PRAM/NVRAM reset not happening

If you have a 2018 T2 model Mac, then the PRAM reset behaves differently than with older Macs. With a T2 Mac just pressing a key will power on the laptop now and the laptop will only allow one reset and will continue booting even with the PRAM reset keys still being held down. Personally I absolutely hate this behavior since there is no way to confirm the reset actually occurred plus there have been times with older Macs where the computer needed to perform the PRAM reset two or three times before the NVRAM settings were actually cleared.

I've also encountered similar behavior with a 2017 non-T2 laptop where the laptop booted macOS after performing one PRAM reset (I was still holding the keys waiting for the second activation since I can see the display backlight flicker under the right conditions).

The Cmd-Opt-P-R should work, T1 chip or otherwise.

Can we back up and address why the NVRAM reset has become a central issue?

What is the expected outcome or change or remediation that the NVRAM reset (might) provide?

The startup chime can be re-enabled, for those unfamiliar with that or interested in that.

In a Terminal.app command-line session, and you’ll need to enter your login (Admin) password when prompted:

On:

sudo nvram StartupMute=%00

Off:

sudo nvram StartupMute=%01

Feedback to our hosts about the lack of feedback might get some, um, feedback at boot?

Hello Ohad_Cloudinary,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities!

We understand from your question that you want to do a PRAM/NVRAM reset on your computer. We can certainly help you with this!

This article will be a good resource for you. It will walk you through the necessary steps to resolve the question.

Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac

We hope this is able to resolve your issue. If you have any more questions or this does not resolve your issue, please reach back out on the thread!

Cheers.

Just a few questions for clarification and double check-

1. Which model is your MacBook Pro?
2. How did you ensure that there is no Firmware Password set on the MacBook Pro?
3. When you pressed COMMAND+OPTION+P+R then did you press and HOLD the keys DOWN to see the reboot (Apple Logo)?

Axel F.

Ohad_Cloudinary wrote:

I have a 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro with TouchID (Mid 2017).

What do you mean by "Pressing a key"? which key? under which conditions?

Not TouchID, but T2 security chip which a 2017 laptop does not have.

When performing the PRAM reset on a 2017 MBPro you won't really notice anything happening unless you are in a dimly lit room where you can see the display backlight come on for a brief second about every 20 seconds or so since the newer Macs have the startup chime disabled. With some 2017 laptops I've found that the PRAM reset will not reboot the laptop more than one time and will instead boot directly into macOS (I have no idea why some will behave differently than others of the same model series).

There is also a possibility that there is an issue with the Logic Board (or possibly the keyboard) which is not actually recognizing the PRAM reset. I've seen this happen to several of these newer laptops as well.