How to fix MacBook with question mark folder error

Macbook is working fine but today when turning on the computer suddenly saw a folder with a question mark flashing on the screen. What to do now? Don't worry, this article TipsMake will guide you how to fix MacBook with question mark folder error.

MacBook error folder question mark what is it?

When you turn on your MacBook, instead of displaying the Apple Logo, the laptop screen displays a folder with a flashing question mark in the middle. If you are using a MacBook version 2015 or earlier, you will also hear a bell before seeing the folder with the question mark in the middle of the screen. This error occurs on computers using the macOS operating system.

Why MacBook has question mark folder error

MacBook question mark folder error is a sign that your Mac cannot locate its system startup folder. As a result, your Mac cannot load macOS from the hard drive into memory to boot macOS. 

1. Boot disk no longer works - computer hardware related error
2. MacOS not installed properly - error related to computer software.

For hardware-related errors, experts who are knowledgeable about computers in general and MacBooks in particular can fix the error. In this article, TipsMake only mentions how to fix errors related to software and the MAC OS operating system so that you can fix it yourself at home.

How to fix MacBook with question mark folder error

TipsMake suggests some ways to fix MacBook with question mark folder error caused by software error as below. Please follow along.

Reset default startup disk

If your Macbook gets a question mark folder error for a few minutes but then continues to boot, then there is nothing serious wrong with your Macbook. You just need to reselect your startup disk in System Preferences. Your Mac's default startup device is NOT set to your bootable hard drive. Your Mac has to search ALL bootable drives before accessing your current hard drive. This search causes a time delay and you get a temporary flashing folder with a question mark. The fix for this is very easy.

1. Select System Preferences from the Apple Menu and select Startup Disk.
2. Click the lock icon at the bottom and enter your password to unlock the windows.
3. Click the icon of the disk you want to use to start your Mac. It is usually named Macintosh HD.
4. Then click the Restart button.

Your Mac will now restart and boot without the flashing folder with the question mark.

Alternatively, you can do an NVRAM reset or PRAM reset and your Macbook will automatically recognize the appropriate boot disk. 

2. Repair startup disk using MacOS Utilities

If your Macbook still has the question mark folder error , it means that your computer is having problems. But don't worry, if it is a software error, you can fix it yourself. Follow these steps to determine if it is a software problem.

1. Turn off your MacBook by pressing and holding the power button for at least 10 seconds.
2. Press the power button once to turn your Mac back on. Immediately press and hold the Command and Option keys and the R key on your MacBook keyboard to boot your Mac into macOS Recovery. Hold down these three keys until you see the Wi-Fi network screen. 
3. Select a Wi-Fi network and enter the password to connect to the Internet. A copy of macOS Disk Utility will automatically download from Apple's servers to your Mac.
4. Once the download is complete, your Mac will run macOS Utilities and the macOS Utilities screen will appear. 
5. Open Disk Utility from the macOS Utilities window, if your disk is listed in the internal section in the upper left, your Mac is most likely having a software-related issue. If you don't have any disks listed in the internal section, your Mac is most likely having a hardware-related issue. This means your Mac is not communicating with the hard drive at all. Skip to the hardware section below if you are having a hardware issue.

5. In the Disk Utility window, select your startup disk and click the First Aid tab.

6. Click the Repair Disk button to verify and repair any problems. If Repair Disk reports problems, such as bad sectors, you have a hardware problem. This hardware problem is not serious, so you should still be able to see the disk. If the data is important and you don't have a backup, you may need a professional backup service right now. If you are confident in your backup, go directly to the data backup section.

7. Once your drive is successfully fixed, exit Disk Utility.

8. Select Startup Disk from the Apple menu, select your startup disk, and click restart. 

You should be able to boot your MacBook if your hard drive is just having a software issue. If you still can't boot your Mac, you may need to reinstall macOS.

Note: If Disk Utility finds problems with your startup disk that it can't fix, you may need to reformat your hard drive. In this case, you should back up any important data on your startup hard drive before erasing it. 

3. Reinstall MAC OS without losing data

If your macOS isn't severely damaged, you can fix it. And in this case, it requires an internet connection to download macOS from Apple's servers and run other macOS Utilities. If done carefully, all your data will be intact. If you already have an external drive that can be connected to macOS, you can speed up the process by running macOS Utilities directly from your external drive.

If you don't want to back up, you'll need to reinstall macOS and set it to not overwrite your data. This will replace your corrupted system files and fix other software issues without erasing the data on your computer. 

Once you are in the macOS Utilities window, select option 2 ' Reinstall macOS ' and follow the on-screen instructions. macOS will be installed to your startup disk without overwriting your data. 

Note: Absolutely DO NOT use option 4 'Disk Utility' to erase the disk. Before installing, you should connect the charger to your Macbook to avoid power failure during installation. 

After the installation, your Mac should boot up normally. If your Mac is still getting the flashing folder with the question mark, you may need to perform a fresh install instead of this repair install. Of course, you should back up your data first.

4. Backup data and fresh install macOS 

With this method you need a large capacity USB to back up data.

If the repair install discussed above doesn't fix your problem, you'll need to do a fresh install of macOS. It's always a good idea to perform a fresh install every so often. Not only can a fresh install fix all your software issues, it can also give you a faster, virus-free, and more stable system.

If you haven't backed up your computer yet, do so now before installing to avoid losing important data. Use the following steps to back up your data to an external drive:

1. Connect an external USB, Thunderbolt, or FireWire drive to your Macbook. The drive needs to be the same size or larger than your current startup disk.
2. Use macOS Recovery to erase the external drive, then install macOS onto the external drive. Make sure you select the external drive as the disk you want to erase and install macOS onto. Be very careful when selecting the drive. Do not select your built-in startup disk, which is usually named Macintosh HD.
3. Once the installation is complete, your Mac will automatically restart from the external drive. When the Setup Assistant appears, choose an option to migrate your data from another hard drive. Select your built-in startup disk as the source to migrate your data from. 
4. Once the migration is complete, complete the steps in Setup Assistant . Once the screen appears, confirm that your data has been saved to the external drive.

Now that you have created a backup to your external drive, follow these steps to repair your internal startup disk by performing a fresh installation:

1. Remove your external drive from your Mac. You don't want to accidentally delete data you just backed up.
2. Use macOS Recovery to erase your built-in startup disk and reinstall macOS. This time, you'll need to select your built-in startup disk as the disk you want to erase. Once the installation is complete, your Mac will automatically restart from your built-in startup disk. It may take several restarts to complete the installation, depending on the version of macOS you're installing. 
3. When the installation is complete, the Setup Assistant will appear. You will see an option to migrate your data. Plug in your external drive and wait a moment, your external drive will appear on the screen.
4. To copy data to your startup disk, select the option in the setup assistant to migrate your data from an existing backup or other disk. Select the external drive as the source to migrate your data from.
5. When the data transfer process is complete, your Macbook will automatically restart. Double-check your data before deleting the data in the external drive. You should regularly back up your data. 

Above are instructions to fix MacBook error with question mark folder related to software that you can also do at home. For errors related to hardware, it is best to bring it to the genuine warranty center, or reputable MacBook repair shop. 

Marvin Fry

Update 16 January 2025