Is your Mac misbehaving? Are you having issues with startup, booting, or memory? It is possible that you will have to reset PRAM or NVRAM on your Mac. As frightening as that might sound, you do not have to bother your head, what is wrong with your PC is not serious.
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It is always just a little fault in the Parameter Random Access Memory (PRAM) or Non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), as dubbed in the new terminology. Anyhow you call it, PRAM or NVRAM basically have one function on your Mac.
In this tutorial, I will highlight the vital steps to reset PRAM:
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PRAM VS. NVRAM
PRAM and NVRAM stand for the parameter and non-volatile RAM. But what is its actual meaning?
The regular RAM is a group of chips that saves active processes and apps. After loading an application, it makes use of RAM for operation. After closing the app, it frees RAM for other applications and processes. Also, RAM can save certain system settings.
As non-volatile memory, NVRAM also indicates all the settings that do not automatically reset or change. Without going into complicated details, PRAM and NVRAM are alike and identical when it comes to troubleshooting particular Mac problems.
When Can I Reset My Pram On My MAC?
Resetting PRAM is efficient for a particular set of problems you might be facing.
Before anything else, begin the reset if your Mac doesn’t boot the way it should. It is the exact same thing if you cannot view external devices, hard drives, or monitors. And, false time and faulty Bluetooth are massive indicators that the PRAM reset is in check.
You must know that a few peripherals might not be macOS compatible, therefore it is vital to check for compatibility before you buy or install. A PRAM reset affects the start-up discs and peripherals such as MIDI controllers, graphics tablets, etc. More reason why you have to reinstall the devices and recalibrate their settings after the reset.
How Can I Reset PRAM?
There are 2 methods to reset PRAM/NVRAM, use hotkeys when you turn on or execute a particular Terminal command.
Hotkeys Method
Power off your Mac and power it back on as you press the Option, Command, P, and R keys. Continue holding for close to twenty seconds, then release when your Mac is visible to get into the restart mode.
After releasing the keys, the PC will start up and you can open System Preferences to make adjustments to the settings. Including startup disk, time zones, volume, display resolution and so on. As simple as that is, below are some things to consider.
If your Mac plays startup sounds, release the keys immediately you hear the 2nd sound. A few Macs come with Security Chip. In this case, release the keys the second time the Apple logo vanishes.
The main combination does not do anything or boots from macOS Recovery if there is a firmware password. For reset to be be done, you have to deactivate the password first.
It is advisable to use a wired keyboard because the hotkeys might not work on a wireless one.
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Terminal Method
Shut down other applications and open Terminal (cmd +space, type ter, and hit Enter). Enter sudo nvram -c-command and hit Enter or Return keys. You will be asked to type the administrator password, tap Enter once more after you enter the password (it is the same one you use to unlock the Mac).
With administrator advantages on, type sudo shutdown -r now command and press Enter once more. Your PC will restart and you have successfully reset NVRAM/PRAM.
To confirm the NVRAM status, execute the sudo nvram -c command in Terminal.
