How to repair a Mac disk with Disk Utility
- Open Disk Utility. Start up from macOS Recovery, then select Disk Utility from the Utilities window. Click Continue. ...
- Locate your disk in Disk Utility. Choose View > Show All Devices (if available) from the menu bar or toolbar in Disk Utility. ...
- Repair volumes, then containers, then disks. For each disk that you're repairing, start by selecting the last volume on that disk, then click the First Aid button or tab.
Full Answer
How do you destroy a Mac hard drive?
You can take apart the drive, sand down the platters, and poke holes in them. You can pound nails through the drive, or smash it into bent pieces with a hammer. As long as the platters can't spin...
How do you repair a hard drive on a Mac?
In that case, follow these steps:
- Shut down your Mac, then unplug all nonessential devices from your Mac.
- If you're repairing an external drive, make sure that it's connected directly to your Mac using a cable that you know is good. ...
- If your disk still doesn't appear in Disk Utility, your Mac might need service. If you need help, please contact Apple Support.
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How to fix corrupted hard drive?
To fix a corrupted hard drive that shows 0 used space and 0 free space, try following methods:
- Recover lost data from hard drive using DiskGenius.
- Run Chkdsk in the drive to fix errors in file system.
- Format the corrupted drive to NTFS.
- Check and repair bad sectors.
How do you fix a corrupted disk on a Mac?
How to Fix a Corrupted Hard Drive on a MacRepair the Corrupted Hard Drive Using Disk Utility. ... Initiate the FSCK Command. ... Try Free Software to Recover Mac Hard Drive Data. ... Recover from a Time Machine backup drive. ... Hire a hard drive recovery service for Mac. ... 🔌 Shut Down Your Mac Safely. ... ⚡ Prevent Spills and Exposure.More items...•
What does it mean to repair disk on Mac?
Disk Utility can check for and fix errors related to the formatting and directory structure of a Mac storage device. Disk Utility can fix certain disk problems—for example, multiple apps quit unexpectedly, a file is corrupted, an external device doesn't work properly, or your computer won't start up.
How do I repair my Mac startup disk?
Repairing a diskRestart your Mac, and press Command + R, while it's restarting.Select Disk Utility from the macOS Utilities menu. Once Disk Utility has loaded, choose the disk you wish to repair - the default name for your system partition is generally "Macintosh HD", and choose 'Repair Disk'.
How do I repair my disk?
Non-System VolumePress "Windows-E" from the desktop to open File Manager. ... Select "Properties" from the context menu, click the "Tools" tab and then click the "Check" button under Error Checking.Click "Repair This Drive" when the scan completes to fix the device errors.
Does repair disk on Mac erase data?
No. Disk Utility First Aid only checks and repairs the errors related to a Mac disk's file system format and directory structure. It cannot erase data on the drive.
Does repair disk delete files Mac?
It has no effect except on the drive it is repairing. Repairing only affects the directory and filesystem. If a directory is corrupted and repaired then it's possible a file or two may be lost on the drive in question. But Disk Utility does not delete files except when you erase a drive.
How do I restore my Mac without a startup disk?
Restart your Mac. Choose Apple menu > Shut Down, press and hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears, select Options, click Continue, then follow the onscreen instructions. In the Recovery app window, select Reinstall for your macOS release, click Continue, then follow the onscreen instructions.
Can you open a hard drive and fix it?
An external hard drive is just a regular internal hard drive in an external case. You can open the case and take out the drive, and from here you can connect it to a computer in a number of different ways. Or you can find a replacement case and install the hard drive so you again have a functioning external hard drive.
What do I do if my hard drive is not detected Mac?
If your external hard drive is not detected, follow these steps to fix the issue:Go to Applications and open Utilities.In the Utilities folder, select Disk Utility.In the View menu at the top of your screen, select Show All Devices.Select your external drive and click Unmount.Connect your external drive again.
How do I fix a corrupted and unreadable hard drive?
Part 1: Top 7 Ways to Fix "The File or Directory is Corrupted and Unreadable" in Windows 11/10/8/7Change the Location of Inaccessible Files. ... Disable or Uninstall Anti-Virus Software. ... Scan Drive from Disk Properties. ... Perform the Startup Repair of the Disk. ... Perform a Disk Check through CMD on Windows 11/10/8/7.More items...•
How do I fix a failed hard drive?
How to Fix Hard Drive FailureClean Out the Computer Vents. Over time, dust and debris will visibly clog up the vents on your computer. ... Check the Power and Data Cables. Your hard drive has power and data cables that connect to it from the computer power supply and motherboard. ... Check Your Bios. ... Listen for Sounds.
How do you fix a hard drive that won't read?
If the drive still isn't working, unplug it and try a different USB port. It's possible the port in question is failing, or just being finicky with your specific drive. If it's plugged into a USB 3.0 port, try a USB 2.0 port. If it's plugged into a USB hub, try plugging it directly into the PC instead.
How to repair a disk on Mac?
To check and repair a disk, you need to run First Aid on each volume and container on the storage device in turn, then run it on the storage device itself. If Disk Utility tells you the disk is about to fail, back up your data and replace the disk—you can’t repair it. Open Disk Utility for me. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose View > Show ...
What to do if Disk Utility can't repair your disk?
If Disk Utility can’t repair your disk, or you receive a report that the First Aid process failed, try to repair the disk or partition again. If that doesn’t work, back up as much of your data as possible, reformat the disk, reinstall macOS, then restore your backed-up data.
Can disk utility fix a disk?
Disk Utility can’t detect or repair all problems that a disk may have. To check and repair a disk, you need to run First Aid on each volume and container on ...
How to repair an external drive on Mac?
If you're repairing an external drive, make sure it's connected directly to your Mac using a cable that you know is working correctly. Then turn the drive off and back on again. If your disk still doesn't appear in Disk Utility, your Mac may need servicing. If you need help, please contact Apple Support. Published Date: November 29, 2020.
How to repair a Mac that won't start up?
However, if your Mac doesn't start up completely or you want to repair the disk your Mac starts up from, open Disk Utility from macOS Recovery: Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple Silicon, then follow the appropriate steps: Apple Silicon : Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see ...
How to repair disk if there is no run button?
If there is no Run button, click the Repair Disk button instead. If the button is dimmed and you can't click it, skip this step for the disk, container or volume you selected. If you're asked for a password to unlock the disk, enter your administrator password. After Disk Utility has finished checking the volume, ...
What to do if disk utility found errors that it can't repair?
If Disk Utility found errors that it can't repair. If Disk Utility found errors that it could not repair, use Disk Utility to erase (format) your disk.
How many volumes does an Apple HDD have?
In this example, the startup disk (APPLE HDD) has one container and two volumes (Macintosh HD, Macintosh HD - Data). Your disk may not have a container and it may have a different number of volumes.
How to enter administrator password on Mac?
You may be asked to select a user you know the password for. Select the user, then click Next and enter their administrator password.
How to fix Mac error?
One simple way to fix such errors is to boot your Mac into Safe Mode. Safe Mode, sometimes called “Safe Boot,” contains an automatic startup check and repair that can fix these problems.
How to check disk for errors on Mac?
It depends which you select in the sidebar. Click “Run” and your Mac will check the disk you selected for errors. If it finds any errors, it will attempt to automatically fix them for you. You can click the “Show Details” drop-down message to view detailed information about any errors it encounters.
How to check if a disk is Macintosh HD?
In the Disk Utility application, select the disk or partition you want to check — the system partition is named “Macintosh HD” by default — and click the “First Aid” button. You can either run the First Aid function on an entire disk, or an individual partition on that disk. It depends which you select in the sidebar.
How to check disk partition?
To launch it, you can press Command+Space to open Spotlight search, type “Disk Utili ty”, and press Enter. Or, you can navigate to your Applications folder, double-click the “Utilities” folder, and double-click the “Disk Utility” shortcut. In the Disk Utility application, select the disk or partition you want to check — the system partition is named ...
Does Mac OS X repair disk permissions?
Modern versions of Mac OS X no longer need you to repair disk permissions. However, that’s not the only issue that can occur with a disk or file system. Mac OS X contains a variety of tools for repairing disk, partition, and file system errors. These options work like chkdsk on Windows, checking for disk and file system errors and repairing them.
Can you check disk health on Mac?
You can perform a disk health check from the Disk Utility application included with Mac OS X. Apple updated this utility’s interface on Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan, so it’ll look a bit different from the screenshots below if you’re still using and older version of Mac OS X.
What is Disk Utility First Aid?
Disk Utility comes pre-installed on every Mac, and offers a way to manage and repair the various disks you might use: startup disks, storage volumes, and even external drives. You can use Disk Utility to partition, restore, or format different disks.
How to repair disk on your Mac with Disk Utility
At its essence, Mac disk repair is as simple as opening the Disk Utility application, selecting a disk, and running First Aid. But before you jump in, there are a few other steps you need to take to protect yourself from data loss.
If all else feels, seek a physical repair
It’s entirely possible that you’re experiencing problems with your Mac because of a physical problem with its disk. This might be the result of liquid damage or a hard knock, but disks can also stop working as they age over time.
How to fix disk error on Mac?
Step 3: Run First Aid to check and repair disk errors. 1. Click the First Aid on the top menu and tap on Run button to launch First Aid on Mac. 2. Continue while you get a prompting message from First Aid. 3.
What does it mean when a disk is not fully repaired?
It means the disk has not been fully repaired. You need to run Disk Utility again and try to repair the damaged disk. If it cannot be done, make a backup of your data and then reformat the disk, and reinstall macOS. Or if the errors cannot be repaired because of physical damage, you will need to replace the old damaged disk.
Why won't my Mac boot?
Undoubtedly, there are lots of reasons that can lead to failed Mac boot. And hard disk error is one of them. So it is urgent to check out the disk errors and repair them in time while you encounter this problem. Otherwise, not only you cannot boot Mac, but also you will lose many important files or folder on Mac.
What is the best disk repair software for Mac?
While not nearly as popular as it used to be some 10 years ago, TechTool Protogo, now part of the TechTool Pro product line, still remains one of the best disk repair software Mac users should know about. Unlike many other disk repair tools for Mac computers, TechTool Protogo can bypass the operating system and run directly from a bootable diagnostic device, which is essentially a convenient disk repair toolbox with the right tool for just about any disk repair job.
Why is it important to repair a hard drive?
When repairing a hard drive, it’s often necessary to move large quantities of files around, delete corrupted partitions, and perform other HDD management tasks, so selecting Mac disk repair software that supports them is always a good idea.
How long does it take to get a hard drive back?
Speed: Depending on which hard drive repair shop you choose, it can take as much as several weeks for your hard drive to return back to you. If that’s the only hard drive you have, you’re out of luck. With a hard disk repair software solution, you can repair your hard disk in just a few minutes.
Is disk repair software worth downloading?
When hundreds of users from around the world praise certain software, there’s a very good chance that the software is worth downloading.
Is disk repair software free?
The fact is that the best disk repair software solutions are not free—at least not entirely. We say that because many disk repair software solutions offer a free trial version that let’s you play with all key features without spending a single dollar, allowing you to decide whether the software is really worth it or not.
Is Drive Genius compatible with Mac?
Unfortunately, Drive Genius isn’ t compatible with all recent versions of macOS, but there’s a demo version available that you can use to test if this hard disk repair tool runs on your Mac. Key Features. Comes with 18 useful disk repair features. Free demo version available.
Does Drive Genius have maintenance?
Many hard drive issues can be prevented with proper maintenance, and Drive Genius has all the maintenance features you need to keep your hard drive in top condition. The features are split into three categories:
What Are the Signs of a Hard Drive Failing?
Usually, you’ll notice that a hard drive is failing on your Mac early on. Below are three of the most common signs:
Finding the Right Disk
Before you can run fsck, you’ll need to find the device node and identifier of the disk you want to target. We’ll use Terminal’s diskutil command to accomplish that.
Running fsck from Single User Mode
macOS won’t let you run fsck from inside the operating system. You’ll need to reboot into Single User mode, which is a stripped-down, text-only, superuser interface for macOS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can also use Disk Utility to repair a hard drive on your Mac. To do this, go to Spotlight (magnifying glass in the toolbar), search for “Disk Utility,” and click on Disk Utility.app.
Wrapping Up
fsck on the Mac isn’t as powerful as fsck on Linux, but it can still be a lifesaver if you end up with a corrupted boot disk or damaged hard drive. Read on to learn the things you should do before and after reformatting your hard drive on a Mac.
