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Resetting PRAM (stuck in reboot loop)

PRAM instructions: “ 3. Release the keys after about 20 seconds, during which your Mac might appear to restart. For example, you might hear a startup sound more than once, or see the Apple logo more than once.”


It keeps doing his indefinitely. Will it ever restart, fully?


it also enters a loop when I try to access the disk utility. Repeatedly see the globe and WiFi login. After connecting WiFi, it loads for a while then reboots.


I do have boot camp installed, but anything past the boot camp menu turns into a loop/dead end if I select macOS. This all started after my laptop ran out of battery while in macOS.


MacBook Pro, 2020 intel, macOS 10.15

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jul 21, 2023 4:51 PM

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Posted on Jul 22, 2023 8:47 AM

Yes. Holding the power button for 20-30 seconds ends the restart loop, and then i can restart it and it will bring up the drives if i hold option. Anything after selecting macOS drive results in a loop.

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4 replies

Jul 22, 2023 6:20 PM in response to DrippingButterfly

Disconnect all external devices in case one of them is causing a problem.


Try booting into Safe Mode.


Try booting into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R which should boot into the online macOS 13.x Ventura installer, but sometimes this may boot into the online installer for the OS which originally shipped from the factory which is likely macOS 11.x Big Sur. You can also try booting into the macOS 11.x Big Sur online installer using Command + Option + Shift + R.


Did you ever modify the laptop's security settings to allow booting from USB? If not, then you cannot do so now since it requires successfully booting into Recovery Mode to access the Startup Security Utility.


You can also try running the Apple Diagnostics to see if any hardware issues are detected.


If none of this works, then you will likely need to try a firmware "Revive", but I have never seen this option fix anything. Even a firmware "Restore" seldom seems to do much in my own personal experience, but it is the last option before having the laptop repaired. The "Revive" & "Restore" options require access to another Mac running macOS 12.4+ (last time I checked...Apple keeps increasing the OS requirement though) and while the "Revive" should not destroy any data, I hope you have a backup. The firmware "Restore" will destroy all data on the internal SSD.

Revive or restore an Intel-based Mac using Apple Configurator - Apple Support


Unfortunately your options are extremely limited if you cannot boot using one of these options.


If you don't have a backup, then you can try accessing the data on the internal SSD by putting this laptop into Target Disk Mode. I've rarely had success accessing data through Target Disk Mode on the 2018+ Macs since it does require being able to authenticate successfully before you can access the data.


I really hope you have a backup before this issue began so you don't lose any data.


Edit: I just want to clarify, if you can successfully boot into Internet Recovery Mode, then make sure to try running Disk Utility First Aid on the hidden Container. Within Disk Utility you may need to click "View" and select "Show All Disks" before the hidden Container appears on the left pane of Disk Utility. Even if First Aid says everything is "Ok", click "Show Details" and scroll back through the report to see if any unfixed errors are listed. If there are unfixed errors listed and your laptop still won't boot normally or into Safe Mode, then the only option to fix things is to perform a clean install of macOS (or a firmware "Restore") which involves erasing the whole physical SSD (destroys all data on the internal SSD) followed by reinstalling macOS and restoring from a backup.


Before erasing the disk or performing a firmware "Restore", try to get a backup of your data if possible if you don't already have a backup. If you can boot into Internet Recovery Mode, then you can use the Startup Security Utility to allow booting from USB. You can install macOS to an external USB3 SSD so you can boot the laptop externally where it will make it easier to access the data on the internal SSD (saves needing a USB-C Thunderbolt3 cable and any adapters for use with Target Disk Mode). If you cannot boot normally (or Safe Mode) or authenticate (Internet Recovery Mode or booting from USB), then I doubt there is any way to access any data unless a professional data recovery service has some secret method of bypassing Apple security.

Resetting PRAM (stuck in reboot loop)

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