SMC Reset

A troubleshooting procedure for Intel-based Macs that resets the System Management Controller, which handles power management, thermal management, and hardware control.

What to Know

SMC Reset resolves hardware-related issues that don’t involve the operating system itself, including battery charging problems, fan behavior issues, display brightness control failures, and power management glitches. When Macs exhibit strange hardware behavior like fans running constantly, failure to wake from sleep, or incorrect battery status reporting, SMC reset often resolves these issues without requiring hardware replacement or OS reinstallation. It’s a low-risk troubleshooting step that addresses a specific category of hardware control issues.

Common Scenarios

Enterprise IT: Corporate IT guides users through SMC resets when company MacBooks won’t charge, display incorrect battery status, or have thermal management issues causing excessive fan noise. This resolves many hardware-related help desk calls without requiring device returns.

MSP: MSPs use SMC reset to troubleshoot client Mac hardware issues like charging failures, display problems, and power management glitches. This quick procedure often resolves issues remotely without requiring on-site hardware diagnosis.

Education: School IT performs SMC resets on lab MacBooks exhibiting charging issues, overheating problems, or display brightness control failures. This is especially common on heavily-used shared devices experiencing power-related glitches.

In Addigy

SMC reset requires local user action or physical device access, but Addigy can deploy documentation and self-service guides providing device-specific SMC reset instructions. After SMC reset, all MDM-managed settings continue to function normally as the reset only affects low-level hardware controllers.