How to How To Reset PRAM or NVRAM on a Mac

Posted by Arch on July 12, 2019

Reset Pram Mac
Is your Mac acting out? Are you having problems with startup, booting, or memory?
Chances are you�ll need to reset PRAM or NVRAM on your Mac. Intimidating as it
might sound you don�t need to worry, there�s nothing seriously wrong with your
computer.

Also see our article

How to Create a 4GB/s RAM Disk in Mac OS X

It�s usually just a small glitch in the Parameter Random Access Memory (PRAM) or
Non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), as dubbed in the new terminology. Whichever way you refer
to it, PRAM or NVRAM essentially have the same function on your Mac. In this
article we�ll go over the necessary steps to reset PRAM, but first let�s see what
PRAM is.

PRAM VS. NVRAM

As indicated, PRAM and NVRAM stand for the parameter and non-volatile RAM. But what
does this actually mean to you?

The normal RAM is a group of chips that store active processes and applications.
When you load an app, it uses RAM for operation. When you close the app, it frees
RAM for other apps and processes. On top of that, RAM has the ability to store
certain system settings.

In other words, this is how your Mac remembers volume settings, preferred display
brightness and resolution, Bluetooth and wireless settings, etc. This is what you
call PRAM or all the information that doesn�t reset when you turn off the Mac.

As non-volatile memory, NVRAM also indicates all the settings that don�t
automatically reset or change. Without going into all the technicalities, both PRAM
and NVRAM are one and the same thing when it comes to troubleshooting certain Mac
issues.

WHEN TO RESET PRAM ON A MAC?

Resetting PRAM is effective for a specific set of issues you might be experiencing.

First and foremost, start the reset if your Mac doesn�t boot as it�s supposed to.
The same goes if you cannot see external devices, hard drives, or monitors. Plus,
incorrect time and faulty Bluetooth are also good indicators that the PRAM reset is
in check.

You should know that some peripherals might not be macOS compatible, so it�s best
to check for compatibility before the purchase/installation. A PRAM reset affects
the start-up discs and peripherals like MIDI controllers, graphics tablets, etc.
This is why you�d need to reinstall the devices and recalibrate their settings
after the reset.

RESETTING PRAM
There are two methods to reset PRAM/NVRAM, use hotkeys when you power on or execute
a specific Terminal command. Either way, the result is the same, and the entire
process is surprisingly simple.
HOTKEYS METHOD

Turn off your Mac and turn it back on while simultaneously pressing the Option,
Command, P, and R keys. Keep holding for about 20 seconds, then release when your
Mac appears to enter the restart mode.

reset pram

Soon after you release the keys, the computer will start up and you can launch
System Preferences to adjust the settings. These include startup disk, time zones,
volume, display resolution, etc. Easy as it is, there are a few things to consider.

If your Mac plays startup sounds, release the keys when you hear the second sound.
Some Macs feature the Apple T2 Security Chip. In this case, release the keys the
second time Apple logo disappears.

The key combination doesn�t do anything or boots from macOS Recovery, if there�s a
firmware password. For the reset to work, you need to disable the password first.

Tip: It�s best to use a wired keyboard since the hotkeys might not work on a
wireless one.

TERMINAL METHOD

Shut down all other apps and launch Terminal (cmd +space, type ter, and hit Enter).
Type sudo nvram -c command and hit Enter or Return keys. You�ll be prompted to
enter administrator password, hit Enter again after you type the password (it�s the
same one you use to unlock the Mac).

pram mac

With administrator privileges on, enter sudo shutdown -r now command and press
Enter again. Your computer will restart and you�ve successfully reset NVRAM/PRAM.

Tip: To check the NVRAM status, execute the sudo nvram -c command in Terminal.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS AND TRICKS

There is a small battery on the logic board of desktop Macs which helps NVRAM
remember all the settings. If your desktop Mac (iMac, Mac Mini, or Mac Pro) resets
the time zone or volume with every shutdown, you might need a new battery. This is
not something you can do on your own, so it�s best to take the computer to an
official repair shop or Apple Store.

Power-related issues like problems with sleep, wake, or charging might require
System Management Controller reset. We won�t delve any deeper on this since the
topic deserves an article of its own.

BECOME A MAC DOCTOR

As you can see resetting PRAM on your Mac is not that hard and you don�t need to be
particularly tech-savvy. The important thing is to check the tell-tale symptoms
like Bluetooth, display, volume, drive, or time issues. If your Mac just runs slow,
a quick restart might help and you can always do some quick maintenance and remove
junk files. in macOS
Posted by Jim Tanous on July 15, 2019
The magic of Apple�s �Retina� displays is that macOS (formally called Mac OS X)
renders the user interface with four times as many pixels (twice the vertical and
twice the horizontal resolutions) as it does on a traditional lower resolution
display, giving users the benefits of ultra-sharp text and graphics without making
the interface too small to see.

This works great on high-resolution displays like 4K monitors and the new 5K iMac,
but what if you could have the benefit of Retina-like sharpness on a non-Retina
monitor? Well, thanks to something called HiDPI mode in macOS/OS X, you can,
although there�s a pretty big caveat.

HiDPI mode was initially available as an option in Xcode�s Quartz Debug utility,
but since Mavericks has been accessible via a Terminal command. If you�re running
Mountain Lion or older, check out this article at OS X Daily for instructions on
how to enable HiDPI mode in OS X. I.

Note: If you�re using macOS Mojave, the Terminal commands shown below won�t work,
so you�ll want to skip down to the part of this article that talks about �third-
party applications.�

If you�re using macOS Mavericks or higher, then continue with the steps below:

First, fire up a new Terminal window and then copy and paste the following command:
$ sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.plist
DisplayResolutionEnabled -bool true

Then press Return to execute the command and, because this is a �sudo� command,
enter your admin password when prompted.

Next, reboot your Mac and, upon logging back in, head to System Preferences then
click on Displays.
hidpi os x display preferences
Here, you�ll see the familiar preference window where you can set your resolution
and refresh rate.

Most users will likely have the �Default for Display� option checked, which is
typically your display�s native resolution. Click Scaled to reveal additional
resolutions and you�ll see one or more options at the bottom of the list with
�(HiDPI)� appended to their resolutions. Click on one of the HiDPI modes to enable
it on your desired display.

Note: If you�re not seeing the HiDPI resolutions listed in System Preferences after
using the Terminal command above, try clicking on the �Scaled� radio button while
holding the Alt/Option key on your keyboard. This trick reveals additional
resolutions for all displays and should list the HiDPI resolutions if they weren�t
already visible.

You�ll instantly see everything appear much sharper, but here comes the caveat:
your effective resolution is much lower. This works on high-resolution Retina
displays because macOS has millions of additional pixels to work with.

If you want �Retina-quality� on a standard-resolution display, you�re going to end

up with a much lower effective resolution. For example, here�s what a native
resolution of 1920�1200 looks like on a 20-inch iMac:
iMac 1920x1200 native resolutionAnd here�s what HiDPI mode looks like with an
effective resolution of 960�600:
iMac 1920x1200 hipdi mode os x
Although it may be difficult to discern on your own display (you can click on each
image to view them larger), the HiDPI mode makes macOS and apps look much crisper,
but significantly reduces the working resolution of the system.

You therefore likely won�t want to work in HiDPI mode all the time, but once you�ve
enabled it with the Terminal command, you can easily switch to it when you want to
view a particular app or document with Retina-like quality, or if you want to
temporarily make the UI easier to see from a distance without the reduction in
quality that accompanies using a �normal� lower resolution, such as when displaying
OS X on an HDTV across the room.

When you want to switch back to the default native resolution, just head back to
System Preferences > Displays and choose �Default for Display� or your preferred
resolution from the �Scaled� list. It doesn�t hurt to leave HiDPI mode enabled as
an option in OS X when you�re not using it, but if you want to remove the HiDPI
mode resolutions from your �Scaled� resolutions list, just run the following
command in Terminal:
$ sudo defaults delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.plist
DisplayResolutionEnabled
Just as when you enabled HiDPI mode in macOS, you�ll need to both enter your admin
password and reboot your Mac for the change to take effect.

THIRD-PARTY APPLICATIONS

If you�d rather not play around with Terminal commands, there are third-party apps
and utilities that can enable HiDPI mode for you, in addition to other display-
related functionality.

Here are some examples of third-party software that can enable HiDPI on macOS:

ResolutionTab ($1.99, Mac App Store) ResolutionTab is a �menu bar app for fast
switching between Standard & HiDPI display modes.�
SwitchResX ($15, shareware). SwitchResX, in particular, offers tons of additional
functionality for setting up custom resolutions and refresh rates, but both of
these apps can get you in and out of HiDPI mode with just a click.
HiDPI mode certainly isn�t a replacement for a true high-resolution Retina display,
but it serves a useful role for those who occasionally need macOS/OS X to look
sharper, such as when taking high-quality screenshots, or for users who want a
larger and easier to read interface without the blurriness of a standard lower
resolution.

If you found this article useful, you might want to check out other TechJunkie Mac
articles, including How to Use Only a Dark Menu Bar and Dock in macOS Mojave and
How to Edit the Hosts File on macOS (Mac OS X).

Do you have any tips or tricks for turning on HiDPI mode on your Mac? Do you know
of any good third party applications other than the two listed above? If so, please
tell us about it in the comments below!