5 Ways to Fix MacBook Pink Screen of Death

Many factors may provoke the pink screen on your Mac. For example, some users have reported that while performing heavy-load tasks on their Macs, it gave an unexpected error; the screen just went pink and restarted after that. 

Most common reasons for MacBook Air/Pro pink screen:

• Hardware incompatibility
• Software incompatibility or bugs
• Display errors
• Kernel panic
• Power issues

Fixing such an issue isn’t something you do daily, so the solutions might be more time-consuming. The problem is more likely to occur on M1 Macs. That’s why this comprehensive guide will navigate you step-by-step through the process for M1 and Intel Macs.

In this article, we’ll show you how to fix the pink screen of death by:

• Resetting SMC
• Resetting NVRAM
• Checking GPU
• FIxing software incompatibility
• Reinstalling macOS

Fixes to MacBook Pink Screen of Death

Before we jump to more complicated solutions, let’s try some quick fixes (as this might be a temporary malfunction):

1. Restart your Mac. Disconnect any recently connected peripherals, shut down, and reboot your Mac.
2. Connect an external display. This way, you can check whether it’s a display issue or not. If not — try fixing the pink screen issue on your Mac on your own. Follow the troubleshooting tips to remedy the problem. 

Method 1. Reset SMC

System Management Controller, for short, SMC, is responsible for power control, video mode switching, LED, hibernation, etc. Resetting it may be the key to the MacBook pink screen crash problem.

Note: This method works on Intel-based Macs only. 

Here’s how to reset SMC on MacBooks:

1. Disconnect the power cord > shut down your MacBook.

2. Hold Shift + Option + Control > then press and hold down the power button. In ten seconds, release the keys.

3. Plug the power > boot your MacBook.

Reset SMC on Mac mini or iMac:

1. Power down your Mac > disconnect the power cord for 15 seconds.
2. Connect the power cable > boot your Mac.

Method 2. Reset NVRAM 

Non-volatile RAM or NVRAM is a particular memory partition on your Mac that stores data saved even when the Mac is turned off, such as volume settings and screen resolution — information that your computer uses to save settings after a reboot. Your MacBooks’s screen may go pink due to some glitches in these settings. 

Note: Resetting NVRAM exists on an M1-powered Mac, but you can’t just reset it by a key combination at startup. The following instruction will work on Intel:

1. Shut down your Mac.

2. Hold Option + Command + P + R on the keyboard once your laptop reboots.

3. Release the combination once you hear the second startup chime.

Note: If you have a T2-chip Mac, release the keys combination after the Apple logo appears and disappears for the second time.

Method 3. Reset GPU

GPU (graphics processing unit) is designed to deal with graphics rendering, with its acceleration if to be precise. Resetting it is another solution to fix Mac booting to a pink screen.

A. Boot into Safe Mode

Safe Mode works differently on M1 and Intel Mac, so here are two instructions. 

On Intel-based Macs:

1. Shut down your computer and wait for about ten seconds.
2. Hold the Shift key when restarting.
3. Release Shift once you see the login window.

On M1 Macs:

1. Shut down your Mac and wait ten seconds.
2. Hold the power button > wait until the startup disks and Options pop up on the screen.
3. Choose your startup disk > hold down Shift > choose the Continue in Safe Mode option.

Once in Safe Mode: 

1. Click the Apple logo > choose System Preferences.
2. Go to the Battery tab.
3. Deselect the Automatic Graphics Switching.

Related reading: Mac won’t start in Safe Mode? Here is what to do

B. Go into macOS Recovery Mode

On Intel Macs: 

1. Click the Apple logo > select Restart.
2. Instantly press and hold Command + R > wait till your Mac goes into the macOS Recovery Mode.

On M1 Macs:

1. Shut your computer down. 
2. Power it on the Mac by holding the power button until the “Loading startup options” window appears on your screen.

Once in the Recovery Mode:

1. Select Utilities > Terminal from the menu bar.
2. In the Terminal window type in:
   nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00

Method 4. Fix software incompatibility 

MacBook’s pink screen may result from some third-party software failing to run on the operating system. Try recollecting if you have installed any new apps before your MacBook Air/Pro screen has turned pink. If yes, let’s try to fix the issue via Safe Mode, which is often used when dealing with startup problems. It helps you detect problems as macOS boots with a bare minimum of software and drivers without any third-party apps.

• Whether you have an Intel-based or M1-powered Mac, go into Safe Mode (use the instructions described in the Reset GPU section of this guide).

• If you have successfully logged into Safe Mode, you’ll see Safe Boot marked red in the right upper corner of the screen. Go to the Applications folder and delete the recently installed apps.

If the problem persists, you can try reinstalling macOS that will fix deeper issues.

Method 5. Reinstall macOS

Before proceeding, make sure your Mac is connected to the internet:

1. Boot your Mac into the Recovery Mode (described in the Reset GPU section of the article). 
2. Once you see the recovery tools menu on the screen, choose the Reinstall macOS.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Such unplanned macOS reinstallation can lead to data loss. If you haven’t set up Time Machine on your Mac and don’t create regular backups, restoring your data with the Stellar Data Recovery app is a great idea.

Download the app after reinstalling the macOS, and just in a few steps, you can bring the missing files back and work on your Mac like the pink screen of death has never happened.

Wrapping Up

Your MacBook Pro screen suddenly going pink is not what you expect when doing routine tasks. It’s a relatively rare problem, but it may lead to data loss. To be on the safe side, use any of the above-described methods to remedy the situation and have dedicated data recovery software at hand to keep your files safe.

Related posts:

• Fixed: MacBook Keeps Shutting Down And Data Loss Issues
• Time Machine is not working in macOS Monterey
• Mac won’t Boot? 5 Best Software to Recover Data

Was this article helpful?

YES0

NO

About The Author

Ruslana Lishchuk

Ruslana is a tech content writer whose true passion is finding out about everything Mac-related. She specializes in creating macOS guides and tips & tricks. In her spare time, you’ll find her doing yoga or discovering local coffee shops in search of the best filter coffee.