How to recover a bricked MacBook Pro with Touch ID issue after 'xartutil erase all' command?

Aymee2 wrote:

I searched for information about this online and found the command "xartutil erase all," which I promptly entered into Terminal and pressed "yes."

IIRC, that command could only be used on the 2016 & 2017 models. Using it on any 2018+ models with the T2 security chip or Apple Silicon Mac ends up erasing critical parts of the system. Many times Terminal commands can be for very specific systems & circumstances....this is one of those commands.

Then I found information about flashing it using DFU and started trying to flash it using a MacBook Air with an M2 processor.

In Apple Configurator, it simply froze at the 4th step of the system boot sequence. And in Finder, it returned error "4042."

I've seen several people posting about this error, but have no idea what it is since Apple doesn't provide descriptions for those error codes. Since you already erased a critical part of the system, you will likely need to perform the DFU Firmware Restore which will destroy all data on the internal SSD.

Make sure you follow Apple's instructions exactly when performing a DFU Firmware Revive/Restore. You must be using an actual USB-only data cable (it must not support Thunderbolt at all). And you should use the Apple Configurator v2.19 app on the host Mac. The host Mac must be running macOS 15.7+ Sequoia or macOS 26.x Tahoe. Here is an Apple article with the instructions...unfortunately Apple's reference to supported versions of macOS on the host Mac are wrong....what I have posted here will work at this time:

How to revive or restore Mac firmware - Apple Support

Is there any chance of recovery? Or will it remain bricked forever? Because I live in a country without Apple stores or services.

I've only ever heard of people using that Terminal command on the Intel Macs & they were able to recover them with a DFU Firmware Restore. I've never seen any posts on the Apple forums of somebody using that Terminal command on an Apple Silicon Mac so I have no idea. Considering how DFU Mode works, I would expect you to be able to use the "Restore" option to make your laptop functional again.

If you are unable to achieve success, then you will need to have Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider attempt to perform a DFU Firmware Restore on your broken Mac. Keep in mind, if the laptop had issues even with the previous owner, then this laptop may have some other underlying hardware issue that is preventing a successful DFU Firmware Restore. If I had to guess, this laptop likely suffered a liquid spill in the past.

Aymee2 wrote:

Is there any chance of recovery? Or will it remain bricked forever? Because I live in a country without Apple stores or services.

The computer was apparently broken when you purchased it used. If this is an M5 model, then that's doubly suspicious, such a new Mac already broken (Touch ID not working). I agree with HWTech here, perhaps there was liquid damage or possibly it was dropped or mechanically damaged in some way.

And you then entered a command that can disable some Macs. You have multiple issues here.

If there is no Apple Store in your country (which country?) you can look for an Apple Authorized Service Provider. They are listed on the Apple web site along with Apple Stores. If your country has none of these, then I suggest you investigate a mail-in repair by Apple for your laptop. This could take a few weeks but the laptop is useless to you anyway, it is worth a try.

Y’all erased everything, which means Apple Configurator and a cable from another Apple silicon Mac running 26.5.2, or — since that’s apparently not working here — a recovery (and repair?) discussion with Apple Support.

re: xartutil --erase-all

This has been known to brick some Macs and not advised.

What was you original issue...?

If this is an M5 MBP 14" if a safeboot did not sort the issue for Touchbar, then typically that is a hardware issue.

In or out of warranty you can get a free over the counter 'Apple Service Diagnostics' test /assessment

Make an appointment for a "hardware issue"

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Outside the USA

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

ref: What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle ...

Aymee2 wrote:

After that, the MacBook went into an endless reboot loop. I tried accessing startup settings by holding the power button for 10 seconds, but it still got stuck in the reboot loop.

You're going to have to provide more details. Startup options is just a gateway to other things. Are you saying that you couldn't even enter startup options or that you tried something and it didn't work? If so, what did you try?

Then I found information about flashing it using DFU and started trying to flash it using a MacBook Air with an M2 processor.

Flashing is not the appropriate term. DFU can be used to "revive" or "restore". Which were you trying to do?

In Apple Configurator, it simply froze at the 4th step of the system boot sequence. And in Finder, it returned error "4042."

What is "it"? Using DFU is a good idea, but if something goes wrong, at the very least, you're now dealing with two different computers. The word "it" no longer has any meaning. You must now specify which computer you're referring to in all instances.

To double-down (triple-down?) on this, Finder doesn't "return" anything. If you attempted some specific procedure on some specific device, you need to specify all of that. Screenshots may be useful here. I've done DFU restores in the past and I can definitely state that Finder is not involved in any way.

Is there any chance of recovery? Or will it remain bricked forever? Because I live in a country without Apple stores or services.

You do have to consider one of your first statements, "according to the person I bought it from". You bought a used, faulty computer. It isn't surprising that it's continuing to exhibit problems. You bought it that way. Never, ever buy a used computer, even if the person you're buying it from says that it's running perfectly. These are Macs, and they're horribly expensive. No one is going to sell one unless it's definitively broken.

etresoft wrote:

To double-down (triple-down?) on this, Finder doesn't "return" anything. If you attempted some specific procedure on some specific device, you need to specify all of that. Screenshots may be useful here. I've done DFU restores in the past and I can definitely state that Finder is not involved in any way.

FYI, it is possible to use the Finder on the host Mac to perform a DFU Revive/Restore. In my own personal experience the Finder is only an option if the host Mac is running the latest major version of macOS which at this time is macOS 26.x Tahoe. I think Apple modified the Finder to perform a DFU Revive/Restore starting in Sequoia, but I'm not certain.

Whenever I've tried using the Finder when the host Mac is running a fully patched version of Sequoia, I have found that absolutely nothing happens when you press the button in the Finder to "Revive" the Mac.....the button doesn't even indicate it has been pressed and there are no error messages.

Apple Configurator is definitely the way to go as it does provide very limited feedback on the state of the Mac that has been placed in DFU Mode which can "help" getting the broken Mac into DFU Mode. DFU Mode is a huge pain as Apple provides no feedback/status to assist a user.

HWTech wrote:

I think Apple modified the Finder to perform a DFU Revive/Restore starting in Sequoia, but I'm not certain.

That's news to me. I even had to do a DFU pretty recently when Apple broke News in 26.4. I must have searched directly for "Configurator". I never would have thought to use Finder.

DFU Mode is a huge pain as Apple provides no feedback/status to assist a user.

The only time I've ever had to restore a Mac was due to some egregious Apple failure. Before the 26.4 issue, Apple force-upgraded me to Sonoma once. That was annoying. Time Machine didn't quite work either.

Aymee2 wrote:

It turns out the laptop had suffered water damage and had already been repaired before it was sold to me :( The laptop is currently at a repair shop; I’ll definitely share any further updates. Thanks to everyone for the replies!

Good computing Aymee2! Appreciate your followup.

Aymee2 wrote:

Hi everyone! So, the saga with this Mac has finally come to an end! We tried a bunch of things, and here is the solution. A bit of background: as I mentioned earlier, I took the laptop to a repair shop, where it turned out the device had previously suffered liquid damage and undergone repairs. The technician resoldered several components responsible for audio because they showed signs of corrosion, but that didn't help. Since there are no publicly available logic board schematics right now, the technician took an M3 Pro with a similar layout and started checking all the components one by one—but that didn't work either... We also tried flashing various firmware versions via the configurator after downloading them, but that didn't help either... Then, yesterday, we tried downloading version 26.4.1, and—miracle of miracles—it worked! The laptop came back to life, and everything is working perfectly! I don't know exactly what the problem was, but try restoring the MacBook (even via Finder) using the pre-installed system.

I hope this helps someone.

Thanks for the update.

I'm not sure I would trust this laptop for anything serious though.

Aymee2 wrote:

Hi everyone! So, the saga with this Mac has finally come to an end! We tried a bunch of things, and here is the solution. A bit of background: as I mentioned earlier, I took the laptop to a repair shop, where it turned out the device had previously suffered liquid damage and undergone repairs. The technician resoldered several components responsible for audio because they showed signs of corrosion, but that didn't help. Since there are no publicly available logic board schematics right now, the technician took an M3 Pro with a similar layout and started checking all the components one by one—but that didn't work either... We also tried flashing various firmware versions via the configurator after downloading them, but that didn't help either... Then, yesterday, we tried downloading version 26.4.1, and—miracle of miracles—it worked! The laptop came back to life, and everything is working perfectly! I don't know exactly what the problem was, but try restoring the MacBook (even via Finder) using the pre-installed system.

I hope this helps someone.

HWTech wrote:

I'm not sure I would trust this laptop for anything serious though.

I guess I would agree with HWTech, who has had a lot of experience with these types of situations.

You have a MacBook Pro that was bricked after a questionable Terminal command. Upon examination, it was found to have experienced water damage in the past. A technician (Apple certified?) tried trial and error checking of components without benefit of detailed schematics but did not succeed. "Various firmware versions" were also flashed, apparently without success. Then for no clear reason 26.4.1 installation seems to have worked (note that the current version is 26.6). So the problem seems intermittent. The situation seems fragile to me from software, firmware, and hardware perspectives! But if you perform frequent backups, you would be protected against future additional failures.