You press the power button and nothing happens. The thought that follows is usually “it's dead.”
But open Apple's and Microsoft's own “won't turn on” documents and neither starts with a repair. ⭐ Both start by establishing whether it really is off.
⭐⭐⭐ Apple puts it this way.
“If your screen shows a flashing question mark, circle with a line through it, or anything else,
your Mac is turned on but isn't starting up.”
⭐⭐ “Won't turn on” and “turns on but won't start up” are different problems.
⭐ And the distinction changes everything you do next — the first points at power, the second at software.
⭐⭐⭐ Apple's order — power, ten seconds, accessories
| # | The step as written | ⭐ What it separates out |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ 1 | ⭐ Check the power connection — cable undamaged and “plugged securely into your Mac and a working electrical outlet”; try a different cable | ⭐ Cables come first |
| ⭐ 2 | ⭐ “Press and hold the power button on your Mac for about 10 seconds” — release, then press normally | ⭐ “About 10 seconds” is written as a number |
| 3 | Unplug all accessories — printers, drives, USB hubs, mobile devices — then repeat step 2 | ⭐ Separates out whether something attached is blocking it |
| ⭐⭐ 4 | ⭐⭐ Assess the screen — anything showing means it is on; a blank screen means the issue could be software | ⭐⭐⭐ The road forks here |
| 5 | Reset the SMC — ⚠️ Intel-based Macs only; Apple silicon models don't need it | ⚠️ A step that doesn't exist on some models |
| ⚠️ 6 | ⚠️ Still unresponsive — seek service | ⚠️ Last |
⭐⭐ Microsoft's version leads with “15 minutes”
Microsoft's Surface startup document is short — three steps. ⭐ But step one has a waiting time baked into it.
| # | The step as written | ⭐ How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ 1 | ⭐ “Disconnect any USB drives, SD cards, USB accessories, external monitors, the Type Cover, or anything else you've connected”, then attach the proper power supply and “charge it for at least 15 minutes” | ⭐⭐ There is an assumption in there — much of “won't turn on” is “the battery is too low” |
| ⭐ 2 | ⭐ Windows logo key + Ctrl + Shift + B | ⭐⭐⭐ The same combination that appears in the black-screen document |
| 3 | Force restart — “press and hold the power button until the logo screen appears (about 20 seconds)” | ⚠️ The force restart is last here too |
| ⭐ For the power supply itself, the document points at the charger's LED — blinking, flashing or off means to suspect the supply. | ||
⭐⭐⭐ Step 2 is the most interesting line in the document. Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B is the combination that restarts the graphics driver, and it is step two of the black-screen document as well. ⚠️ Its presence in a “won't turn on” document reads as Microsoft treating the two symptoms as overlapping.
⭐⭐ The two documents side by side
| Point of comparison | Apple (Mac) | Microsoft (Surface) |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Step 1 | Check the power cable and outlet | Unplug everything, charge 15 minutes |
| ⭐ Long press | About 10 seconds (step 2) | About 20 seconds, until the logo (step 3) |
| Accessories | Step 3 | ⭐ Step 1 |
| ⭐ Establishing it is alive | ⭐ Is anything showing on screen (step 4) | ⭐ Key combination + charger LED |
| ⚠️ Service | ⚠️ Last | ⚠️ Last |
| ⚠️ Different machines — the procedures are not transferable. ⭐ But the skeleton, “cable → detach what's attached → long press → check if it's alive → service,” is shared by both documents (that summary is ours). | ||
⭐ The shared point in one line — neither document puts disassembly or parts replacement in its procedure. ⚠️ The last box is always “take it in.”
⭐ If it powers up but the screen stays black, go to no sound or no display. If it starts and then shuts off, see when it shuts down suddenly; if it starts but drags, the slow-computer article. ⚠️ And how a battery wears over a device's life is set out from maker documents in the phone battery article.
Questions people ask
Won't holding the power button damage it?
⭐ Both makers write the procedure themselves — Apple, about 10 seconds; Microsoft, about 20 seconds, until the logo appears. ⚠️ In both cases only after the earlier steps, and unsaved work is lost.
It's been plugged in and still won't start
⭐ Microsoft puts “charge it for at least 15 minutes” in step one — judge after waiting, not the moment you plug it in. ⭐ And if the charger LED is blinking, flashing or off, the document points at the power supply. ⭐ Apple separately says to try a different cable.
There's a question mark on the screen — what is that?
⭐⭐ Apple states it directly — a flashing question mark or a circle with a line through it means “your Mac is turned on but isn't starting up.” ⭐ Which moves you off this procedure and onto the startup disk. ⚠️ That path is not covered here.
Should I reset the SMC?
⚠️ Only on Intel-based Macs. Apple's document states that Apple silicon models do not require this step. ⚠️ Windows PCs have no equivalent.
What about a desktop PC?
⚠️⚠️ The two documents opened here are for a Mac and a Surface. ⭐ The “cable → accessories → long press” skeleton looks the same, but ⚠️ we did not check procedures for a desktop's power supply or motherboard.
Sources
- ⭐⭐⭐ Apple official support — If your Mac doesn't turn on (checked August 2026). Source for the six steps and their order, “plugged securely into your Mac and a working electrical outlet,” ⭐ “press and hold the power button on your Mac for about 10 seconds,” unplugging accessories and repeating, ⭐⭐ “if your screen shows a flashing question mark, circle with a line through it, or anything else, your Mac is turned on but isn't starting up,” and the SMC reset applying to Intel-based Macs only.
- ⭐⭐⭐ Microsoft official support — Surface won't turn on or start (checked August 2026). Source for the three steps and their order, ⭐ “disconnect any USB drives, SD cards, USB accessories, external monitors, the Type Cover…” and “charge it for at least 15 minutes,” ⭐⭐ Windows logo key + Ctrl + Shift + B, “press and hold the power button until the logo screen appears (about 20 seconds),” and the charger LED guidance.
- ⭐⭐ Microsoft official support — Troubleshooting blank screens in Windows (checked August 2026). Source for Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B being the graphics-driver restart and step two of the black-screen list — where we confirmed that the same combination sits in both documents.
- ⭐ Checked directly. “Both documents share the skeleton cable → detach → long press → check if alive → service” and “neither maker puts disassembly in the procedure” are our summary of the two documents set side by side; neither document states it that way.
What we could not verify
- ⚠️⚠️ Ordinary desktop PCs. The documents opened here are for a Mac and a Surface. Power supply, motherboard and front-panel switch procedures for a built PC were not checked.
- ⚠️⚠️ How often each cause applies. Neither document gives a share for battery against power supply against board failure.
- ⚠️ What follows “on but not starting up.” The path Apple's document forks onto is not covered here.
- ⚠️ Other laptop makers. Procedures from Windows laptop makers other than Surface were not checked. They differ by device.
- ⚠️ Korean data. There are no Korean statistics in this article.
As of August 2026. The Mac procedure comes from Apple official support, the Surface procedure and the key combination from Microsoft official support, and the shared skeleton drawn from the two is marked as ours. ⚠️⚠️ Do not open a device that shows no sign of power. The last step in both documents is the manufacturer's service.
