Why is a question mark popping up on Mac?

Why is a question mark popping up on Mac?

The flashing file folder with a question mark icon is essentially saying “no boot device found”, meaning the Mac is not able to find its startup disk, therefore unable to boot. In most cases, the flashing file folder with a question mark will pop up and the startup process will not continue.

How do I boot my Mac into recovery mode?

How to start Mac in Recovery Mode

1. Click on Apple logo at the top left of the screen.
2. Select Restart.
3. Immediately hold down the Command and R keys until you see an Apple logo or spinning globe.
4. Eventually your Mac will show the Recovery Mode Utilities window with the following options:

How do you make a question mark on a Mac?

While holding down Option key and Shift, type question mark. Hold down Option and type exclamation mark (above numeral 1 key).

What is a startup disk?

A. The hard disk used to boot the operating system.

How do I fix a Mac startup problem?

On a Mac laptop:

1. Shut down the MacBook.
2. Unplug and then reconnect the power cable.
3. Press Shift + Ctrl + Option/Alt keys and the power button at the same time.
4. Now release all those keys and the power button at the same time.
5. You may see the light on the power cable flicker.
6. Restart your MacBook.

What do you do when your Mac startup disk is full?

To remove app cache files and clean up a startup disk, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Finder > Go > Go to Folder.
2. Type in ~/Library/Caches.
3. Go into each folder (or just the ones taking up the most space) and delete the files inside.
4. Now do the same for /Library/Caches (without the ~)

How do I clear my entire hard drive on a Mac?

How to free up storage space manually

1. Music, movies, and other media can use a lot of storage space.
2. Delete other files that you no longer need by moving them to the Trash, then emptying the Trash.
3. Move files to an external storage device.
4. Compress files.

How do you clear your startup disk on a Mac?

How to Wipe a Mac Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

1. Make sure your Mac is turned off.
2. Press the power button.
3. Immediately hold down the command and R keys.
4. Wait until the Apple logo appears.
5. Select “Disk Utility” from the OS X Utilities list.
6. Select the disk you’d like to erase by clicking on it in the sidebar.

How do I start my Mac in Disk Utility?

To access the Disk Utility on a modern Mac—regardless of whether it even has an operating system installed—reboot or boot up the Mac and hold Command+R as it boots. It’ll boot into Recovery Mode, and you can click Disk Utility to open it up.

How do I start a Mac in Safe Mode?

Start up your Mac in safe mode

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > Shut Down. After your Mac shuts down, wait 10 seconds.
2. Restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key.
3. Release the Shift key when you see the login window.

How do you hard reset a MacBook pro?

Shut down your Mac, then turn it on and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, and R. Release the keys after about 20 seconds. This clears user settings from memory and restores certain security features that might have been altered.

How do I bypass Internet Recovery on Mac?

Answer: A: Answer: A: Restart the computer holding down the command – option/alt – P – R keys before the gray screen appears. Continue to hold until you hear the startup chime for the second time.

Which Macs have Internet recovery?

A few Macs from 2010 and 2011 can have their firmware upgraded so that they gain support for internet recovery.

• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)
• iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)
• iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)
• MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2010)

Will Internet recovery work on my Mac?

With Internet Recovery Mode, you can reinstall macOS and troubleshoot issues in the unfortunate scenario of your Mac’s startup disk having become corrupted or completely unreadable.

How do I reset my Mac password without a recovery key?

Reset your Mac login password

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > Restart, or press the Power button on your computer and then click Restart.
2. Click your user account, click the question mark in the password field, then click the arrow next to “reset it using your Apple ID.”
3. Enter an Apple ID and password, then click Next.

How can I get admin access to a Mac without knowing the current password?

Create a new admin account

1. Hold ⌘ + S on startup.
2. mount -uw / ( fsck -fy is not needed)
3. rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone.
4. reboot.
5. Go through the steps of creating a new account.
6. After logging in to the new account, go to the Users & Groups preference pane.
7. Select the old account, press the Reset Password…

How do I bypass login on Mac?

Case 1: When you have access to Mac

1. Click the lock at the left-bottom and allow changes with admin privileges in Users & Groups.
2. Click Login Options from the left pane, and you can see the Automatic login option.
3. Restart Mac now and you could bypass Mac password and automatically login to Mac with specified user.

How do I recover my Mac administrator username and password?

Here’s how to do that:

1. Restart your Mac.
2. While it is restarting, press and hold the Command + R keys until you see the Apple logo.
3. Go to the Apple Menu at the top and click Utilities.
4. Then click Terminal.
5. Type “resetpassword” in the terminal window.
6. Then hit Enter.
7. Type your password and a hint.
8. Finally, click Restart.

How do I access my administrator account on Mac?

Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, then click Users & Groups (or Accounts). , then enter an administrator name and password. Click Login Options.