After some brief surfing around this morning, I went to work with my MacBook running fine as usual. After coming home, my keyboard and trackpad are both unresponsive. What's a bit more unsettling is that, in the System Preferences, it's not even recognizing a trackpad as being connected.

After doing some searching around, I've found that some people ran into this issue with MacBook Pros, and it was because of a ribbon that had become loose underneath the battery. I'm wondering if it's possibly the same problem for me with my MacBook Air. I hadn't read about anyone with an Air experiencing the same problem.

Any help would be appreciated.I would love to get my Air working so I don't have to constantly use my external keyboard/mouse.

Thanks!

Edit: The only key that works on the keyboard is the power button.

⟐ Answered July 07, 2025 at 6:09 MST

⟐ Answered February 03, 2026 at 10:27 MST

Right after a normal reboot, it suddenly stopped working: I get the startup chime, a bright white screen (without the Apple logo or pointer), and nothing else. If I don't shut it off, the fan starts working after a few minutes. If I close down the lid, the screen remains lit.

I've tried all the usual fixes and combinations:

• Plug in the "system install" pen drive
• Reset the SMC
• Reset the PRAM
• Hold down the Option key
• Hold down the C key (for rEFIt)
• Battery powered, MagSafe powered...

Nothing works!

I just get the chime and the permanent white screen. I don't have any kind of adapters, so I can't check anything involving cable connections. Is there something else I can try? Am I facing a broken logic board? Can it break "just like that"?

Well, folks: I finally found out what went wrong, and I'll try to explain it as well as my ignorance of Apple hardware, OS-X software, and firmware, and computers in general, allows me.

But first things first. I have good news for you: if you ever get the white screen of death. don't panic! And, unless still under guarantee, don't take your computer to an Apple center for them to steal you yet more money by making you pay for a new logic board and/or a new hard drive. Probably you can solve the problem by yourself, spending only a few -very well invested- dollars in a pentalobed or a Phillips #00 screwdriver, plus maybe a Torx T5 one.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but, as far as I've guessed and investigated, it works like this: Your MacBook Air's firmware (probably also any other MacBook system, but I can't be sure about that) is always instructed to try to, in the first place, boot off certain piece of hardware: be it the hard disk, an external DVD unit, the installed USB stick, or a network boot server. This option can be set in the OS's Startup Manager. When the actual boot setting is any other than the hard drive, then, at boot time, the firmware will look for the instructed medium to boot off, and if for whatever reason it doesn't find it, then it will try to boot off the hard drive as a "last resource". BUT, when the actual boot setting is "hard drive" and, for whatever reason, the data is corrupted or something is wrong with the boot sector, then the computer will NOT try to find any alternative device, or a network, where to boot off: it will keep forever trying to boot off the hard drive, and thus you get the dreaded white screen of death. The Apple engineers are so smart!!

But it's actually not dead: neither your motherboard nor your drive is dead. They're just in a deep coma.

How can you wake it up from this coma? Simple: remove the back cover and disconnect the hard drive. Believe me: with the right screwdriver, it's very easy to do and even you can do it. Then, and only then, if there is NO hard drive where to try to boot off, the firmware is programmed to look for some other medium: USB stick, external DVD, network... So, plug this medium in and... voilá! There you get your little spinning animated icon and, eventually, the Apple's apple; the startup disk will boot and there you are anew to life.

Now, once you've managed to boot, the FIRST thing you have to do is go to the Startup Manager and set the firmware to boot off your whatever startup medium is (otherwise, upon reboot you'll be in the same S*ITuation). After this, you can plug back in your hard drive and reboot your computer. Hopefully, it will boot off as instructed (the USB/DVD/Network), it will recognize your hard disk, and you can use the Disk Utility to repair it, reformat it, or whatever you want to do with it. After this, everything will go back to normal, and you've saved the Apple care center's $500 bill.

Hope this will help someone to avoid the three weeks anguish I've gone through... I'm sorry to say that it is A SHAME on Apple's part to sell such cr*p and not respond for it, nor inform about it on their support page, but joyfully get your money when you take your laptop to repair.

Welcome any correction or precision to this post.

⟐ Commented May 04, 2023 at 17:46 MST

I have a macbook air A1304 the wireless (wi-fi) has stopped working, and shows a warning saying that there is no hardware installed.

already dismantled the airport passed clean contact on flex cable and the card itself, but it did not work

tested the bluetooth works perfectly.

what should I do? buy a new airport? I recently bought on ebay but as I live in Brazil shipping time takes about 20 to 30 days

thank you!

hugs

I left my macbook the day off, when I turn got a surprise.

recognized the wifi but can not connect to any network.

and after restarting the computer informs not have wifi hardware.

⟐ Answer deleted February 18, 2021 at 1:10 MST

⟐ Answered June 09, 2022 at 19:45 MST

that's what's my problem... please help! Thanks.

⟐ Commented December 19, 2025 at 0:09 MST

On power up, my MacBook Air beeps three times continuously.

beep beep beep (short break) beep beep beep (short break)....

Any ideas.

thanks.

Frustrated!!

I feel really ripped off! I bought the macbook Air 13" shortly after the warranty expired. The thing is practically perfect. Now I come to find out that the ram is bad and there's not a thing I can do about it. I tried to to Hold Command +P+R and still nothing.

JC

⟐ Commented February 07, 2023 at 11:46 MST

I now I have to either use my Bluetooth keyboard or dictation!!

It is just the top row of letters, QWERTYUIo... P works!

If I move the keyboard problem, if I type repeatedly and seemingly fill the keyboard buffer the problem goes away.

I have taken my MacBook air to the genius bar, and after running diagnostics they found no hardware problems.

My Mac is running OS X 10.10.5

It's a mid 2011 13 inch 1.8 GHz Intel core I7, with 4 GB of DDR3 RAM

I've tried resetting the PRAM ram, no luck. Similarly the SMC reset.

Everything else runs fine, so I'm reluctant to go buy new machine when this feels like it's a bug.

If anyone has any suggestions, hints or tips - I would be eternally grateful!

⟐ Answered April 02, 2023 at 1:26 MST

⟐ Commented August 31, 2025 at 16:12 MST

-Michael

⟐ Answered December 17, 2022 at 23:59 MST

is there a chance to upgrade macbook air mid 2011, 11.6 model DDR3 RAM from 2GB to 4GB?

⟐ Commented April 20, 2023 at 5:34 MST

When the login screen shows, the keys and pad works. The second I log in it stops working. Ive tried resetting SMC and PRAM, reinstalling Yosomite, nothing works.

Its clearly a software issue since its working in loging.

Any help please?

Now Im using wireless keyboard and mouse.

⟐ Commented March 07, 2024 at 14:03 MST

I'm considering buying a brand new 2015 or 2014 13" MacBook Air. I would prefer to upgrade the SSD myself.

1. Will any standard "M.2" (form factor) SSD module fit the socket connector on this logic board?

2. Or, is the socket connector a totally proprietary connection on on these 2014/2015 MacBook Airs?

I'm planning on purchasing the following "M.2" SSD:

Samsung XP941 Series [Generation 2 PCIe "4 Lanes"] 512GB M.2 SSD.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

From iFixit's teardown of the 2015 MacBook Air it seems like it should be easy to simply pop out the factory "M.2" style SSD and swap in a new "M.2" style SSD module.

Please let me know if this is true.

Thanks!

⟐ Commented February 26, 2024 at 7:21 MST

I have a MacBook Air Early 2015 and an iPhone 5s.

When I plug my iPhone into system my iPhone oscillates connecting and disconnecting rapidly.

I did almost everything: changed the cable, cleaned the dock, SMC, NVRAM reset, iTunes reinstall, iPhone's hard reset and restore privacy settings, even did a clean Mac OS install but nothing changes.

With pen drives, MIDI controllers etc... the USB works properly, and it does with my iPhone if I do not log-in into my Mac, just turning it on and plug the USB in. In that case there is no disconnect/reconnect cycling problem. But, immediately after I log-in it starts up.

I was in two different Apple Service and they said that is something software problem and possibly, a clean Mac reinstall solves it. It did not solved it! I tried to connect my iPhone into other notebooks, there were no problem.

Any idea? (Sorry for my poor English...) And yes, the cable is original.

⟐ Commented January 28, 2023 at 4:58 MST

⟐ Commented March 04, 2023 at 17:34 MST

⟐ Answered January 29, 2021 at 12:01 MST

Appreciate any kind of help in the regards in solving this issue.

Thanks

⟐ Commented August 23, 2018 at 14:46 MST

Lastly I saw an explanation on how to reset the smc which I did, not sure whether it worked or not but no change in the slowness.

⟐ Commented July 17, 2020 at 6:34 MST

In those 2.5 years, I never had a single problem, be it battery life or performance.

My Mac's condition:

• 98 cycles completed. Battery health 98-100% (istat menus' reading)
• It's always kept on charge and at 100 %. (This is how its been from past 2 years, except for once a month , intended battery drain to below 50%)
• Neither has the mac ever been dropped nor has water spilled on or in it. It has been handled with utmost care, and also, it hasn't traveled much.
• It's up to date (macOS 12.2.2)

So, day before yesterday I kept trying by pressing the power button again and again, tried doing SMC reset, then after a while like an half-hour so, It started. I used it the whole day, no problems at all and before I went to bed I just closed the lid (as usual).

Next day when I opened (Like after, 8 hours or so) It didn't turn on. I tried everything present on this and other forums, apple communities etc.., no matter how ridiculous they were (banging, shaking), it all went in vain.

Problem:

• Mac isn't turning on. Appears to be "dead".
• Neither does the fan start and nor does it make any noise when I press the power button. (I in fact, used a stethoscope to check, if it makes any teeny-tiny squeaky noise and NO, it doesn't).

Here are the things I tried:

• Did SMC reset.
• Even discharged it a bit by charging mobile device through Mac's usb port. and did SMC reset again.
• Sightly banged its four corners
• Shake mac, like I mean it

Finally, in the evening decided to open it up and disconnect the battery. The moment I started to unscrew it, I removed one screw, and just thought of checking once more, before I unscrew all. I pressed power button and BAM! it turned on. I instantly did SMC and PRAM reset, ran the diagnostic tool (no problems were found).

There were slight hiccups though, while doing resets, at time it was not turning on after reset, but may be after 5-10 min or so it turned on.

I then restarted and shut down mac several times, and it went all smooth. There was an OS update to 12.2.2 and I updated.

Same thing I did yesterday night, closed the lid and today morning when I opened it, It isn't turning on.

Do you think there may be any sort of hardware issue?

Please tell me is there anything else I should try. I'm not in a state to goto apple store, as the nearest one is 160 miles away and I have exams to study for and all my notes are in it.

Please Help!!

P.S : Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to make everything clear.

⟐ Comment deleted February 10, 2022 at 15:35 MST

⟐ Answered October 01, 2024 at 0:09 MST