Grey Screen on Mac not permitting anything to be done. But, when connecting to external display (TV) using HDMI cable, mac display/desktop is available on TV only

Question

Level 1

8 points

Grey Screen on Mac not permitting anything to be done. But, when connecting to external display (TV) using HDMI cable, mac display/desktop is available on TV only

Hi,

I am using a 13-inch early-2015 MacBook Air. This problem has occurred twice already and I still do not know what caused it and whether it will happen again.

In June this year, while working on my Mac, suddenly the screen became grey not allowing anything to be done / viewed on the mac. All attempts to boot using Disk Utility, Safe Boot, Resetting PRAM, NVRAM etc. failed, as nothing was visible on the mac grey screen and all attempts to revive failed. Very strangely, connecting the Mac to an external display (TV) using HDMI worked as it showed the display/desktop perfectly, however, only on the TV and the mac continued to have a grey screen. I was on Mac OS Mojave at that time and so I decided to upgrade to Mac OS Big Sur. Thankfully, the OS upgrade took care of the problem and the display on the mac was fully visible again.

Within a couple of months in August, after an upgrade to Mac OS Big Sur 11.5.2, within a few days, the same problem re-surfaced - I was unable to do anything on the Mac as a result of the grey screen. However, this time too, connecting to an external display (TV) using HDMI helped and I was able to reinstall the OS. After re-installing the OS, my Mac is now working fine.

Although my Mac is working fine now, I am dreading when this strange problem is going to resurface again. Any inputs about what could possibly be the problem, would be extremely helpful.

Many thanks in anticipation.

Posted on Sep 6, 2021 11:24 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

Eric--F

Community Specialist

Sep 7, 2021 5:42 PM in response to R7578

Hello R7578,

Thanks for visiting the Apple Support Communities. There's no way to know what happened since the issue has been corrected, or if it will occur again. You can try running diagnostics to check for hardware issues: Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

You should at least consider backups to an external drive in case anything occurs again: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support

The fact that the issue was corrected by upgrading once, and reinstalling macOS the second time, may indicate an issue within macOS. Unfortunately, there's no way to sort out where it came from, or why it occurred, but it does seem to be easily corrected. You can try running safe mode to check the disk: How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

Once it loads to your login screen, you can restart to leave safe mode and continue to use your computer normally. Let us know if you need more help or the issue occurs once again and reinstall macOS no longer helps. Cheers.

Reply

Answer 2

R7578 Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 8, 2021 12:39 AM in response to Eric--F

Hi Eric~F,

Thanks for your prompt response to my query. Yes, I have backed up to an external drive to avoid the risk of losing data, in case this happens again and reinstalling macOS does not solve the problem.

However, I am yet to test for probable hardware or software issues using the methods you have mentioned. I will surely revert in case the diagnostic test throws up some indication about what the problem is.

Many thanks again for your time.

Reply

Answer 3

R7578 Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 11, 2021 1:18 AM in response to Eric--F

Hi Eric~F,

I am following up with an update after running diagnostics on my Mac. Hardware Diagnostics gave the Reference Code ADP000 (No issues found) and the Software Diagnostics did not reveal anything wrong with the Mac as my login screen loaded up without any problem.

To be honest, I am very pleased with the diagnostics results as it revealed that my Mac is fine! So, I guess it is now safe to assume that the problem, on both occassions, had something to do with Mac OS itself and that, if the problem resurfaces, the easiest fix would be to reinstall the MacOS.

Thanks once again for your help!

Reply

Grey Screen on Mac not permitting anything to be done. But, when connecting to external display (TV) using HDMI cable, mac display/desktop is available on TV only

Similar questions