Macbook Pro login bar stuck at finished point

A Troubleshooting Protocol to Identify Problems or Fix macOS El Capitan or Later

You should try each, one at a time, then test to see if the problem is fixed before going on to the next.

Be sure to backup your files before proceeding if possible.

1. Shutdown the computer, wait 30 seconds, restart the computer.
2. Disconnect all third-party peripherals and remove any support software like drivers and plug-ins.
3. Resetting your Mac’s PRAM and NVRAM
4. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)
5. Start the computer in Safe Mode, then restart normally. This is slower than a standard startup.
6. Repair the disk by booting from the Recovery HD. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Utility Menu appears. Choose Disk Utility and click on the Continue button. Select the indented (usually, Macintosh HD) volume entry from the side list. Click on the First Aid button in the toolbar. Wait for the Done button to appear. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu. Restart the computer from the Apple Menu.
7. Create a New User Account Open Users & Groups preferences. Click on the lock icon and enter your Admin password when prompted. On the left under Current User click on the Add [+] button under Login Options. Setup a new Admin user account. Upon completion log out of your current account then log into the new account. If your problems cease, then consider switching to the new account and transferring your files to it - Transferring files from one User Account to another.
8. Download and install the OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 Combo Update or 10.12.6 Combo Update or Download macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Combo Update as needed.
9. Reinstall OS X by booting from the Recovery HD using the Command and R keys. When the Utility Menu appears select Reinstall OS X then click on the Continue button.
10. Erase and Install OS X Restart the computer. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Apple logo appears. When the Utility Menu appears:

1. Select Disk Utility from the Utility Menu and click on Continue button.
2. When Disk Utility loads select the drive (out-dented entry) from the Device list.
3. Click on the Erase icon in Disk Utility's toolbar. A panel will drop down.
4. Set the Format type to APFS (for SSDs only) or Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)
5. Click on the Apply button, then wait for the Done button to activate and click on it.
6. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu.
7. Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Continue button.

Do you have another Mac and a Thunderbolt cable? If so, start up your MacBook Pro while holding the T key. This will boot your MacBook Pro into Target Disk Mode, which allows you to view and modify the files on your MacBook Pro from another Mac. A battery indicator and the Thunderbolt icon should appear. Connect your MacBook Pro to your other Mac, then, on your other Mac, enter your login password for the MacBook Pro when prompted. You should now be able to view the files on your MacBook Pro using your other Mac. Use Migration Assistant on your other Mac to transfer user accounts, applications and other stuff from your MacBook Pro, as detailed in this article: How to move your content to a new Mac - Apple Support

Once you have transferred everything from your MacBook Pro, eject it from your other Mac, then press and hold the power button on your MacBook Pro to turn it off. Then, boot it into Recovery Mode by holding down Command-R while turning it on. The Apple logo and a progress bar should appear. When the Utilities menu pops up, choose Disk Utility, then select Macintosh HD and erase it. (You will lose all data that you didn't transfer!) Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the format (unless you can only choose from APFS, then select APFS). When erasure is complete, quit Disk Utility, then choose Install macOS (or Reinstall macOS). Choose Macintosh HD as the target volume and let the installer do its work. When the setup assistant appears, progress through it until you're prompted to transfer your data. Choose "From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk". On your other Mac, open Migration Assistant again, but this time choose "To another Mac". You will then be guided through the process of restoring your data onto your MacBook Pro. Once the setup assistant is completed, your MacBook Pro should now boot properly.

Hope this helps!

Possibly a corrupted volume. Did you force a power down at some point? That's the #1 reason for a corrupted volume. It can manifest in different ways depending on what specifically happened. I've seen it result in a move to the same point on the progress bar and then shut down every single time. Some people experience restarts, while others say it just hangs forever.

If you can, the recommendation to see if the disk can be repaired is probably the one I'd try first using Internet Recovery (hold option-command-R) at power on. Make sure you're connected to the internet (ethernet works best) and select Disk Utility. Then make sure that View>Show All Devices is selected, and run First Aid on both the top level drive and the volumes.

Encryptor5000 wrote:

Do you have another Mac and a Thunderbolt cable? If so, start up your MacBook Pro while holding the T key. This will boot your MacBook Pro into Target Disk Mode, which allows you to view and modify the files on your MacBook Pro from another Mac.

If it's a Unibody, Target Disk Mode can work with FireWire 800 or Thunderbolt.