How to fix MacBook not turning on after battery drain

If your MacBook is taking forever to turn on after it dies, don't give up all hope; although it's alarming, there are a few things you can do to troubleshoot it.

We've put together some simple tips for you in this FAQ. Let's go.

Why is my MacBook not turning on after battery drain?

Battery issues on a Mac are really frustrating. When your Mac won't turn on after a battery drain, it's a good idea to first try and understand why; here are a couple of common reasons:

Faulty charging cable
Battery health issues
System glitch
Deep discharge state

Solved: MacBook died and won't turn on

1. Check your power adapter

If your charger or power adapter is broken, this could be why you can't turn your Mac on. Check for signs of damage to the cable, use another power socket, or try to charge your Mac with a different cable.

2. Connect and wait

Sometimes, a drained battery needs to be left to charge for 20 minutes before attempting to turn on, so give it a little time.

If you manage to get your Mac on, quickly run some performance tasks to avoid this issue again.

Use a tool like CleanMyMac, which comes with a built-in Performance tool: here's how to use it:

Flush DNS cache in Maintenance

Install the app (get the seven-day trial).
Select Performance > Scan > View All Tasks.
Select items and click Run.

3. Rule out deep discharge state

If your Mac was put away for a long period of time with an empty battery, it might have fallen into what's called a deep discharge state; this basically means it can no longer hold a charge — you'll need to look at replacement battery options.

Hopefully, this solved your MacBook not turning on after battery drain issue.