When your MacBook, iMac, or Mac mini throws the white screen of death error, you need to resolve the Mac issues before it's too late. You might lose your precious data stored on your Mac's hard disk drive, solid-state drive, or fusion drive.
macOS kernel throws the white screen of death error to safeguard its operating system or hardware from damage and resulting data loss. The error might occur in the following situations:
- Incompatible third-party software
- Fatal application error
- Failing Mac hardware
- Failing Mac storage drive
The white screen of death error can be resolved by merely restarting your Mac. If the restart doesn't help, go through the following troubleshooting methods to fix the kernel panic error.
1. Start Your Mac in Safe Mode
You can fix this error by starting up the system in Safe Mode. This mode prevents the automatic loading of applications and repairs directory issues. The steps to boot your Mac in Safe Mode are as follows:
a) Start or restart your Mac then press and hold the Shift key. Release the key when some text appears on the screen—your Mac boots into Safe Boot.
b) Let the Mac fix the start-up disk issue. Once the Mac is in Safe Mode, restart your system from the Apple menu and boot it normally.
This should resolve the Mac issue, making the white screen of death error disappear. If not, follow the next troubleshooting method.
2. Reset SMC
Try resetting your Mac's SMC to fix the white screen of death issue. To reset SMC on your Mac, do any one of the following as per applicability:
- For notebook computers with T2 chip: Shut down the system, press-hold Power button for 10 seconds, and release it. Turn on your Mac after waiting for a few seconds.
- For MacBook Air or Pro with a non-removable battery and without T2 chip: Shut down your Mac and press-hold Shift + Control + Option + Power button for 10 seconds, then release them. Power on your Mac and let it boot normally.
- For iMac or Mac mini: Shut down the system and unplug the power cable. Plug the power after waiting for 15 seconds. Turn on your Mac after waiting for another 5 seconds.
- For notebook computers with a removable battery: Shut down your Mac and remove the battery. Press-hold the Power button for 5 seconds. Connect the battery, then turn on your Mac.
Your Mac's SMC is now reset to its default settings.
3. Reset NVRAM and PRAM
You should also reset your Mac's NVRAM and PRAM to fix white screen of death issue. To reset NVRAM and PRAM on your Mac, do the following:
a) Start or restart your Mac, then press and hold Command + Option + P + R keys.
b) Release the keys after about 20 seconds. Your Mac will appear to start or restart.
The above steps reset your NVRAM and PRAM to its default settings. In case the white screen of death issue persists, go through the next troubleshooting procedure.
4. Use First Aid of Disk Utility to Repair the Hard Drive
You can use Disk Utility's First Aid feature to fix your start-up disk issues. The steps are as follows:
a) Start or restart your Mac, then press-hold Command + R keys until the Apple logo appears.
b) From the macOS Utilities window, select Disk Utility, then click Continue.
c) From the sidebar, select Macintosh HD, click the First Aid tab, and then click Run.
If the repair fails, then proceed to the next troubleshooting method.
5. Reinstall macOS
When Disk Utility can't repair your Mac storage drive, reinstall macOS—steps are as follows:
Warning: Your Mac storage drive will be erased; so, back it up before reinstalling the macOS.
a) After the backup is taken, restart your Mac, then press and hold the Command + R keys.
b) Release the keys when the Apple logo appears. Your Mac will boot into macOS Recovery mode.
c) From macOS Utilities window, select Reinstall macOS, then click Continue.
d) When prompted, erase the Mac storage drive. Next, perform the on-screen instructions.
e) After macOS is reinstalled, restore files from backup to your Mac storage drive.
Now you won't see the white screen of death error. In case you've reinstalled macOS without taking backup, then proceed to the next method.
Use a Data Recovery Software to Recover Your Lost Data
In case there is any data loss due to the white screen of death error, or otherwise, you can use a data recovery software for Mac to recover it. Steps are as follows:
a) Install & launch the *free trial version of Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac.
b) Watch the following video to recover your lost, deleted, or inaccessible data on macOS.
*You can use the free trial copy of Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac to scan your Mac drive and preview files. But to recover and save files, you need to activate the software. Also, the software has a 30-day money-back guarantee, just in case.
Conclusion
When you encounter the white screen of death error in your MacBook, iMac, or Mac mini, you should immediately resolve the issue to avoid any data loss. Force shut down your Mac, then press the power button. If the issue remains after the restart, boot your Mac in Safe Mode. Next, reset SMC, NVRAM, and PRAM. Also, use First Aid of Disk Utility to repair your Mac storage drive. In case Disk Utility fails to repair your Mac drive, back up all the data present on the drive, format it, and reinstall macOS.
In case of any data loss, leverage Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac to recover it. The software is fully compatible with macOS Big Sur and earlier. Also, use the integrated Drive Monitor tool to live-monitor your Mac start-up disk's health, performance, and temperature. When the drive is about to fail, clone it using the Drive Monitor and replace it with a new one, preferably an SSD, to prevent complete data loss. And, when your Mac has hardware issues, get in touch with Apple support to replace the damaged motherboard or other components.
Data recovery expert on Mac & Windows platforms, with 10-year experience in writing
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