Help!!!! Recovery mode disc utility cannot fix my MacBook Pro HD what do I do next?

If you had a backup of your MacBook Pro created on another Drive then I would have asked you to try-

1. Get into Recovery Mode
2. Use Disk Utility to Format your HD (Formatting will address and identify corrupted areas of the HD if any as well)
3. Reinstall macOS from Recovery Mode
4. Restore the backup file.

Do you have a backup created over Time Machine on a remote drive?

Axel F.

Before we get to the backup files area of your post, I would like to know what led you to get in Recovery Mode and why choose Disk Utilities to Repair your HD? Would like to know the root cause of your actions. Can you clarify by letting us know what exactly are you seeing under Disk Utilities / Repair ?

Axel F.

If you do NOT have backup, your existing drive holds the only possible copy of your files.They may be gone, but as long as there is some hope of recovery, DO NOT erase your internal drive. You need to buy an External drive.

You can use a drive enclosure, a "toaster" that you just drop one or two drives into slots -- gravity holds them and ambient air cools them, or a simple adapter that lays all the cables out across your desk.

Install MacOS on the new external drive, and get it set up to your liking. Now you can use the full power of MacOS to run a salvage operation.

If the drive will MOUNT (even if it won't repair or boot) this may be easy. If not, a Utility like Data Rescue form ProSoft can make excursions onto a damaged drive, try to rescue files, and copy them off to a safe place.

Remember to look for your files. Over 350,000 of the files on that drive are MacOS, and you already have a good copy of that.

<<How would I install macOS onto an External drive?>>

almost EXACTLY the same way you install it onto a new Internal drive.

Attach the drive and start in Recovery. If you get lucky, it will find and use Recovery_HD on the drive. Otherwise, it will use Internet Recovery and may take take several minutes to a quarter hour to load the correct version of the Tools over the Internet.

Use Disk Utility to ERASE the External drive by its immutable device-name, which will set up the partition map and create a default Volume on which to Install. Provide a meaningful mnemonic Volume-name. Once completed,

Choose Install MacOS , BUT: **Choose the external drive** This is the only difference!

It will download and install the same version you were running.

When it completes and restarts, it will be running Setup Assistant, and ask you to create a new Admin User.

You should chose a name slightly Different from the old one, so that old and new do not collide. -OR-

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ONLY If you are feeling adventurous, you can, instead of creating a NEW user, tell Setup Assistant that your files and userid are "over there" on the Internal drive. Be prepared for it to hang or be unable to Mount the drive to do that, and you may have to give up, Restart and create a new User instead.

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Once this is done, you have a working Mac with MacOS installed. set up your mail and you can check your emails and send text messages. At your leisure, you can use Utilities to try to salvage files off the damaged Internal drive. Data Rescue by ProSoft is one that is recommended.

Ensure that Time Machine has been backing up as planned. Should be hourly basis unless you backup manually. You can also enter into Time Machine and check to see whether all you backups and files are accessible. This will ensure that Time Machine is working and files are accessible.

I do not know of any way to link your Google Drive backup files into automatic recovery other than installing the missing files (from Time Machine backup) manually.

Axel F.

Open a Finder window showing the Source files, and display them is a way that is comfortable for you.

without closing that window, choose:

Finder > File > New Finder Window ...

... and in this window navigate to the place where you want the files to go, their Destination.

Drag and drop the files you want to keep from the Source Window to the Destination Window.

Hints to help maintain your sanity while doing this:

note the NUMBER of files in each window. If needed:

Finder > Views > show status bar

I like do this in List view, with the columns sorted by name.

when you are done, you should have as many files in the destination window as started out in the Source window.

Do not be in a big Hurry to delete old files. after a week, if you did not need them, you can delete them.