Mac keeps restarting on its own with a grey screen
Your Mac is crashing because of a serious software or hardware problem. This is called a kernel panic. The fastest fix is to restart in Safe Mode and let your Mac repair itself.
A kernel panic is your Mac's way of shutting down when something goes dangerously wrong — either a piece of hardware is failing or software is corrupted. The repeating restart cycle happens because the problem starts again as soon as your Mac boots up. Safe Mode stops extra apps from loading, which lets you see if it's a software problem or something deeper. If it keeps happening even in Safe Mode, the hard drive or RAM likely needs replacing.
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Skip — I just want a technicianCommon mistakes to avoid
- Ignoring kernel panics and hoping they go away — they never do without help, and waiting makes it worse
- Removing the wrong app thinking it caused the problem — use Safe Mode to narrow down the cause first
- Not backing up your files before trying to fix the problem — if the hard drive is failing, you can lose everything
Signs you need professional help
- Kernel panics continue even in Safe Mode with no external devices plugged in — hardware diagnostics and probably a repair are needed
- You see error messages about a failing hard drive in the diagnostics
- You can't start up at all or Safe Mode won't load — your Mac needs service
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