macOS
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Reset an Apple silicon Mac Q
How can I reset the SMC and NVRAM in my new M2 MacBook Pro?
A
Although Apple silicon Macs do have System Management Controllers (SMC) and non-volatile memory (NVRAM), you can’t reset either in the way that you may need to in an Intel Mac, as they don’t work in the same way.
Most of the functions performed by the SMC in an Intel Mac are now performed by the SMC system within the M-series chip. This is initialised each time the Mac starts up, so if you feel the need to reset it, simply shut your Mac down, leave it for at least ten seconds, then start it up again. So far, though, there’s no evidence that’s needed to address the sort of problems that can occur in Intel Macs.
NVRAM is more extensive in Apple silicon Macs, and stored in Flash memory, but much of that is protected and for system use only. In other words, you shouldn’t really try meddling with it. The penalty of unintentionally messing up the contents of NVRAM is very inconvenient, because the only way to properly reset it is to perform a full restore with the Mac in DFU mode and connected to another Mac running Apple Configurator 2. That returns the whole Mac to factory condition, wiping its internal SSD completely, so it isn’t the sort of thing to do lightly. But then you shouldn’t have to unless something serious has happened, in which case it’s best left to a qualified technician.
Trying to reset NVRAM using the key combination for Intel Macs does absolutely nothing to an Apple silicon Mac.