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macOS

Mac won't finish starting up

A Mac stuck on the Apple logo, the progress bar or a folder with a question mark is usually a startup disk problem — and often a drive that is failing rather than macOS itself.

Moderate45–90 min6 steps

Read before you start

If the progress bar stalls at the same place twice, stop restarting. Repeated failed boots can finish off a failing drive — bring it in before you lose the data as well.

This guide is for you if

  • The progress bar stops at the same point each time
  • A folder with a question mark appears instead of the desktop
  • It starts in Safe Mode but not normally

Step by step

Work top to bottom

0 of 6 steps done

  1. Strip it back and charge it

    Unplug every cable, hub and drive, connect only the charger, and try again. A single failing USB device can stop a Mac from completing startup.

  2. Start in Safe Mode

    Hold Shift while starting an Intel Mac, or hold the power button on Apple silicon. If it starts this way, a login item or a driver is the cause.

  3. Check the startup disk in Recovery

    Start into Recovery, open Disk Utility and run First Aid on the disk. Note any error it reports — a reparable error and a failing drive read very differently.

    Do not erase anything until the data is backed up.

  4. Reinstall macOS over the top

    A reinstall from Recovery keeps your files and repairs the system. It needs a solid internet connection and 45 minutes or more.

  5. Get the data off before any erase

    Target Disk Mode or an external Recovery install lets files be copied off first. This is why we do not recommend erasing as a first step.

  6. Book a check if it will not start twice

    A folder-with-question-mark that returns after a reinstall points at the drive or its cable. That is a bench job, and the sooner the data is copied the better.