Mac won't shut down? Here's how to fix it

Like many other issues that crop up on a Mac, there are a number of reasons why your Mac might not shut down. There are several processes that kick into action when you choose to shut down, and if one of them fails, your Mac won’t turn off. However, you can fix it fast enough. Just follow the steps below one by one to deal with the nasty shutdown issue.

How to shut down your Mac

By way of a refresher, here’s how to shut down your Mac:

1. Click the Apple menu.
2. Choose Shut Down.
3. You will then see a dialog box telling you that if you take no further action, your Mac will shut down in one minute, and you’ll see that time count down.
4. To cancel the shutdown, click Cancel. To shut down immediately, choose Shut Down.

Why won’t my Mac shut down

The most common reason for a Mac not shutting down when you click Shut Down is that there is a process running that needs to be completed before your Mac shuts down or that has hung and is preventing your Mac from shutting down. You could also see a spinning beachball.

It could also be:

• An application that won’t quit
• A dialog box that needs to be dismissed
• A document that is waiting to be saved
• Malware

What to do when your Mac won’t shut down

1. Give your Mac some time

The first thing to do is wait a little longer. It may be that the process that is holding up the shutdown is just taking a while to complete.

Normally, the shutdown process is between 5 and 30 seconds. If the macOS quits numerous background processes before shutting down, it can take up to 1 minute. If your Mac takes over 2 minutes, it might indicate a performance issue. Follow the steps below to fix it.

2. Check for any open dialog boxes

If you use a second display, make sure to check that one, too, and if you have Mission Control set up, check every Mission Control screen. Look behind windows, too.

3. Look for a bouncing icon in the Dock

That indicates that an application needs your attention, perhaps to save a document or ask you what you want to do with an open file.

4. Force quit apps

Is there one app that has remained open when all the others have quit? Try force quitting it by:

• Pressing Command-Option-Escape
• Clicking the Apple menu and choosing Force Quit
  

  

• Right-clicking or Control-Clicking the icon in the Dock and choosing Force Quit
  

  

5. Force shut down

Press and hold the power button for a few seconds. You should see a dialog box that asks if you want your Mac to sleep, restart, or shut down. Choose Shut Down.

If you don’t see the dialog box, keep holding the power button until your Mac shuts down. You can then start it again by pressing the power button.

6. Check your Mac for malware

It’s possible that the reason why your Mac won’t shut down is that it has been infected with malware. To check, you should run a virus scan. Why? Because built-in protections (like XProtect and Gatekeeper) do not detect all threats, and so something may sneak onto your macOS without your knowledge.

One very easy way to scan your Mac for malware is to use the Protection feature in CleanMyMac. It scans your Mac and compares what it finds against a regularly updated database of known malware. 

If CleanMyMac finds anything, it will alert you and make it easy for you to remove it. You can set it up so that you trigger a scan manually so that it runs in the background, checking files regularly. You can test CleanMyMac at no charge — get your free trial here. 

Why use CleanMyMac

• With the help of the Protection feature, on average, users find and remove 1 malware [based on internal reports]
• You can test this and 25+ other tools for 7 days without any limitations
• On average, CleanMyMac cleans and maintains over 51K Macs daily [based on internal data]

Try CleanMyMac for free — show your Mac some care, so it serves you longer.

7. Pull the power cable out

The very last resort, if nothing else works and your Mac doesn’t run on battery power, is to pull the power cable out. You should avoid doing this if possible, though, as it’s possible it could damage your Mac.

For persistent shutdown issues: Reset SMC/NVRAM

NVRAM (non-volatile random access memory) stores vital system information like display settings, speaker volume, time zone settings, etc. 

SMC (System Management Controller), on the other hand, is responsible for Mac’s important physical aspects: fans, lights, and power. 

If your MacBook keeps acting up, resetting both can help. 

On a Mac with Apple silicon, simply restart it.

For an Intel-based Mac, follow these steps: 

• NVRAM reset: Shut down your Mac (you might need to force shut down). Press the power button to turn on your computer and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option + Command + P + R for 20 seconds.
• SMC reset: Shut down your Mac. Press and hold all of these keys for 10 seconds: Shift + Control + Option (all on the left side of the built-in keyboard) + power button. Release them and restart your MacBook.

How to prevent your Mac from not shutting down

If your Mac won’t shut down regularly, then it suggests there is a persistent problem. That problem could be with macOS, a particular app, or peripherals you have connected to your Mac. The key to preventing it from happening is to identify the cause and deal with it. Here are some solutions:

1. Update your apps

If your Mac won’t shut down when you’re running a specific app or apps, check for updates to those apps. If there are any, try installing them. Check this article to learn about all the ways to update apps on Mac.

2. Update macOS

Check for updates to macOS (Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update), and if there is one available, install it.

3. Check peripherals

Unplug peripherals connected to your Mac: a wired keyboard, mouse, external drive, or second monitor. If the problem goes away, reconnect them one at a time until you’ve found the culprit.

The thing is that external devices prevent a Mac from shutting down because, usually, the macOS is waiting for pending data transfers to finish, or a background process associated with the device is hanging.

4. Disable FileVault

Turn off FileVault (System Settings > Privacy & Security > FileVault) if it’s running. FileVault encrypts files when you save them, and that can slow down quitting apps simply because macOS prioritizes encrypting over shutting down.

5. Use Disk Utility

Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities), select your startup volume, and choose First Aid in the toolbar to repair the disk.

6. Reinstall macOS

If nothing else works, the last step is to reinstall macOS. This is time-consuming and disruptive, so you should only do it if you have to. Before you start, make sure to back up all your data using Time Machine (this article from Apple has it all on the backups). 

Then, reboot your Mac in recovery mode and choose Reinstall macOS. 

• To reboot in recovery mode on an Apple silicon Mac, shut down your Mac and then hold down the power button until you see startup options. Click Options.
• On an Intel Mac, shut down your Mac, then press the power button and hold down Command-R until you see macOS Utilities. 

After clicking Reinstall macOS, follow the onscreen instructions. Check this article for additional steps.

Key takeaways

There are several possible reasons why your Mac won’t shut down. Fortunately, the issue is usually not serious and is often caused by an application failing to quit, a dialog box that needs to be dismissed, or a document that needs to be saved. Follow these steps one by one to fix the problem:

• Wait a bit (for a minute or two)
• Close any dialogue windows that have popped up and disconnect external accessories
• Force quit all apps running in the background (look for a bouncing icon in the Dock to find which exact app is preventing your Mac from shutting down)
• Scan your Mac for malware
• Force shut down a MacBook — press and hold the power button until the screen turns black (usually, for up to 10 seconds)