRAM: Resetting Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) & Parameter Random Access Memory (PRAM) have proven effective at resolving some intermittent Blue screen errors appearing on MacBook Air.
To reset these memory locations open Terminal application located under ~/Applications/Utilities directory , type in “nvram -c” command followed by reboot command, then enter “sudo nvram -p” and press the Return key when done typing this command into terminal window; similarly, follow same steps above but type “sudo pram -p” instead while using terminal window this time around.
- Boot into Safe Mode: Booting into Safe Mode shows whether certain startup items loading during the boot process are causing Blue Screen error messages while loading macOS login screen images on the display monitor integrated within laptop frames themselves.
Hence, Mac users should select the Restart option located underneath the Apple Menu icon at the top left corner of the main desktop display area, then press the Command+S keys at the same time once restarting process begins till black text-based terminal mode appears inside the white background area within laptop monitors respectively.
To utilize terminal mode, use the arrow navigation keys from an external keyboard device connected to your laptop.
- Reinstall macOS: Reinstalling the existing version of macOS present within hard drive storage components attached internally to macbook air devices may reduce chances of further bluescreen recurrences significantly; hence users must access the Recovery Mode function available underneath Apple menu icon on the main desktop display area then select “Reinstall macOS” option from options displayed afterward accordingly.
Afterwards, simply follow the onscreen instructions provided within the installation wizard window dialogues respectively to proceed with a clean reinstallation process that erases existing system configuration completely without leaving any trace behind in the computer’s hard drive.
