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Frequent Kernel Panics

I have a macbook pro late 2016.

It runs on Big Sur 11.0.1

Been having frequent KPs even in safe mode.

I have enough storage, ran Diagnostics (no issues), deleted most third party apps, ran First Aid for the Disk and panics are still happening.


Should i update to Big Sur 11.3 (could the old macOS be the issue?) or just check with a repair shop for hardware issues? 

The only hardware issue that I had with this mac was a frozen screen with horizontal purple lines.

Happened twice only.


Any feedback would be welcomed. 

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.0

Posted on Apr 28, 2021 12:51 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 28, 2021 12:58 PM

  • Restart your Mac in safe mode. If it successfully starts up in safe mode, choose Apple menu > App Store, click Updates, then install any available updates.
  • Uninstall any plug-ins or other enhancement software from manufacturers other than Apple. If you recently updated macOS or an app, plug-ins and other software that worked in the past may no longer be compatible. Read the manufacturer’s documentation (including Read Me notes) to be sure the software is compatible with your version of macOS.
  • Disconnect all devices except for an Apple keyboard and mouse. Remove hardware upgrades from other manufacturers, such as random-access memory (RAM) and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) cards. Then try restarting your Mac.
  • If this resolves the issue, reconnect one device at a time, restarting your Mac after reconnecting each one, until you determine which device is causing the problem.
  • Use Apple Diagnostics to diagnose problems with your computer’s internal hardware, such as the logic board, memory, and wireless components.


Similar questions

10 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 28, 2021 12:58 PM in response to yehya262

  • Restart your Mac in safe mode. If it successfully starts up in safe mode, choose Apple menu > App Store, click Updates, then install any available updates.
  • Uninstall any plug-ins or other enhancement software from manufacturers other than Apple. If you recently updated macOS or an app, plug-ins and other software that worked in the past may no longer be compatible. Read the manufacturer’s documentation (including Read Me notes) to be sure the software is compatible with your version of macOS.
  • Disconnect all devices except for an Apple keyboard and mouse. Remove hardware upgrades from other manufacturers, such as random-access memory (RAM) and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) cards. Then try restarting your Mac.
  • If this resolves the issue, reconnect one device at a time, restarting your Mac after reconnecting each one, until you determine which device is causing the problem.
  • Use Apple Diagnostics to diagnose problems with your computer’s internal hardware, such as the logic board, memory, and wireless components.


Apr 28, 2021 1:05 PM in response to sea116

Thanks for your feedback.


I have already updated all new apps.

I have booted the mac in SafeMode, it crashed once (noticed it was slower than usual too) and it panicked the other time.

I ran Recovery mode to do a hardware Diagnostic and it found no issues.

I also did the First Aid on Disk Utility and the Operation was successful.

I have no peripherals or anything connected except the mouse.

The mac boots but then half way through doing any work it freezes and restarts.

Couldn't really find the cause yet.

Apr 30, 2021 6:47 AM in response to yehya262

I recently experienced this same issue, upon migrating from a Mid-2009 MacBook Pro to a 2017 MacBook Pro. Computer had been wiped, and I migrated using the migration tool. Over the next several days Kernel panics abound, computer would not sleep without restarting, and would frequently lock up for no apparent reason (beach-balls in my dreams).


Finally I found a thread here (somewhere) citing that the kernel panic is graphics related, and that disabling the power-saving features seems to resolve. Well, I disabled the Automatic graphics switching in the Battery settings, and the problem appears to have disappeared. I have had the computer on for several days, and it has been responsive and letting me fingerprint log-in upon opening, with no usual signs of having restarted, and no crash reports.


While I am just one user, this seems to have worked, and I encourage you to try this before taking other drastic measures.


Good luck.

May 15, 2021 3:42 AM in response to yehya262

I'm having the same, never-ending problem on my 2017 MacBook Pro 15" with TouchBar. Over the last several months I've completely wiped and reinstalled the OS four times in order to combat these frequent issues. I knew to expect problems on my Mac with the release of new Mac models but it is basically unusable now.


2017 MacBook Pro 15" with TouchBar

250GB Solid State with 215GB available (I use cloud storage)

16GB of RAM (supposedly)

Big Sur 11.13


MacBook crashes every night after sleeping and I open the laptop to daily kernel panic reports;

There's a huge lag and delay in typing from the device itself;

I've reset the SMC, I clear Safari caches every day, I tried Disk Utility and First Aid but they both report no problems.

Safari cannot load or run the following websites without using up 2GB of RAM and crashing the computer: Mailchimp, Basecamp, Facebook, Twitter, Adobe Spark, Amazon... no website works longer than 15 minutes;

I have consistency issues with my storage files, and some appear to be missing;

Video playback is choppy;

TrueTone won't enable or disable automatically;

I have not had third party apps installed in over a year (I use Safari exclusively after having so many software issues early on with this model);

I have no items set to run at startup;

I only have 7 apps from the App Store itself, 4 of which are related software.


I have disabled automatic graphics switching per the previous comment in this thread so I'm hoping that works. I know this has been an issue for me for several months now so I'm just sitting back and still waiting for Apple to fix this. Seems like there is nothing we can do.

Frequent Kernel Panics

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