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Help!MacBook Pro 15 doesn't boot up when USB hub plugged in

I keep external monitors, ethernet, SD card readers and mouse dongle connected to mbp15 via USB hubs for an excellent and smooth running workstation. The one drawback is I need to disconnect USB hubs for the startup progress bar to appear when starting up. Not a big deal, but would be interesting to know if there is a solution.

Best Answered by

iBoysoft author Amanda Wong

Amanda Wong

Answered on Sunday, June 8, 2025

It seems that either the USB hub or the USD devices causing the Mac not to boot up. You can troubleshoot the issue from these involved parts such as changing a USB hub, disconnecting peripherals, etc.

If the Mac won't turn on when the USB hub is plugged in, then it may be the faulty accessories that block the Mac's power-on process. To find out whether it is the USB hub or connected USB devices that make your MacBook Pro unbootable, you can follow the steps below:

Ensure the USB hub is working. If the USB hub is defective, then it may affect the startup process of the Mac. To know whether the USB hub is problematic or not, you can connect another healthy USB hub. If the MacBook remains unbootable, then the culprit is not the USB hub.

Disconnect all USB devices and reconnect them one by one. If you have connected several USB devices to your Mac via the USB hub, any malfunctioned USB device among them could be the culprit of an unbootable Mac. Therefore, you should first disconnect all of them, and reconnect one each time until you find the defective one.

If the Mac won't turn on when no USB devices are connected, you can try the methods below:

  • Reset the SMC
  • Let your MacBook charge for a longer time
  • Perform a power cycle on your computer
  • Check the display brightness settings or try to use an external monitor
  • Start Mac in Safe Mode
  • Reset PRAM/NVRAM
  • Repair startup disk
  • Revive M1 Mac
  • Restore Mac
  • Reinstall macOS
  • Seek repair service

If you need to recover data from an unbootable Mac, try iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac!

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