Skip to content

How To Blog

how to

  • Improve Your LinkedIn Job Search With These 6 Tips Computer Tips
  • How to Play MKV Files on Mac How-To
  • Yuzu Switch Emulator: How to Play Nintendo Switch Games on PC How-To
  • How to Fix a Low Disk Space Warning in Windows Help Desk
  • 3 Ways To Come Up With the Most Secure Password
  • speed up network file transfer windows 10 Help Desk
  • How to Troubleshoot “OK Google” or “Hey Google” Help Desk
  • How To Clone a Hard Drive In Windows 10 Windows 10

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?

Posted on February 24, 2022February 24, 2022 By blog_786 No Comments on Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?..

When you turn it on, a flashing question mark folder appears on your Mac screen. You are puzzled, not sure what is going on, and wondering what to do to get the icon off your Mac screen. The troubleshooting steps in this guide should help resolve the issue.

Read : How to Play Among Us on Your Mac

This folder will appear on the screen if there is a (temporary or permanent) problem with your Mac’s startup disk. This basically means that your Mac cannot find or load the Mac operating system from the hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD).

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Please note that the solution to this problem will depend on the cause. However, at least one of the recommendations below should fix the Mac folder flashing error.

1. Restart Your Mac

Rebooting your Mac can fix system errors that cause the flashing question Mac folder to get stuck on your Mac screen. Before restarting your system, disconnect any cables, accessories, or external drives connected to your Mac, including the charging cable.

Hold down the power button for about 10 seconds. Wait for your MacBook to turn off completely, wait a minute and press the power button again. If the affected device is a desktop Mac (iMac or Mac mini), unplug the power cable, wait at least 10 seconds, plug the cable back in, and turn your Mac back on.

Proceed to the troubleshooting steps below if your Mac still displays a flashing folder after reboot.

2. Reset Your Mac’s NVRAM or PRAM

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) is a storage component of Mac computers that stores important settings and information. When you make changes to your Mac’s boot drive selection and other basic system settings (sound, display, date and time, port configuration, and more), your macOS stores them in non-volatile memory.

The settings stored in NVRAM may vary depending on the model of your Mac and the devices connected to your Mac. Your Mac’s NVRAM memory is likely corrupted if it shows a folder with a question mark, a black screen, or other strange startup errors on startup.

Luckily, there is a way to reset NVRAM to factory defaults that can fix these issues. The steps to reset NVRAM depend on the model or generation of your Mac.

Hold down your Mac’s power button until the screen turns off. Wait another 10-30 seconds for your Mac to completely shut down. Turn on your Mac (press the power button) and immediately hold Command + Option + P + R.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Hold down four keys while your Mac boots up. Release the keys after about 20 seconds when the Mac displays the Apple logo or the second startup tone sounds.

If your Mac no longer displays the folder with a question mark during startup, make sure you’ve selected the correct startup drive in macOS’s Startup Drive settings so the error doesn’t reoccur.

Go to System Preferences > Startup Disk, select the lock icon in the bottom left corner and enter your Mac’s password. You can also authenticate with Touch ID if your Mac has a fingerprint scanner.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Reselect the drive (Macintosh HD) as the boot drive and click Restart.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

3. Start Mac in Safe Mode

Login items (i.e., software that is loaded with macOS during startup) can sometimes cause startup errors, such as a folder with a question mark. Booting your Mac in Safe Mode can help diagnose and fix the problem.

How you boot into Safe Mode will depend on your Mac’s hardware/processor configuration.

Boot your Intel-based Mac in Safe Mode

On the screen with the question mark folder, press and hold your Mac’s power button for about 10 seconds until it turns off. Wait another 10 seconds, press the power button and immediately press and hold the Shift key.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Release the Shift key when the login screen appears on your Mac’s display.

Boot your Apple Silicon-based Mac in Safe Mode

Press and hold the power button and wait for your Mac to turn off. Wait 10 seconds, press, and hold the power button again until the launch options page appears on the screen.

Select your startup drive, press and hold the Shift key and select “Continue in Safe Mode” on the next page. Enter your Mac’s password at the login screen to enter Safe Mode. Restart your Mac in normal mode and see if that solves the problem.

Login items are not loaded during safe mode boot. So, if your Mac boots correctly in safe mode, the login items are probably the root cause of the question mark folder issue.

4. Remove Login Items

Disabling login items can also resolve startup issues on Mac laptops and desktops. If the problem persists after exiting safe mode, boot into safe mode again and remove login items (or apps from autostart).

Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups and select your account under Current User in the sidebar.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Click the Login Items tab, select the lock icon in the lower left corner, and enter your Mac’s password.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Make a list of login items so you can add them back if disabling the items doesn’t solve the problem.

Select the login items and click the delete/minus icon to delete them one by one.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Restart your Mac and check if it now boots up without the question mark folder. If so, re-add login items one at a time and restart your Mac after adding each item. This will help identify the problematic login element responsible for the launch issue.

5. Run the Disk Utility Repair

The First Aid tool in the macOS Recovery Environment can diagnose and fix disk errors that prevent your Mac from booting properly. Run the recovery tool if all troubleshooting steps fail.

Press and hold your Mac’s power button for about 10 seconds and wait for it to shut down completely.If your Mac uses an Intel-based processor, turn it on and immediately press and hold Command + R on your keyboard. Keep holding down the keys until your Mac loads the Recovery Assistant or boots into recovery mode.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

For Macs with an Apple silicon chipset, press and hold the power button until the Startup Options window appears on the screen. Select “Options” and select “Continue” to continue.

Select a Mac user account and click Next. Enter your account password and click Next again.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Select Disk Utility and select Continue.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Click View in the toolbar.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Select “Show All Devices” from the drop-down list.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Check the “Internal” section in the sidebar for your Mac’s boot drive. Run Recovery First Aid on all volumes and containers on the boot drive, starting with the last volume on the drive. Select the disk and select “First Aid” from the toolbar.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Select “Run” at the confirmation prompt.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

When Disk Utility has finished checking or repairing a volume, select the next volume above it, select First Aid, and select Run. Run a First Aid check on all disk volumes and the disk itself, then restart your Mac.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Click the red x to close the Disk Utility window.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Open the Apple menu and select Restart.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Contact Apple Support

As mentioned earlier, a folder icon with a question mark can also indicate permanent damage to your Mac’s hard drive. Contact Apple Support or schedule an appointment with Genius Bar if none of these troubleshooting suggestions resolve your issue. The hard drive and other components of your Mac will most likely be checked for hardware problems or physical damage.

Reinstall macOS if you can’t get your Mac to a Genius bar or repair center. This will erase your Mac’s hard drive and you will lose important data. If you manage to resolve the issue, make sure you back up your Mac using Disk Utility or Time Machine to prevent data loss if the error repeats.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

Seeing the Question Mark Folder on Mac?.

macOS Tags:Contact Apple Support, folder, Mac, Restart Your Mac

Post navigation

Previous Post: How to Change, Customize, and Add Apple Watch Faces
Next Post: 14 Best Options for Video Game Rentals in 2022

Related Posts

  • Mac : Update Your Web Browser macOS
  • 4 Ways to Upload to Instagram from Windows and macOS How-To
  • How To Reset Your Mac Admin Password? macOS
  • FIX: External Hard Drive Not Mounting on macOS macOS
  • 7 Best Writing Apps for Mac of 2022 macOS
  • The 18 Best Excel Shortcuts for Mac Users macOS

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Apple Watch
  • Computer Tips
  • Cool Websites
  • Free Software Downloads
  • Gadgets
  • Gaming
  • General Software
  • Google Software/Tips
  • Hardware
  • How-To
  • iOS
  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Linux Tips
  • macOS
  • MS Office Tips
  • Networking
  • Product Reviews
  • Reviews
  • Safari
  • Smart Home
  • Smartphones
  • Software Reviews
  • technology
  • text
  • Tutorials
  • Uncategorized
  • Urdu Books PDF
  • Web Site Tips
  • Windows
  • Windows 10
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018

2021 Amazon Android ) Apple apps Best browser change Chrome Closing words Concluding remarks Delete Download Enable Error Facebook Find Free) From Google Keyboard Mac make Mobile Music Netflix ( online Packaging phone? Photos Reset Network Settings sites Switch Tips turn using Video Videos Watch Websites What With Working? your YouTube

  • function keys are not working on Apple Magic Wireless Keyboard , How to fix Hardware
  • How to Change Browser Location Country How-To
  • How to Watch Black Panther on Netflix Right Now How-To
  • Minimalist Desktop Wallpaper: Simple Designs for Less Distraction Cool Websites
  • How to Download Netflix Movies on Mac How-To
  • Unlock Password Protected Zip Files Free Software Downloads
  • How To Dial Into a Zoom Meeting With a Phone Number Computer Tips
  • How To Hide The Taskbar In Windows 10 Windows 10

Copyright © 2023 How To Blog.

Powered by PressBook News WordPress theme

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Go to mobile version