Why does the smc need to be reset

Dec 23, AM in response to iinami In response to iinami. Dec 23, AM. Dec 27, PM in response to iinami In response to iinami. Dec 27, PM. Question: Q: what does SMC reset actually do? More Less. Communities Get Support. Unplug the power cord. Wait 15 seconds. Plug the power cord back in. Wait 5 seconds, then press the power button again to turn on your Mac. Press and hold its power button for 10 seconds. Release the power button, then wait a few seconds. Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds.

Press and hold the right Shift key, the left Option key, and the left Control key for 7 seconds. Your Mac might turn on and show the Apple logo on its display.

Keep holding those keys while you also press and hold the power button for another 7 seconds. If your Mac turned on when you first pressed the keys, it turns off at this point. Release all three keys and the power button, then wait a few seconds.

What can cause the SMC to repeatedly need to be reset? Ask Question. Asked 5 years, 1 month ago. Active 2 years, 9 months ago. Viewed 9k times. This is really aggravating. Is there anything that could be causing this? Improve this question. Add a comment. An SMC reset is not considered part of routine maintenance for a Mac. It should only be performed if you notice issues with any of the following computer components:. This can occur continuously, even if your device is properly ventilated and is not experiencing heavy usage.

This may also be necessary if your device starts to sleep or shut down at random times. Performance issues are perhaps the biggest warning signs relating to your SMC. You may need a reset to correct the problem if your computer is sluggish and fails to perform at optimal levels consistently. This process varies based on your computer. Unplug your laptop and shut it down. Then hold down the Shift, Control, Option, and power keys for at least 10 seconds.

Let go of the keys, plug the power cable back into your computer, and restart your computer as you usually would. Older MacBooks do not have a removable battery, so you cannot use the previously mentioned keyboard shortcut to reset the SMC on these devices. Turn off your machine and unplug the power cable.

Wait 15 seconds, then reconnect the power cord and turn on your computer. You might try performing a reset to see if problems with your computer disappear.