Unfortunately, any computer user may encounter a problem when the operating system Mac won't boot and seems to hang on the download process. It usually looks like this: the computer starts to boot, the Apple logo habitually appears on the screen, but then nothing happens - the system does not boot, and the computer does not react to anything other than forced shutdown with the power button. In other cases, a loading indicator may appear under the "apple" logo (similar to the one shown in the image above), but then nothing happens either. Why is this happening and how can it be dealt with? Is it required in such cases? Let's figure it out in order.
Why Mac Won't Boot and Stuck on Apple Logo
The reasons why the Mac stopped loading can be different:
- Operating system failure associated with damage to important system files (for example, in case of incorrect installation of an update of system components, or installation of a new OS).
- Damage to system files due to malware.
- Lack of free space on the boot volume of the computer.
- The inability to determine the boot volume due to a software error or damage to the hard drive cable (an obvious symptom of this is).
- Malfunction of hardware components (hard disk or SSD damage, defective video chip, etc.).
Mac won't boot up and freezes. What to do?
Depending on the causes of the problem, there are different variations of its solution. Some you can try to implement on your own, while others can only be implemented by a specialist in a service center. Here are a few suggestions on what to do if your Mac stops booting and is stuck on the Apple logo or loading indicator. Let's start simple.
Boot in safe mode
Few people know that the MacOS operating system allows you to boot into safe mode (Safe mode), which allows you to identify various system software errors. In Safe mode, only the core of the system is loaded with the main important functions, while booting the computer in safe mode, the file system is checked for errors and, if possible, eliminated. Therefore, in most mild cases, booting your Mac in Safe Mode followed by a graceful soft reset can solve the problem if your Mac won't boot up and freezes.
In order to boot your Mac (whether it's a MacBook, iMac or Mac Mini) in safe mode, you need to while turning on the computer, hold down the "Shift" key on the keyboard and hold until the loading indicator bar appears. Note that the boot time of MacOS in safe mode takes much longer than the standard boot of the operating system, so we recommend that you be patient.
Fixing Errors with Disk Utility
Disk Utility is a specialized application for working with the MacOS boot volume and file system, which, in addition to the standard functions of formatting or partitioning a disk, allows you to check the disk and boot partition for errors and correct access rights to system files.
To run Disk Utility if your computer won't boot normally, you'll need to boot from the built-in macOS recovery partition. For this it is necessary when turning on the computer, press the Alt / Option (⌥) button and hold it until the boot partition selection screen appears, then select the Recovery partition. Forced boot from macOS recovery partition can be done by pressing a keyboard shortcut Command (⌘)-R when starting the computer.
When the recovery partition is launched, you must select the "Disk Utility" item:
In Disk Utility, select the "First Aid" section and click "Run" (relevant for MacOS versions of El Capitan and Sierra), or manually select "Check disk" and "Check permissions" (available for OS X Yosemite and older). If, at the end of the process, the disk utility reports that the disk is healthy or repaired, then try restarting the computer and checking the operating system boot again. If the found errors are successfully fixed, MacOS should boot correctly in normal mode.
If, during the check, the disk utility displays an error message that cannot be fixed, you should think about how to save important files and documents, and then reinstall the operating system.
Reinstalling the macOS operating system
If the Mac does not boot up and freezes on the loading indicator, and recovery by regular means does not work, then most likely it will not be possible to do without reinstalling the operating system. At the same time, given the fact that the computer does not boot, extracting the user's files and documents can be very problematic.
To extract files from a boot volume that cannot be launched, you will either need to connect your computer to another Mac in external disk mode (the method is not easy and requires a second Mac, a FireWire or Thunderbolth cable, and strict matching of Mac OS versions on both computers), or connect to a computer from an external media with an installed operating system, or special software for extracting and transferring data.
Unfortunately, not every Mac user has the opportunity to carry out such manipulations and, faced with a situation where their computer stops loading correctly and freezes, and simple solutions to the problem do not help, they simply do not know what to do. If your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or iMac does not boot or the operating system freezes while loading, you can always contact our service center specialists for help. will be made as quickly as possible, taking into account all your wishes for saving important data and the desired settings that our employees will make for your computer so that it will please with its stable work for a very long time.
If your macbook freezes on an apple, we will fix it quickly - from 30 minutes. Contact us!
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6 comments back to "What to do if your Mac won't boot up and freezes at the Apple logo"
Hello Alexander!
Sometimes, these problems are related to the physical death of the hard drive on your macbook. Unfortunately, hard drives on MacBooks fail and not as rarely as we would like. If you have such a situation, then we will need to separately collect the data that can be stored. After that, buy a new hard drive, install it, and return all the saved data back after installing the system.
The cost of such a service is agreed with the client, after a thorough diagnosis for damage to the hard drive.
I have just such a problem - Mac won't boot and freezes at the Apple logo
It hangs on an apple for a long time, then a chamomile appears, starts spinning, and so on ad infinitum.
I have important data there and I'm afraid of losing it. Can you restore me both the data and the performance of my macbook?
If an Apple computer freezes, the question immediately arises of how to restart the MAC. We will look at the methods for different models, as well as what you should try from the very beginning.
1. Closing the program
In the event that the MAC freezes, the problem may not be in the entire computer or operating system, but only in an open program that can be forcibly terminated.
This is done as follows:
- Press three buttons at the same time: "Command", "Option" and "Esc". The program completion window will start, it is also "Force Quit Applications".
- In the window that opens, select the program you want to close (just select it with the mouse cursor by clicking).
- Click the "Finish" button in the lower right corner.
Prompt: Also try pressing the "Command" and "Q" buttons in the open window. This combination is also for closing applications.
But what to do if the MACbook freezes and nothing works? In this case, you will have to restart the entire computer. This is always done using the keyboard, to be precise, with just one button. True, for different models of MacBook, these will be different buttons.
2. Restart on MacBook with TouchID
Here we are talking about how to reset the MACbook Pro, that is, models that were released in 2016 and later. These devices have a touch button called TouchID. It is intended for user authentication.
In fact, only one person can turn on such a computer, who authenticated at the first start (although this can be disabled).
This function is quite controversial and it has many disadvantages, although there are positive aspects, but it exists and it is TouchID that allows you to reboot.
Step by step, this process is performed like this:
- Hold your finger on the touch key until the computer turns off. Usually it's a few seconds - you won't have to wait long.
- Close the lid.
- Open the cover to turn on the machine.
As you can see, the procedure is quite simple and fast. The same is true for other models.
3. Reboot in devices released before 2016
In the event that a MACbook released before 2016 freezes, you need to use a completely ordinary button, which is located in the same place as TouchID - in the upper right corner of the keyboard.
Here everything is done as follows:
- Press and hold the power button until the computer turns off. Usually this process also does not take that much time - no more than 5 seconds. At the end, you will see a characteristic attenuation of the image on the screen and its complete shutdown.
- Wait a while (also a few seconds) and press the same power button. MAC will turn on and begin its work.
In addition to full-fledged Macbooks, there are also iMac and MAC Mini. Consider how to restart the MacBook of such models.
4. Restart iMac
Let's just say that everything here is also very simple. The difference from the procedures described above is only that the reboot is performed not from the keyboard, but from the buttons that are located in other places.
For example, in iMac it is located behind the monitor. Finding it is quite simple and all you need to do is hold down this button and wait until the computer turns off.
Then it remains to press it once again to start the device.
5. Reboot on MAC Mini
In this case, the power button is on the front panel. There are also connectors for HDMI, USB, headphones and more.
The power button is located near the power connector, on the left. To reboot, simply hold it down until the device turns off, and then press it again to turn it on.
These instructions will help you restore your iDevice. In the video below, you can clearly see the advice on what to do if such a device freezes.
Apple products are some of the best in the world, but even with this factor, MacBooks, like any other technology, are prone to minor malfunctions. Therefore, every user of "apple" products should know how to restart a macbook. System failure can occur as a result of complex programs or due to long-term operation of equipment. Of course, MacBooks are less prone to such problems, but still have their own errors, so each user should be prepared for them and know how to fix them.
Reboot macbook with keyboard
The first way is to reboot using the keyboard. This type of launch is the simplest and fastest, but it has its drawbacks, since a so-called hard reboot is performed. Such a process is not always desirable due to its aggressiveness.
How to restart macbook with keyboard? To perform this action, you need to hold down the power key for at least five seconds, otherwise the system will simply go into sleep mode, after which the device will turn off. As soon as the macbook turns off, you will need to turn on the equipment or start the recovery mode.
Reboot macbook with keys
For those users who wondered how to restart the macbook with the keys, there is the following method, which is also very simple to perform. But it is only suitable for MacBooks equipped with the Touch Bar.
In order to reboot the device, you need to use the Touch ID key. To do this, hold down and hold this key until the equipment restarts. But in the presented method, there is one caveat: to restart the computer, you need to close and open the lid of the device.
Keyboard shortcuts to reboot the device
The best way to reboot the device is a combination of special keys. It allows you to safely and quickly restart the device, and the combinations themselves are not something complicated, and it will not be difficult to remember them. You can restart your Macbook with keyboard shortcuts in one of the following ways:
- You must press the Control key and the power button at the same time, and then in the window that appears, three actions will be presented to choose from: shutdown, reboot, sleep mode. Select the desired action with the cursor.
- To immediately reboot the device, you need to hold down the following key combination Control-Command-Power (Power or Eject is the top right button on the keyboard). The method is convenient in that the system will not prompt the user for an action, but will immediately reboot.
- The keyboard shortcut Command-Option-Control-Power will turn off the device, then use the power button to start the MacBook back. With this method, all programs that were open will automatically close, and when working with text documents, files will be automatically saved. The device will be disconnected without a prompt window.
- To reboot the device, as well as find out the cause of the problem, you must use the Command + V combination, after which the device will diagnose and indicate the problem that has arisen in the system.
- Command-S - Restarts in single user mode. The team will do the troubleshooting.
- There are often cases in which the cause of the MacBook freezing is a running program, and if the user encounters it, then there is no need to rush to restart the MacBook. You can close the problematic program by using the keyboard shortcut Command+Q.
- If there are problems with audio or video (this situation is considered the last one, because it is quite rare) or incorrect operation of coolers (if the user hears the active operation of the cooling system with minimal equipment load), it is necessary to reset the PRAM settings. To do this, you need to launch the MacBook while holding down the Option + Command + P + R keys, and the device will start the last hardware settings saved in the database.
Reboot device in recovery mode
This question does not arise often, and yet: how to restart a macbook in recovery mode? If the device is stuck during an update or otherwise, you can use the NetBoot network image to restore the system. To do this, hold down the N key while turning on the device. The method allows you to access the Mac OS boot image, which is located on the server, it will not work if you disconnect the iMac from the Internet.
The next method also requires a network connection. When you reboot the system in recovery mode, you need to start the macbook while holding down the Command + R key combination. This will allow you to start working with the disk (diagnostics and formatting) or reinstall the system.
If the MacBook freezes during the update or the operating system is faulty, you need to identify and fix the problem. To do this, you need to use This loads only the necessary functions of the system. To use safe boot mode, you need to restart your iMac and hold down Shift during boot until the loading indicator appears. If there are several operating systems installed on the macbook, then there is the ability to select a boot disk. To perform this operation, when starting the device, you must hold down the Option key.
Every time a user asks how to reboot a MacBook, it must be understood that rebooting is not turning the device on and off, it is a complex process in which the equipment must save data and perform a safe shutdown. Therefore, it is not recommended to perform a hard shutdown of the device, it is better to wait a bit or try all safe methods, otherwise it may lead to hard drive failure. Also, if the device is completely frozen and does not allow you to open the command window, it is best to use a key combination, which will avoid further problems with the system. Never remove the battery and wait until the macbook is dead!
Finally
Most importantly, there is nothing difficult in rebooting the device. Only theoretical knowledge on this issue is needed. The user should not be afraid to solve the problem on their own.
Instruction
Rebooting the MacBook is done through the analogue of the Start menu, which opens when you click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner. If you can't see it, it's likely that you're in full screen mode. Move your cursor to the very top of the screen. The menu bar will pop up. There will be an Apple logo in the upper left corner. Please note - as soon as the cursor moves from the menu bar, the bar itself will disappear and only the maximized window will remain.
If this method is inconvenient, you can exit the full screen mode. Move your cursor to the top of the screen and click on the double arrow in the upper right corner. In this case, the expanded window will be minimized to a smaller version. And a menu bar with an Apple icon will appear at the top of the screen.
Next, hover over the Apple icon and click on the left mouse button. If you use the Touchpad, then one click anywhere is enough. A drop-down menu will appear, which, among other things, contains the fields "Sleep", "Restart", "Shut down". Select "Restart" from the menu and click on the left mouse button (anywhere on the Touchpad). Macbook will restart. It should be borne in mind that all unsaved files will be lost, about which a notification window will pop up.
Do not rush to restart your MacBook if any of the . Wait about a minute, the cursor will then become a rainbow spinning ball. This is usually enough time for the application to process the last request and execute the command. In case the application still does not respond, you can use the "force quit Finder" function from the top menu with the Apple icon. A pop-up window will appear in which you can select the hung application and confirm its closing with the "End" button.
There are situations when the MacBook itself freezes and does not respond to any actions. The cursor is not , key combinations do not help. Then the last resort is to force a reboot. You must press the power button on your MacBook and hold for a few seconds until the screen goes blank. After the screen goes blank, you can restart your MacBook.
Fair, not too high or too low. There should be prices on the Service website. Necessarily! without "asterisks", clear and detailed, where it is technically possible - the most accurate, final.
If spare parts are available, up to 85% percent of complex repairs can be completed in 1-2 days. Modular repairs take much less time. The site indicates the approximate duration of any repair.
Warranty and Liability
A warranty should be given for any repair. Everything is described on the site and in the documents. A guarantee is self-confidence and respect for you. A 3-6 month warranty is good and enough. It is needed to check the quality and hidden defects that cannot be detected immediately. You see honest and realistic terms (not 3 years), you can be sure that you will be helped.
Half the success in Apple repair is the quality and reliability of spare parts, so a good service works directly with suppliers, there are always several reliable channels and a warehouse with proven spare parts for current models so that you do not have to waste extra time.
Free diagnostics
This is very important and has already become a rule of good form for the service center. Diagnosis is the most difficult and important part of the repair, but you should not pay a dime for it, even if you do not repair the device after it.
Service repair and delivery
A good service values your time, so it offers free shipping. And for the same reason, repairs are carried out only in the workshop of the service center: it can be done correctly and according to technology only at a prepared place.
Convenient schedule
If the Service works for you, and not for itself, then it is always open! absolutely. The schedule should be convenient in order to be in time before and after work. Good service works on weekends and holidays. We are waiting for you and working on your devices every day: 9:00 - 21:00
The reputation of professionals consists of several points
Age and experience of the company
Reliable and experienced service is known for a long time.
If a company has been on the market for many years, and it has managed to establish itself as an expert, they turn to it, write about it, recommend it. We know what we are talking about, since 98% of incoming devices in the SC are restored.
We are trusted and passed on complex cases to other service centers.
How many masters in the directions
If you are always waiting for several engineers for each type of equipment, you can be sure:
1. there will be no queue (or it will be minimal) - your device will be taken care of immediately.
2. You give Macbook repair to an expert specifically in the field of Mac repairs. He knows all the secrets of these devices
technical literacy
If you ask a question, the specialist must answer it as accurately as possible.
To give you an idea of what you need.
Will try to solve the problem. In most cases, from the description, you can understand what happened and how to fix the problem.
