Sometimes, your MacBook Air/Pro keeps shutting down abruptly without any prompt. This abrupt shutdown is quite frustrating when you are working on some important task, and the sudden shutdown results in the loss of the work you’ve been doing. Don’t worry! In this post, you’ll learn how to fix the ‘MacBook shutting down’ problem and learn how to recover data from such Mac and avert data loss.

Reasons for MacBook Shutting Down Problem

MacBook might shut down due to the following reasons:

1. Kernel errors caused by third-party software
2. Storage drive has logical or physical damage
3. macOS installed on the MacBook is corrupt

Different methods to solve MacBook shutting down issue are as follows:

1. Uninstall Troublesome Program

Sometimes, an application installed from the Internet or even the App Store can cause the MacBook to behave differently. Also, the app might cause MacBook Pro to shut down without warning. Follow the methods presented below to fix the issue:

• Go to the Console application to view the system log reports of programs that might have caused a logical problem for the macOS.
• Get rid of any malware installed on the macOS.
• Once the problematic app is identified, look for the updates or fix of the problem. If no fix is found, then uninstall the application and look for alternatives.

2. Native Repair Method

Use Disk Utility to fix hard drive logical errors and issues. The steps are as follows:

• Start or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Command + R hotkey. Release the key when the Apple logo appears.

• In the macOS Recovery mode, you’ll find the macOS Utilities window. Click Disk Utility from there and then click Continue.

• In Disk Utility, click the View icon from the top and select View All Devices. This option shows the mounted and non-mounted drives on the sidebar of Disk Utility.
• Select Macintosh HD the startup disk from the sidebar and click the First Aid tab from the top.
• Click Run to start the startup disk repair process. When the repair succeeds, quit Disk Utility and restart your Mac. Let the computer boot normally.

• If the repair fails, back up your Mac using Time Machine, then erase the drive. Reinstall macOS using macOS Utilities window.
• If the drive is irreparable, replace it with a new one.

3. Time Machine to Recover Data

If you have an up-to-date backup of your Mac using Time Machine, you can use the backup medium to restore your macOS and data. The steps are as follows:

• Connect the Time Machine backup drive to the non-booting Mac.
• Power on your affected Mac and immediately press and hold Command + R hotkey.
• Release the key when the Apple logo appears. Mac boots into macOS Recovery mode.
• In macOS Utilities, select Restore from Time Machine backup, then click Continue.

Perform the on-screen instructions to restore macOS and data to the affected MacBook.

4. Bootable Recovery Media

When your Mac doesn’t startup, you can create a bootable medium using another functioning Mac. The bootable medium will help you access data from the non-booting Mac. The steps to create a bootable USB flash drive are as follows:

• Connect an empty USB flash drive of at least 16 GB to a working MacBook.
• Download and install a professional data recovery tool for MacBook.
• Launch the software and activate it to access the create recovery drive feature.
• Select Create Recovery Drive option from the bottom or go to More Tools > Create Recovery Drive.
• Use the instructions to create bootable media. Once created, connect the drive to the non-booting Mac.
• Power on your non-booting Mac and immediately press-hold the Option key. Release when Startup Manager opens.
• Select the bootable media, then select StellarDataRecovery from the macOS Utilities window.
• Use the software to scan and recover data from the non-booting Mac.

5. Hardware Fix – Apple Care

If your Mac is in warranty (supposing you have taken AppleCare+), you can take an appointment from a Genius Bar to get your MacBook resolved from being shut down abruptly. The geniuses will fix your Mac for any hardware-related issues. But, keep in mind, you need to recover data using the above methods before visiting the Genius Bar because they won’t take any responsibility for your data.

Best Practices

• Back up your Mac to avoid any data loss due to logical or physical failure of the drive
• Ensure you create three copies of critical files, one copy on the Mac, and two other copies on two different storage media (say SSD and HDD), and keep one copy on an offsite location.
• Monitor the hard drive and take appropriate action before the drive begins to fail.
• In case of data loss, stop using the MacBook unless you recover data from it.

Conclusion

The post tried to resolve MacBook keeps shutting down the problem. Always backup your system and follow the best practices, and you are good to go.