Mac won't start? What each startup screen means
The screen your Mac stops on says a lot about what has gone wrong. Here is how to read it, and what to try first.
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When a Mac won’t start normally, the screen it stops on tells you a lot about what has gone wrong. A flashing folder with a question mark means something quite different from a stuck progress bar, and knowing the difference helps you decide whether it is something you can sort out yourself or a sign of a hardware fault. Here are the screens we see most often, what each one means and some safe first steps.
Before you try anything: if the Mac holds files that aren’t backed up anywhere else, be careful about repeated restarts and repair attempts. A failing drive can get worse each time it is powered on. If your files matter more than the Mac, skip ahead to the last section.
A flashing folder with a question mark
This means your Mac can’t find a startup disk with a usable copy of macOS on it. Sometimes the cause is simple: the Mac is set to start from a disk that is no longer connected, or a software update was interrupted. Sometimes it is hardware: the internal drive has failed or the computer can no longer see it.
Safe first steps:
- Start up into the startup options and see whether your usual disk appears. On a Mac with Apple silicon, press and hold the power button until the options appear. On an Intel Mac, hold the Option key as it starts.
- If the disk is there, choose it and see whether the Mac starts normally.
- If not, start up in macOS Recovery and open Disk Utility to check whether the internal drive appears, and run First Aid on it.
If Disk Utility doesn’t show the internal drive at all, it is very likely a hardware problem: a failed hard drive or SSD, or, on some older MacBook Pro and iMac models, a faulty drive cable. That needs a technician.
A circle with a line through it (the prohibitory symbol)
This means the Mac has found a startup disk, but the copy of macOS on it isn’t one this Mac can use. It often appears after an update fails part-way, or when starting from an external drive that holds a different version of macOS.
Safe first steps: disconnect external drives and restart. If it still appears, start up in macOS Recovery and reinstall macOS. Reinstalling macOS this way is designed to keep your files and settings, but it is still sensible to have a backup before you start.
Stuck on the Apple logo or the progress bar
A long wait on the Apple logo isn’t always a fault. After a macOS update, the first start-up can take a long time, and the progress bar can appear to stop for many minutes. Give it time, at least half an hour, before deciding it is stuck.
If it really won’t get past it:
- Disconnect everything except the power: external drives, docks, hubs, printers and displays can all stop a Mac starting.
- Try safe mode, which starts the Mac with only essential software. On Apple silicon, hold the power button until the startup options appear, select your disk, then hold Shift and choose “Continue in Safe Mode”. On an Intel Mac, hold Shift as it starts.
- If safe mode works, restart normally. If it doesn’t, use macOS Recovery to run Disk Utility First Aid and, if needed, reinstall macOS.
A Mac that repeatedly gets partway and restarts, or one that is very slow to reach the logo, can also point to a failing drive, especially in older iMacs and MacBook Pros with mechanical hard drives.
Other things you might see
A completely black screen with no chime or logo, a Mac that turns on and immediately off, or a circle with an exclamation mark on an Apple silicon Mac all point to deeper problems: power, the logic board, or firmware that needs restoring with specialist tools. These are worth bringing in rather than trying more restarts.
When your files are the priority
If the Mac won’t start and the only copy of your photos, documents or work is on it, tell us when you get in touch. We can check the drive and recover the data first, before any repair that might involve replacing or erasing it. See Mac data recovery for how that works.
Bring it to us
We repair MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac models at our Kensington bench, and we will tell you plainly what has failed and what it costs before any work starts. See our Mac repair page, call 020 3026 0184 or ask for a free estimate.