Error causing MacBook Air to restart itself

Looks as if people have been having this same problem since 2018 with no resolution. My 2019 MacBook Air, if left unattended for a period of time (sometimes only a few hours, sometimes a day) would shut itself down & restart due to an "error." The beginning of the current error report reads, {"caused_by":"macos","macos_version":"Mac OS X 10.14.6 (18G6032)","os_version":"Bridge OS 4.6 (17P6610)","macos_system_state":"running","incident_id":"0AD3F42F-98D2-4739-855B-CDA7BDE41564","timestamp":"2020-12-15 02:17:06.00 +0000","bug_type":"210"}

The Apple Store restored my Mojave 10.14.6 (not a complete wipe/restore) and the problem of going black & the fan running, and having to restart by using the power button seemed to go away for about 3 weeks. Now it has started to simply restart itself instead of going black. This has happened 3 times in the last 2 weeks.


I have much to do to prepare for upgrading to an OS that does not support any 32 bit apps. Would upgrading to Catalina solve this issue? That is the go-to Apple response: clean install or upgrade. Surely what worked before should be able to work again.


Any suggestions? I'm hoping something short of using Terminal as part of the answer.


MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Dec 15, 2020 4:31 PM

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6 replies

Dec 16, 2020 10:03 AM in response to bhludlow

Apple Diagnostics runs on its own without loading macOS, so Safe Mode isn't a concern.


Sometimes, the kernel panic report suggests a potential culprit. Next time it happens copy the entire report and paste it in a reply here.


Needless to say, if you are using, or have used at any time in the past, any non-Apple "anti-virus", "cleaning", or "Internet security" products including "banking security", anything at all in that broad category of utterly useless garbage, don't. Such junk often causes kernel panics. "Norton" is a popular example.

Dec 16, 2020 7:05 AM in response to John Galt

Thanks; I at least have a "name" for the problem. I read the Apple article, and will follow through, though I’ve been trying to find what this Bridge OS 4.6 is , without success, so it can be removed. The only Bridge I know of is old Adobe Bridge that was part of a deleted Photoshop Elements pkg. When I search, including system files, all I find is some oddly named .sys file. I don’t mess with those!


I have tried logging in as my "fixit" user before closing, and though it requires that I log in each time —I don’t understand why I don’t stay logged in, as with my main user— I did not get the error code about having been restarted. Did this for about 2 weeks. I have not tried Safe Mode. As to the diagnostic steps Apple suggests since this is not an everyday occurrence, it’s hard to tell when things are "ok," and when it just hasn’t occurred "yet." It can be several days between episodes.


Do I run the Diagnostics while in Safe Mode, or in my troubled user mode?


My current Mojave (10.14.6 I think; I’m not currently at the Mac to look) was reinstalled by Apple when I took it in to them a few weeks ago. (Not a full wipe/reinstall.) It changed the problem, but didn’t fix it. Originally, the MacBook’s fan would be running, which is what would cause me to open it up, then I would only find a black screen, & I would have to shut down with the power button. Since the reinstall, it has been restarting itself, no black screen or overworking fan noise.


Thank you for pointing me to the article. Will be patiently working my way through.



Dec 16, 2020 10:14 PM in response to John Galt

John, Never used any security software other than Apple's own; I'm a diehard Mac user since 1993, so know they aren't needed.

I've been looking into migrating all my data to a new user, but it isn't as straightforward as migrating to a new mac, and it seems I might be migrating problems if I can't identify the problem beforehand.


This is the most recent report; hope someone understands, and can help me out (hopefully, without my having to touch Terminal).



Dec 17, 2020 9:49 AM in response to John Galt

Thank you for your response. I’m understanding more what this is, and the possibility of it not being easily, if ever, resolved. It does appear to be somehow user related on my Mac, but I’m afraid, after all I’ve read, that even with a new user account, if I move over all the apps, etc, the problem may follow.


I will go to my old 2011 MacBook to see which apps I haven’t used in years (since everything on the new 2019 Mac says they’ve been ‘modified’ in 2019) and delete those old applications. I’ll use included uninstallers where available, & just drag to trash for some. I have multiple backups, and have the Mojave installer in my Application folder. (Have not created the installer flashdrive startup disc, because Terminal scares me). During all this, which will take time, I’ll just log out of my main user account before closing the laptop. If you see any danger signs with this strategy, please tell me where to be cautious.


At this point I don’t see the advantage of updating to Catalina, since it appears to have the same issues, and it is guaranteed to make some of my apps useless. Thanks, again, for your information.

Dec 15, 2020 5:41 PM in response to bhludlow

My 2019 MacBook Air, if left unattended for a period of time (sometimes only a few hours, sometimes a day) would shut itself down & restart due to an "error."


That sounds like a kernel panic: If your Mac restarts and a message appears - Apple Support. Follow all applicable recommendations. If they do not resolve the problem then the possibility of a hardware fault becomes increasingly likely. In that event Get Support from Apple to have that Mac evaluated.

Dec 17, 2020 8:21 AM in response to bhludlow

The "BAD MAGIC! (flag set in iBoot panic header), no macOS panic log available" entry seems to have affected various Macs including those running Catalina. As you alluded to it's not new and there does not appear to be a common cause. I don't know if upgrading to Catalina would fix it, but Apple may be more interested in Catalina than Mojave. For now make sure Mojave is updated, and consider upgrading to Cat.


Read this Discussion but I doubt it will result in any actionable information for you: "BAD MAGIC! (flag set in iBoot panic header)" — Catalina freezing all the time!


You can Contact Apple Support but I am nearly certain they will follow the standard script: upgrade macOS, reinstall macOS, all the usual fixes you already know about. They won't work.

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Error causing MacBook Air to restart itself

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