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Seeing a flashing question mark folder in the middle of the screen on startup can be a scary sight for Mac users. This indicates that your Mac cannot find its startup disk and therefore will not start up. There can be various reasons behind this, ranging from simple issues like disconnection of an external drive to serious ones like a hard drive failure.
Read on to learn about a few possible solutions for this problem:
Put your Mac into recovery mode
If you’re attempting to boot from your Mac’s internal drive, first shut it down and then start it while holding the Command and R keys until you see an Apple logo or globe. This will put your Mac into recovery mode, from where you can change the startup disk by selecting Startup Disk from the Apple menu.
Repair the disk
If you can’t see your startup disk, open Disk Utility from the macOS Utilities window. Click on your startup disk and then click on the First Aid tab. Click ‘Run’ and wait for the process to complete. Afterward, you can select the disk in Startup Disk in the Apple menu and restart.
If the repair fails or you don’t see your startup disk in Disk Utility, you may need to erase the disk and reinstall macOS.
Back up your files
If you have a recent Time Machine backup, select “Restore from Time Machine backup” in the macOS Utilities window. If you have created a recent bootable clone using software like Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper, plug it in, select it as the startup disk, and restart your Mac while waiting for the Setup Assistant.
If you don’t have a backup, connect an external drive and open Disk Utility. Click the Erase tab to erase the drive, then select “Reinstall macOS” in the Utilities window and choose the erased external drive as the destination. Follow the installation process and wait for it to finish, then verify that your files are on the external drive.
Erase your startup disk and reinstall macOS
You can erase your Mac’s regular startup disk in Disk Utility, restart in recovery mode from the external drive, and select “Reinstall macOS” again, this time choosing your Mac’s original startup disk. Once the process is complete and your Mac has restarted, select the data migration option again and choose the external drive as the source for the data you want to transfer.
After this, your startup disk should have a fresh install of macOS with all your files remaining intact.
If all else fails, consult a Genius
In case none of the above methods work, you might have a hardware error in your disk. The best course of action is to book an appointment with the nearest Apple Store Genius Bar and seek their assistance.
FAQs
1. Can’t I just turn off and on my Mac to fix the flashing question mark issue?
No, simply restarting your Mac won’t fix the issue if it is caused by a startup disk problem. You need to follow one of the steps mentioned above to diagnose and fix the issue.
2. Do I need to visit an Apple Store to reinstall macOS?
No, you can reinstall macOS by following the steps mentioned above without visiting the Apple Store. However, if you are unable to fix the issue or if you are not comfortable performing the steps on your own, you should seek assistance from an authorized service provider or an Apple Store.