How to repair a Mac disk with Disk Utility

Utilise the Starting time Aid characteristic of Disk Utility to find and repair deejay errors.

Disk Utility can notice and repair errors related to the formatting and directory structure of a Mac disk. Errors can lead to unexpected beliefs when using your Mac, and significant errors might even prevent your Mac from starting up completely.

Earlier proceeding, make sure that you lot take a current backup of your Mac, in example you lot demand to recover damaged files or Disk Utility finds errors that it can't repair.

Open up Disk Utility

In general, you can just open Disk Utility from the Utilities binder of your Applications folder. Withal, if your Mac doesn't start up all the mode, or you lot want to repair the disk your Mac starts upwards from, open Deejay Utility from macOS Recovery:

  1. Determine whether y'all're using a Mac with Apple silicon, and then follow the appropriate steps:
    • Apple silicon: Turn on your Mac and go on to printing and hold the power push until you see the startup options window. Click the gear icon labeled Options, then click Continue.
    • Intel processor: Turn on your Mac, and so immediately press and concord these 2 keys until you see an Apple logo or other image: Command (⌘) and R.
  2. You may be asked to select a user you know the countersign for. Select the user, then click Next and enter their administrator password.
  3. From the utilities window in macOS Recovery, select Disk Utility and click Continue.
    macOS Recovery options with Disk Utility selected

Select your disk in Disk Utility

Choose View > Show All Devices (if available) from the card bar or toolbar in Disk Utility.

Disk Utility: Show All Devices

The sidebar in Disk Utility should now prove each bachelor deejay or other storage device, beginning with your startup disk. And beneath each disk you should run across whatsoever containers and volumes on that deejay. Don't see your disk?

Disk Utility: Containers and Volumes
In this case, the startup deejay (Apple tree SSD) has ane container and two volumes (Macintosh Hard disk, Macintosh Hard disk drive - Data). Your disk might not accept a container, and information technology might have a different number of volumes.

Repair volumes, and so containers, so disks

For each disk that you're repairing, start past selecting the last book on that disk, and so click the Start Aid button or tab.

Disk Utility: Run First Aid?
In this case, the last volume on the disk is Macintosh Hard disk - Data.


Click Run to begin checking the selected volume for errors.

  • If there is no Run push button, click the Repair Disk button instead.
  • If the button is dimmed and you can't click it, skip this stride for the disk, container, or volume you selected.
  • If you're asked for a password to unlock the deejay, enter your ambassador countersign.

After Disk Utility is done checking the book, select the next detail above it in the sidebar, so run First Aid once again. Keep moving up the list, running First Aid for each volume on the disk, so each container on the deejay, then finally the deejay itself.

Disk First Aid: process complete
The society of repair in this example was Macintosh HD - Data, so Macintosh HD, and then Container disk4, then APPLE SSD.

When done, quit Disk Utility. If you used Disk Utility from macOS Recovery, you can now restart your Mac: choose Apple bill of fare  > Restart.

If Disk Utility found errors that information technology can't repair

If your disk doesn't appear in Disk Utility

If Disk Utility tin't see your disk, it too tin can't meet any containers or volumes on that deejay. In that case, follow these steps:

  1. Shut down your Mac, and then unplug all nonessential devices from your Mac.
  2. If yous're repairing an external drive, make sure that it's connected directly to your Mac using a cable that you know is expert. Then turn the drive off and back on.
  3. If your disk still doesn't announced in Disk Utility, your Mac might need service. If you need help, please contact Apple Back up.

Published Date: