If you’ve ever used a Windows computer before for comparison, you know that Macs, in general, are far more reliable and rarely let you down. But the inevitable happens with technology: computers get old, internal memory wears out, battery cycles get shorter and shorter.

So if one day you woke up but your Mac didn’t, it might feel like your life has stopped when you think about all the lost in-progress work, photos, documents, etc. Don’t worry — all you need to do is methodically follow a series of steps to bring your machine back to life.