My MacBook Air won't shut down completely.

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Level 2

215 points

My MacBook Air won't shut down completely.

I've been using a MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) running 11.2.3, for about a year now, but I've been having this problem for 2-3 years. It's not a huge problem which is why I haven't posted previously, but it is annoying.

When I choose "Shut Down..." from the Apple menu, my machine shuts down ... but the screen stays on. It displays only my desktop picture. All of the desktop items are gone. The longest I've waited for it to turn off is 45 minutes.

It goes off if I press TouchID.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.1

Posted on Mar 22, 2021 4:09 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

faith185

Community Specialist

Mar 23, 2021 11:19 AM in response to Daddy D

Hello Daddy D,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. We understand that your MacBook Air display stays on after you select Shut Down but goes off if you press Touch ID.

Does this happen after you use any particular apps? Since this may be a power-related issue, try resetting the SMC which can resolve most power issues. Check out How to reset the SMC of your Mac.

If the same continues after resetting the SMC, try testing in another user account to see if the same thing happens there. That will help to isolate where this issue occurs. If you don't currently have another user account, you can set up a temporary admin account to test using the guidance from Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac.

Have a great day!

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Answer 2

Daddy D Author

Level 2

215 points

Mar 23, 2021 3:44 PM in response to faith185

My old MacBook Pro didn't have the T2 chip, so resetting the SMC is unlikely to fix the problem. I'll try it anyway, just in case.

I generally have Apple Mail, Safari, Calendar, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Dictionary, and Stickies open. I also use pCloud and SpamSieve. No idea which I might have used last. I'll try to track that.

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My MacBook Air won't shut down completely.

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