MacBook Pro screen flicker during SMC but then disappears after buttons are released.

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MacBook Pro screen flicker during SMC but then disappears after buttons are released.

I have an older MacBook, probably around the 2015-2016 range. Last week I was able to use the computer although it was slow, and I tried turning it on last night, which it wouldn’t. I charged it, but it’s saying that it’s still charging (overnight) and I’ve tried resetting the SMC multiple times, and occasionally I’ll get the powering on sound/screen and my login page, but it disappears after I release the keys. Any tips on what I can do or what’s wrong, or do I need to resign myself to going in?

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.7

Posted on Aug 11, 2025 6:02 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 12, 2025 1:31 PM in response to Iivvyl

Iivvyl wrote:

I have an older MacBook, probably around the 2015-2016 range. Last week

I was able to use the computer although it was slow, and I tried turning it on last night, which it wouldn’t. I charged it, but it’s saying that it’s still charging (overnight)

... I’ve tried resetting the SMC multiple times, and occasionally I’ll get the powering on sound/screen and my login page, but it disappears after I release the keys.

Any tips on what I can do or what’s wrong, or do I need to resign myself to going in?

You can review the instructions—

System Management Controller Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

try resetting NVRAM/PRAM Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

no resolve—

A SafeBoot Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support will sort many anomalies

Login and test. Reboot as normal and test. Caches get rebuilt automatically.

Still have issues, see if you can run the user Diagnostic...not as definitive as Apple's own AST2 (Apple Service Toolkit) back bench diagnostic, but may kick out an error code.

Use Diagnostics to test your Mac

ref: Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

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