Mac Is Stuck at the Apple Logo or Progress Bar
Use safe startup and recovery tools when macOS does not finish booting past the Apple logo or progress indicator.
Use safe startup and recovery tools when macOS does not finish booting past the Apple logo or progress indicator.
Symptoms you may notice
- The feature or device does not behave as expected.
- The issue returns after retrying the same action.
- You may see an error message, warning, delay, or missing response related to this problem.
Before you begin
- Connect the device to reliable power if battery level is low.
- Save open documents and close any application that contains unsaved work.
- Write down the exact error message or take a screenshot before changing settings.
Step-by-step troubleshooting
Allow normal startup time first
If a macOS update was recently installed, keep the Mac connected to power and allow significantly longer than a normal boot before interrupting it.
What you should see: The progress bar may eventually complete after update maintenance.
Disconnect accessories
Power off and remove external storage, hubs, printers, and nonessential devices. Keep only power, keyboard, mouse, and required display connected.
What you should see: A problematic accessory should no longer interfere with startup.
Try Safe Mode
Use the Apple silicon or Intel Safe Mode procedure and wait for the login window.
What you should see: Safe Mode should start with minimal extensions if the startup volume is usable.
Use macOS Recovery
Start Recovery and open Disk Utility. Choose View > Show All Devices and run First Aid on the startup volumes in the appropriate order without erasing them.
What you should see: Disk Utility should complete or provide a specific error.
Reinstall macOS without erasing
If Disk Utility finds no blocking error and a backup exists, choose Reinstall macOS from Recovery. Do not erase the disk for a routine reinstall.
What you should see: System files should be refreshed while user data is intended to remain.
Stop if the disk is missing or First Aid cannot repair it
If the internal drive does not appear or Disk Utility reports serious unrepairable errors, avoid repeated reinstalls or erasing when data is needed. Contact Apple or a qualified data-recovery/support provider.
What you should see: Important data should not be put at additional risk.
Confirm the problem is resolved
- Repeat the action that originally failed and confirm it now completes normally.
- Restart the affected application or device once more and verify the fix remains in place.
- Confirm that no new warning or error message appears during normal use.
If the problem continues
If none of the steps resolve the problem, stop making additional changes and contact technical support. Provide the exact error text, screenshots if available, the device model, operating-system version, and a list of the steps already completed.