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Smoogie Bell Posted on Nov 14, 2014

Why does my macbook air keep shutting randomly?

Macbook air keep displaying the shutdown menu every few minutes. I keep clicking on cancel but it keeps coming up. If I click on nothing, it automatically shuts down.

2 Answers

Chris Moody

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  • Contributor 17 Answers
  • Posted on Nov 15, 2014
Chris Moody
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I hate to not give you a detailed answer, but your issue needs troubleshooting. If your anywhere near a Apple Retail Store you need to have someone trouble shoot this problem. I've never once heard of this happening.

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  • Posted on Nov 15, 2014
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Sounds like a sticky key that thinks it has been pressed

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5 Related Answers

Anonymous

  • 199 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 17, 2008

SOURCE: abnormal shutdown

This could be a hardware fault. Your power button could possibly be getting stuck whe you turn it on. This message only comes up when you maually hit the power button on the laptop. When it comes up again, try pushing the power button quickly to loosen it up, then hit cancel and wait to see if it happens again. If it does you will have to get your power button looked at.

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Steve Green

  • 87 Answers
  • Posted on Sep 09, 2009

SOURCE: macbook restarts when i shut it down

Try going into Utilities folder and open Disk Utility and repair disk permissions. That fixes a number of bizarre issues in Mac.

Anonymous

  • 481 Answers
  • Posted on Nov 17, 2009

SOURCE: Unexpected shutdown with new battery ...only

This is a duplicate submission -- I will be answering the other copy. Thanks.

Anonymous

  • 481 Answers
  • Posted on Nov 17, 2009

SOURCE: Unexpected shutdown with fresh battery

"Shuts down instantly without warning" is the hallmark of a faulty battery. "All five lights on" is meaningless, as batteries with this fault go from 100% to 0% in a finger-snap. Assuming your battery is under warranty, it should be replaced at no charge.

hamster47

  • 739 Answers
  • Posted on Jun 17, 2010

SOURCE: My MacBook is frozen and won't let me click/shut it down

Hi Meliss
Press the power button and keep it pressed for about 10 seconds.
It should shut itself down.

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Resetting SMC is different for non-portable Macs:

Shut down your Mac
Disconnect the power cord
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Reset the SMC of a MacBook or MacBook Pro's with detachable batteries

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* Light problems and improper lighting management: battery indicator lights aren't working, display backlighting isn't adjusting to ambient light changes, keyboard backlights not working, etc

* Video and external displays not working: display brightness functionality not working properly, target video mode isn't working properly, external display isn't working, etc

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So now that you've concluded you need to reset your SMC (Note that the SMC is on Intel Mac's only), here's how to do it on MacBook's, MacBook Pro's, iMac's, Mac Mini's, and Mac Pro's. Notice that the reset instructions are different for MacBook and MacBook Pro's if you have an internal or detachable battery.
Reset SMC of a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro Retina, or MacBook Pro's with an internal non-removable battery

This is how to reset SMC on most modern Mac laptops:

Shutdown your MacBook Air / MacBook Pro
Connect the power adapter to your Mac
On the MacBook/Pro's keyboard, hold down the Shift+Control+Option keys and the Power button at the same time
Release all keys and the power button at the same time
Boot your Mac as usual

Here's the key sequence to hold down:

Reset the SMC of a MacBook Air or Retina MacBook Pro

Do keep in mind that by resetting the SMC you will lose power specific settings, like the time it takes to sleep a Mac and other customizations to power settings. No big deal, but if you have made many changes to your hardware behavior you will want to adjust stuff like sleep behavior again.
Reset SMC of an iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini

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Shut down your Mac
Disconnect the power cord
Press and hold the Mac's power button for 5 seconds
Release the button
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Reset the SMC of a MacBook or MacBook Pro's with detachable batteries

mac reset the smc Older MacBook laptops with a removable battery can reset SMC with the following approach:

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* Power management and battery problems: Mac isn't turning on, sleep isn't working, random shutdowns and reboots, battery isn't charging, Mac won't wake from sleep etc

* Light problems and improper lighting management: battery indicator lights aren't working, display backlighting isn't adjusting to ambient light changes, keyboard backlights not working, etc

* Video and external displays not working: display brightness functionality not working properly, target video mode isn't working properly, external display isn't working, etc

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So now that you've concluded you need to reset your SMC (Note that the SMC is on Intel Mac's only), here's how to do it on MacBook's, MacBook Pro's, iMac's, Mac Mini's, and Mac Pro's. Notice that the reset instructions are different for MacBook and MacBook Pro's if you have an internal or detachable battery.
Reset SMC of a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro Retina, or MacBook Pro's with an internal non-removable battery

This is how to reset SMC on most modern Mac laptops:

Shutdown your MacBook Air / MacBook Pro
Connect the power adapter to your Mac
On the MacBook/Pro's keyboard, hold down the Shift+Control+Option keys and the Power button at the same time
Release all keys and the power button at the same time
Boot your Mac as usual

Here's the key sequence to hold down:

Reset the SMC of a MacBook Air or Retina MacBook Pro

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Reset SMC of an iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini

Resetting SMC is different for non-portable Macs:

Shut down your Mac
Disconnect the power cord
Press and hold the Mac's power button for 5 seconds
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Reattach the power cables and boot the Mac as usual

Reset the SMC of a MacBook or MacBook Pro's with detachable batteries

mac reset the smc Older MacBook laptops with a removable battery can reset SMC with the following approach:

Shutdown the MacBook/Pro and remove the battery
Disconnect the power adapter, hold the Power Key for 10 seconds
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Hopefully that will clear up your problems, if not it might be worth a visit to the Apple Store or a certified repair center.

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Resetting the SMC on any type of Mac (and any version of OS X) and the type of problems that it may resolve.
When & Why Reset SMC on a Mac? Some Common Hardware Reasons

Typically it's power and hardware related issues that can be helped or resolved by resetting a Mac SMC, particularly if you're having these types of problems:

* Issues with your Mac's cooling fans and fan management: fans run constantly at high speed, fans run high despite low CPU usage and adequate ventilation, fans not working at all, etc

* Power management and battery problems: Mac isn't turning on, sleep isn't working, random shutdowns and reboots, battery isn't charging, Mac won't wake from sleep etc

* Light problems and improper lighting management: battery indicator lights aren't working, display backlighting isn't adjusting to ambient light changes, keyboard backlights not working, etc

* Video and external displays not working: display brightness functionality not working properly, target video mode isn't working properly, external display isn't working, etc

* General performance and functionality problems: abnormally sluggish behavior despite no CPU or disk usage, external ports not working, airport & bluetooth aren't showing up, external devices are not being found, etc

So now that you've concluded you need to reset your SMC (Note that the SMC is on Intel Mac's only), here's how to do it on MacBook's, MacBook Pro's, iMac's, Mac Mini's, and Mac Pro's. Notice that the reset instructions are different for MacBook and MacBook Pro's if you have an internal or detachable battery.
Reset SMC of a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro Retina, or MacBook Pro's with an internal non-removable battery

This is how to reset SMC on most modern Mac laptops:

Shutdown your MacBook Air / MacBook Pro
Connect the power adapter to your Mac
On the MacBook/Pro's keyboard, hold down the Shift+Control+Option keys and the Power button at the same time
Release all keys and the power button at the same time
Boot your Mac as usual

Here's the key sequence to hold down:

Reset the SMC of a MacBook Air or Retina MacBook Pro

Do keep in mind that by resetting the SMC you will lose power specific settings, like the time it takes to sleep a Mac and other customizations to power settings. No big deal, but if you have made many changes to your hardware behavior you will want to adjust stuff like sleep behavior again.
Reset SMC of an iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini

Resetting SMC is different for non-portable Macs:

Shut down your Mac
Disconnect the power cord
Press and hold the Mac's power button for 5 seconds
Release the button
Reattach the power cables and boot the Mac as usual

Reset the SMC of a MacBook or MacBook Pro's with detachable batteries

mac reset the smc Older MacBook laptops with a removable battery can reset SMC with the following approach:

Shutdown the MacBook/Pro and remove the battery
Disconnect the power adapter, hold the Power Key for 10 seconds
Release the power key and reconnect your battery and power adapter
Turn your Mac on
Let boot as usual

Hopefully that will clear up your problems, if not it might be worth a visit to the Apple Store or a certified repair center.

Happy New Year,
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Resetting the PRAM may do the trick:
You reset the PRAM by rebooting a Mac and then immediately hold down the Command+Option+P+R keys, you will then hear the Mac reboot sound again, signifying your PRAM has been reset. You must hit the key combination before the grey screen appears otherwise it won't work.

you've tried rebooting, you've reset the PRAM, you've done it all, but your Mac is still behaving strangely. What next? In certain circumstances, resetting your Mac's System Management Controller (SMC) can be a solution. This is sometimes necessary to restore normal lower level system functionality to your Mac.

Here's how to reset the SMC on any type of Mac (and any version of OS X) and the type of problems that it may resolve.
When & Why Reset SMC on a Mac? Some Common Hardware Reasons

Typically it's power and hardware related issues that can be helped or resolved by resetting a Mac SMC, particularly if you're having these types of problems:

* Issues with your Mac's cooling fans and fan management: fans run constantly at high speed, fans run high despite low CPU usage and adequate ventilation, fans not working at all, etc

* Power management and battery problems: Mac isn't turning on, sleep isn't working, random shutdowns and reboots, battery isn't charging, Mac won't wake from sleep etc

* Light problems and improper lighting management: battery indicator lights aren't working, display backlighting isn't adjusting to ambient light changes, keyboard backlights not working, etc

* Video and external displays not working: display brightness functionality not working properly, target video mode isn't working properly, external display isn't working, etc

* General performance and functionality problems: abnormally sluggish behavior despite no CPU or disk usage, external ports not working, airport & bluetooth aren't showing up, external devices are not being found, etc

So now that you've concluded you need to reset your SMC (Note that the SMC is on Intel Mac's only), here's how to do it on MacBook's, MacBook Pro's, iMac's, Mac Mini's, and Mac Pro's. Notice that the reset instructions are different for MacBook and MacBook Pro's if you have an internal or detachable battery.
Reset SMC of a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro Retina, or MacBook Pro's with an internal non-removable battery

This is how to reset SMC on most modern Mac laptops:

Shutdown your MacBook Air / MacBook Pro
Connect the power adapter to your Mac
On the MacBook/Pro's keyboard, hold down the Shift+Control+Option keys and the Power button at the same time
Release all keys and the power button at the same time
Boot your Mac as usual

Here's the key sequence to hold down:

Reset the SMC of a MacBook Air or Retina MacBook Pro

Do keep in mind that by resetting the SMC you will lose power specific settings, like the time it takes to sleep a Mac and other customizations to power settings. No big deal, but if you have made many changes to your hardware behavior you will want to adjust stuff like sleep behavior again.
Reset SMC of an iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini

Resetting SMC is different for non-portable Macs:

Shut down your Mac
Disconnect the power cord
Press and hold the Mac's power button for 5 seconds
Release the button
Reattach the power cables and boot the Mac as usual

Reset the SMC of a MacBook or MacBook Pro's with detachable batteries

mac reset the smc Older MacBook laptops with a removable battery can reset SMC with the following approach:

Shutdown the MacBook/Pro and remove the battery
Disconnect the power adapter, hold the Power Key for 10 seconds
Release the power key and reconnect your battery and power adapter
Turn your Mac on
Let boot as usual

Hopefully that will clear up your problems, if not it might be worth a visit to the Apple Store or a certified repair center.

Happy New Year,
Kerry
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2answers

Hello, I'v got a MacBook Air, and it won't turn on as it goes: on, the Apple logo shows, the waiting wheel spins and then turns off again, and keep doing this till i shut it down for good... it won't turn...

Try:

1. Turn your MacBook Air off by holding down the power button for about 10 seconds.
2. Hold down one of the Shift keys and press the power button for a few seconds. Keep holding the shift key for about 1/2 minute. This will start the machine in "Safe Mode." It will check to make sure there are no errors on your hard drive and do other tasks to hopefully fix your problem.
3. Once you see your Desktop (if you do), click the Apple menu and click "Shutdown".
4. Start the computer normally by holding down the power button for a couple seconds.

If this doesn't work, you may need to reinstall the operating system. On a MacBook Air, that's a bit more complicated. You'll need either the external DVD drive (an optional purchase for the Air) or another computer. Your computer manual explains how to install software on that other computer (may or may not be necessary) so that you can use that computer's DVD drive to put the disc in and reinstall Mac OS X operating system.

Good luck! Please let us know if you have further questions or problems.

* If you find this information helpful, please rate my solutions and recommend me. Thanks! *

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FileVault recovering disk space for hours. No reboot/shutdown.

forcefully shutdown the system and restar the system and reset the pram and smc.this can sol the issue
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Unexpected shutdown with new battery ...only

This is a duplicate submission -- I will be answering the other copy. Thanks.
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