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iMac blinking question mark and folder

If my iMac shows a blinking folder and question mark, how do I fix it?

Posted on Mar 12, 2022 7:56 PM

Top-ranking reply

David McKinlay

Level 7

22,984 points

Posted on Mar 12, 2022 10:55 PM

See: If your Mac starts up to a question mark

A folder with a flashing question mark means that your startup disk is no longer available or doesn't contain a working Mac operating system.

If the question mark appears only momentarily before your Mac starts up normally:

Reset NVRAM.
Make sure that your preferred startup disk is selected in Startup Disk preferences.

If the question mark persists, follow these steps:

Press and hold the power button on your Mac for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off.
Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold Command (⌘) and R to start up from macOS Recovery.
While in macOS Recovery, use Disk Utility to repair your startup disk.
If Disk Utility found no errors or repaired all errors, reinstall macOS.
If you still need help, please contact Apple Support.

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iMac blinking question mark and folder

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