Usually, the internal hard drive for a Mac is the startup disk or boot drive. It not only loads the operating system but also stores data. Therefore, it is frustrating if your Mac doesn't recognize the internal hard drive.
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When Mac can't find the internal hard drive, you'll see a folder with Question Mark on Mac startup. Then, your Mac won't turn on at all. Consequently, you can't access important files, like documents, emails, videos, on your Mac. They are facing a high risk of loss.
Don't worry. This article will help you recover data from your internal hard drive. Besides, it also provides 4 feasible solutions for fixing Mac not recognizing the internal hard drive issue.
Recover files from your internal hard drive not recognized by Mac
Note: Any operations you'll do on Mac to fix the unrecognized internal hard drive, may write new data to the drive and overwrite the original one. Hence, data recovery is the priority.
Hurry up! Watch this video to get an intuitive guide for recovering data from your unbootable Mac.
iBoysoft Mac Data Recovery is the professional and secure Mac data recovery software. It supports recovering data, like videos, documents, photos, emails, from an unbootable Mac (including the T2-secured Mac).
This software is compatible with macOS Big Sur/Catalina/Mojave/High Sierra/Sierra and OS X 10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8/10.7.
As the Mac is unbootable, you need to run iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac in macOS Recovery mode. If you don't want to watch the detailed steps, you can watch the video above instead.
Case 1: The internal hard drive is recognized by Disk Utility in macOS Recovery
If your Mac doesn't recognize the internal hard drive or it not being found, macOS Recovery mode can help you do some checks and repairs.
macOS Recovery is part of the built-in recovery system of your Mac. When Mac won't boot, macOS Recovery mode supplies you an entrance to macOS Utilities.
To boot an Intel-based Mac into macOS Recovery mode:
- 1. Press the power button for seconds to shut down your Mac.
- 2. Restart the Mac and meanwhile, hold the Command + R keys. Release the keys until you see the Apple logo.
Note: If the above key combinations not working, keep your Mac connected to the Internet. You can hold down Option + Command + R keys when restarting your Mac to enter into Internet Recovery mode. You'll see the spinning globe instead of the Apple logo.
For an M1 Mac, the way to enter macOS Recovery mode on M1 Mac is different.
Under Mac Recovery mode, checking if you can find the hard drive in Disk Utility.
This really matters because if you can see the internal hard drive in Disk Utility, your internal hard drive has no hardware problems. Then, you can try the following solutions to fix the internal hard drive that can't be recognized by Mac.
- Repair the internal hard drive with First Aid
- Try to boot Mac in Safe Mode
- Recover data, erase the internal hard drive, and reinstall macOS
- Replace the internal hard disk if it's dead
Solution 1: Repair the internal hard drive with First Aid
In macOS Recovery, you can use the First Aid utility to repair certain logical errors on the internal hard drive that may cause it can't be recognized or found.
- Get to macOS/Mac OS X Utilities, select Disk Utility, and then click Continue.
- Select the internal hard drive that Mac doesn't recognize, and click First Aid to check and repair errors on this drive. You can also check the volumes on the drive one by one.
Solution 2: Reselect the startup disk in macOS Recovery mode
macOS Recovery mode, the built-in recovery system of your Mac, allows you to reselect the boot volume when your Mac not recognizing the hard drive at first.
- Click on the Apple logo at the upper left. Then, select Startup Disk.
- Reselect the correct Mac startup disk that holds a macOS.
- Click Restart.
Then, wait for moment to check if your Mac can reboot up.
Solution 3: Recover data, erase the internal hard drive, & reinstall macOS
If the internal hard drive is not recognized by your Mac still, then the file system of this internal hard drive could have corrupted.
As the internal hard drive can't be found, is there any other way that you can access the data on this unrecognizable hard disk?
Of course. You can recover lost data from this unrecognizable internal hard disk with iBoysoft Data Recovery Software for Mac. This method is greatly recommended because it is easier and more effective.
After recovering files, it's time to erase your Mac.
- Click Disk Utility in macOS Recovery mode.
- Select the macOS volume and click Erase.
Note: For macOS Catalina / macOS Big Sur, you should right-click the Macintosh HD - Data (or macOS - Data) volume and click 'Delete APFS Volume'. Then, select the Macintosh HD (or macOS) volume and click 'Erase'.
- Set a name, choose APFS in the Format: box. Then, click Erase.
Do nothing else with your Mac until the erasure process finished.
After your startup disk is erased, carry on reinstalling macOS.
- Go back to the macOS/Mac OS X Utilities window and choose Reinstall macOS.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall macOS.
The macOS reinstallation will cost some time. Then, your internal hard drive could be recognized and your Mac can boot up again. Of course, the internal hard drive will show up on Mac again.
Case 2: The internal hard drive can't be recognized by Disk Utility in macOS Recovery
However, if your Mac can't find the hard drive or not recognizing it even in macOS Recovery mode, you won't find the Mac hard drive in Disk Utility. This internal hard drive might have some hardware problems.
Usb Drive Mac Os
The only way is to send it to a local repair store. Since the internal hard drive that can't be recognized by the Mac has hardware issues, you can't recover data from it. Therefore, backing up your Mac at regular intervals is very necessary.
Conclusion
When your Mac doesn't recognize the internal hard drive, you can't access your Mac. At that time, all data on your Mac has a high risk of loss. Hurry up to recover files from your Mac with iBoysoft Mac Recovery software. And then, try the solutions mentioned in this post to fix your Mac.
Each operating system could crash at one time or another. While it's safe to say that macOS is more stable than Windows, it can still be affected by issues that prevent your computer from booting up. In such cases, you might need to boot your Mac from a USB flash drive to fix the problem. This article shows you two ways to boot Mac from external USB stick, as well as some troubleshooting tips in case Mac won't boot from the target USB.
Boot Mac from USB Option l: Startup Manager
If your Mac won't boot up normally, you can set it to boot from a different drive, such as a USB stick containing macOS installation files in bootable format. The drive will have to contain a version of the OS that is compatible with the Mac. As long as you have the bootable installation USB, you can start your Mac from the USB by accessing the Startup Manager. Here are the steps to be followed:
Step 1: Insert the bootable USB into Mac and power it on.
Boot Mac from USB Option l: Startup Manager
If your Mac won't boot up normally, you can set it to boot from a different drive, such as a USB stick containing macOS installation files in bootable format. The drive will have to contain a version of the OS that is compatible with the Mac. As long as you have the bootable installation USB, you can start your Mac from the USB by accessing the Startup Manager. Here are the steps to be followed:
Step 1: Insert the bootable USB into Mac and power it on.
Step 2: As soon as the startup process begins, hold down the Option (alt) key and keep it depressed until you see the Startup Manager on your screen. If there is a firmware password on your Mac, hold down the Option key until you're asked to enter that password.
Step 3: You will now see the various startup disk options, and your USB will be listed there. If you click on the Up arrow right below the icon for the USB, the computer will only startup once using this disk. If you press and hold down the Control key while making your selection, it will be saved, and your computer will boot from the USB every time, as long as it is left in the computer.
At this point, you can also use the Mac installation disk to boot your Mac from. It will appear as EFI Boot, and it works on all computers running macOS 10.9 or higher.
Boot Mac from USB Option 2: macOS Recovery Mode
As an alternative, you can start your Mac in Recovery Mode. This will allow the system to automatically detect and repair directory issues. Recovery Mode will only allow required kernel extensions to load, preventing login items and startup items to load automatically. It can also help you isolate the issue depending on whether or not the issue goes away in Recovery Mode. If the issues you have during normal startup don't show up in Recovery Mode, they are most likely fixed. That means you can reboot normally and your system should be back to normal.
Google Drive Mac Os
Step 1: Start your Mac and hold down the Shift key. You will see the Apple logo on your screen.
Step 2: When you see the login screen, you can release the Shift key and login to your Mac.
A Late Night Drive Mac Os 11
Step 3: To check whether your Mac has booted into Recovery Mode, click on the Apple logo on the top left and then on About this Mac. In the window that opens, click on System Report… You should be able to see this:
A Late Night Drive Mac Os Download
How to Fix Mac Won't Boot from USB Drive
Sometimes Mac won't boot from USB as expected. If you are unable to select a different startup disk, it's possible that your disk is not showing up in Startup Manager. If you try Method 1 above but don't see your USB drive listed there, it could mean one of the following problems:
Compatibility: It is possible that the version of macOS or Mac OS X that you have on the USB drive is not compatible with the hardware. That means you won't be able to see it in the Startup Manager so, of course, you won't be able to boot from it. In such cases, you may need to burn a compatible macOS version on USB drive in order to be able to boot Mac from it.
Startup Security Utility: In certain cases where your Mac has the Apple T2 Security Chip (2018 and later devices), it may be your Startup Security Utility settings that are preventing you from booting from USB. In this situation, restart your Mac and hold down the Command + R keys when you see the Apple logo. This will put your Mac into Recovery mode. In macOS Utilities, go to Utilities >Startup Security Utility and sign in as admin. Under External Boot, select the second option - Allow Booting from External Media.
Option ROM Firmware: Another known issue is that Option ROM firmware will not load in Startup Manager until you press certain keys manually. To do this, use Method 1 to access Startup Manager. Once you are there, press Option-Shift-Command-Period. You should now be able to see the USB drive. This is not exactly a problem as much as a feature. If the USB contains Option ROM firmware, you will need to press those keys everytime to boot from your pen drive.
These two methods and the troubleshooting tips should allow you to boot from USB or in Recovery Mode so you can then isolate the problem that's preventing your Mac from booting up normally.
