What to do if you see the Folder WITH QUESTION MARK Icon on APPLE MAC

If you have ever seen the above screen on powering on your Imac , Macbook or Macbook Air then there are some simple steps you can take to determine what is wrong.

The question mark display means  one of the 5 following  outcomes.

• When encountering the question markbon your computer screen, it can be a distressing situation. This notification indicates that your hard drive is either not functioning properly or has completely failed. It may also suggest that the file system on the drive has become corrupted, rendering the data inaccessible. In some cases, it could simply mean that there is an issue with detecting the operating system on the drive. Regardless of the specific reason behind this error message, it is crucial to address the problem promptly to prevent any potential data loss and ensure that your computer operates smoothly.

With the following steps you can determine if the drive exists and if so whether the system is repairable.

STEP 1     Power off your Mac by pressing the power button.

STEP 2      Start your Mac in Recovery Mode

• Hold down the power button
• Immediately press and hold Apple Recovery keys (? + R)
• Release the keys when you see an Apple logo or the Internet Connection logo below.

STEP 3 

Once recovery mode has finished loading you should see the Recovery Utilities screen (see below).

STEP 4    Disk Utility

Select the Disk Utility option from the screen in Step 3 and a screen similar to the following should be displayed.

If your drive has been detected it will be listed on the left hand side of the disk utility under the Internal heading.

STEP 5   If your drive is not displayed then you will need to phone a professional to proceed.

STEP 6    Your drive is detected.

If your drive is found by the Mac disk Utility then you need to select the drive and then run the FIRST AID option.

A screen similar to the one above will appear and may or may not find errors. Once FIRST AID has completed you will need to reboot your mac and hopefully your problems will be resolved. If not you will need to phone a professional for further diagnosis of the problem.

For more info on our Imac repair services ,  Mac repairs

and Macbook Repairs

REFERENCES

https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204323

https://www.techradar.com/au/how-to/computing/how-to-fix-a-mac-that-won-t-start-1319481

https://www.stellarinfo.com/blog/repair-mac-flashing-question-mark-folder-error/ 

https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201255

https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT210898