Question Mark Folder Error - What Does It Mean For Your MacBook?

[@lapfix]

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[@bhengee5172]

Hi. Thanks for you video. I have same issue but just to give a little background. Was trying to install windows, entered recovery mode and deleted the partition I thought I was going to install windows on. after that I got the folder sign. I’ve done everything here but keep bringing me to the internet recovery screen and pops one error or another. Never brings me to the macOS utilities screen. Anything else you can suggest please?

[@muhammadtaymour8668]

I am in the same situation, were you able to fix?

[@caporavon6603]

I have a high sierra and it won’t boot

[@FelicianoDaily]

@@caporavon6603 same!!! 😭

[@ZakariaIazza]

after doing this safari doesn't work and also app store can u help please i need it this monday

[@jimstack510]

Good Morning Eric: The APPLE store here in Toronto said my MacBook Air is shot, needs a new motherboard. I followed your instructions to the letter and EVERYTHING you said would happen DID happen. It is now running as-new!!! Thank you kindly; your well presented fix, user-friendly and crystal clear worked BRILLIANTLY!!

[@aw8951]

I suckered in and got the logic board replaced on my 2016 macbook pro. I trier every fix myself. Nothinf worked. They handed me back my laptop ans the problem kept happening even with a complete factory reset and the new logic board. I can't afford anymore fixes or a new laptop.

[@MichelleElise8]

After several failed attempts to fix my MacBook air 2020 and after several mental breakdowns, i discovered this video. I'm pleased to say that my MacBook air has been fixed!! Very happy :) Now i can sell it haha! Thank you so much for this video :))

[@nigelholland1811]

Thank you so much. My son messed up deleting his MacBook Air. I watched several videos none worked, then I found yours. Happy UK watcher.

[@lapfix]

Great to hear! Thanks for watching =)

[@Visualize_time]

I can’t get to that macOS utility page anymore, the internet recovery starts to load and then goes back to the folder with question mark. I was using the computer fine and then boom froze in chrome so I powered off, when I powered on, it went to the folder. It’s been so many years with this computer so I don’t know if it is hardware or software. I need this computer to work! Please help!

[@lapfix]

Try a P-RAM reset first (cmd-option-p-r) and try again to see if the recovery page comes up. I still think there is a hardware issue either way. We have all our contact information in the description

[@OppBaby_jay]

Thanks it worked. It’s crazy how the videos with 1 million views be click bait but u deserve 1million views bro

[@lapfix]

Thank you for watching , Please share that is the only way we can beat the KZbin algorithm !

[@thisisyoutubehandle]

Would be worryig for Appe if this video had million views 😗

[@fireterminators3865]

Thank you so much I watched 15 different videos and none of them helped me yours was the most simplest thank you again

[@oludiyaemmanuel7374]

How much internet data it take you to reinstall

[@sharmainegomba1476]

Thank you so much for this video, I was really stressed and now my Mac is as good as new. I recommend watching this video if you’re experiencing this problem

[@kimmaart3692]

Thank you!!!! I watched about 20 videos and they all said to just hit 'R' instead of Cmd + R so the Disk Utility screen never came up. Now it has. Still struggling to see my SSD card or hard drive in Disk Utility but will see in a minute.

[@iamvalmira]

select the disk where you want to install OS X: there’s no disk to choose? i have a macbook air from year 2012. can you help me?

[@Poquii]

Man thank you for this. I was following some other video on how to revert to older OS versions (was on Ventura and my Mac started working slowly and heating up: wanted to revert to an older or Catalina which is what it came with). And I only was able to first delete my drives and data.. then was stuck with the grey folder. Now with your video I was able to fully understand what I was doing, go through the process, and am currently re-installing Catalina and my mac will be as good as new. Thank you for this ! This video is a gem.

[@depressedsauce2898]

I can’t erase mine. It’s greyed out. It’s also saying recovery is damaged

[@ciric00]

not know , but just know you've affected my life, and apparently tens of thousands of others, in an imnsely positive way. Thank you

[@counsellingwithcoaching]

Hi, I was trying to erase all my data to restore it to factory settings, but I think I've deleted too many things and now even though I tried all the steps of switching it back on recovery mode, I can't get rid of this question mark folder error 😢

[@disasterology2377]

Me too! I can’t even get it past the folder!😢

[@omkarjadhav1590]

Same issue bro if you found some solution let me know

[@tgbzofficialchannel6759]

Plug another keyboard

[@johncannon6564]

@@omkarjadhav1590any fix

[@hawkeyemagic4023]

After weeks of trying, your video actually fixed my old MacBook Air

[@Brandongy69]

I had to like the video because this worked for me. Thank you.

[@RandyFrimet]

Awesome Video. Thanks. Reinstalling OS now. Very clear and concise explaination of issue. I'll be back for addition Mac related issues.

[@NathanielSandoval-i1c]

The question mark folder popped up for me after a week in half from a battery change. I currently have the Macbook Pro mid 2012 13-in with an internal SSD. When I went into recovery mode and selected the Disk Utility. I didn't see my SSD present. Does that mean my SSD died? I don't think it's a cable issue. But I wanted to know how I can start using my Mac again. I have an external hard drive with a few recent backups through the Time Machine application. Please let me know how I can fix this issue!

[@michellecasciolo6047]

thank you so much for this video. I watched so many before I found yours. Was missing the step where I needed to erase the hard drive,.. only then was I able to (finally) reload the older OS...cheers

[@kentwhitaker1508]

Hi! I got all the way to the description of the Internal hard drive within the Disk Utility box at 7:15 in your video. In the left side bar showing Internal and Disk Images, my screen shows the Apple SSD full name and there is no View option above it in the left corner. I could not get my screen to drop down from the full SSD name. So I had no Container disk2 or Untitled discs on my screen. (In fact the Red/Yellow/Green buttons at the very top left are not all there; only the yellow.) So when I clicked on Erase, the format options did not include APFS; the first option was OS X Extended (Journaled). Please help me!

[@user-su6on7jj7h]

Same!!!

[@sh4y4n_]

Got a fix?

[@jaybans2]

Any luck fixing this?

[@amberbegay886]

Just wanted to thank you for this video. I didn't complete the setup due to my girls jumping on me, so I just turned off my laptop. I turned it on and ran into issues, but with your help I fixed the problem.

[@wolfsbane3252]

Gods thank you so much. You helped and even with out all the complicated restore drive. ❤❤❤❤❤ thank you so much

[@hodysharabi7674]

Can you explain how to change hard desk caple for mac air 11 inch mid 2012 pls

[@JD-ss4qf]

This guy is great! Thank you

[@karimmitchell3464]

Thank you so much good brother. I have watched a few videos and no one made it simple like you did. You saved my IMAC and my window. Thanks again

[@ordepetneciv327]

thank's 👍 great video.. if I send my Mac can you guys work on it...???

[@lapfix]

Thanks for watching, all of our contact information is located in the description

[@Cinefilo_Celuloide]

entonces para ese modelo y los demás que le siguen solo se puede hacer la instalación del OS vía internet, no se puede hacer de la forma tradicional colocando un USB-A booteando O un adaptador que tenga salida USB-A?

[@biker1581]

lapful, thanks a lot!!!! it worked, I watched many videos but only your's helped

[@taraishot100]

I’m so guttered it didn’t work for me I’m gonna have to get a Harddrive like you said at the start

[@LoopGawdTV]

You saved my life. I cant thank you enough!!!!

[@lapfix]

glad I could help =)

[@yoneyers5906]

hi , please i have same problem but , my mac does not show any drive, even my external drives they are not showing.

[@tatyanamilter7174]

Thank you for the great video. I do not see the internal drive in the disk utility after I clicked on show all devices. There is the Apple disk made media /OS X Base System there. What might be wrong?

[@blackmoonstudios8842]

I have the same problem. How did you solve it?

[@kronek99]

What if I can't get into recovery mode? It starts loading but eventually fails

[@ChristRecords2O16]

Hold ALT/option or shift control command R

[@edubsway]

My exact question.

[@LoopGawdTV]

you made this simple to understand, had great screen displays, and explained in detail to what was going on....

[@mslolamonique]

I think it worked. I got the furthest with your video so thank you😅!!!

[@aljan10]

Thank you saving me from the question mark from hell.

[@tjwoodland6374]

YOUR THE BEST IM GONNA SUB I DID SOMETHING LIKE THIS 2 YEARS AGO AND IT DINT WORK BUT YOURS DID TYYY

[@donnaaimee1514]

SO helpful thank you! 😅

[@210traveler]

Thanks!!! Saved my old MacBook!!

[@randyrandeh]

Thanks, this was a great video, but my drive doesn't show up at all, even in disk util even with a new SSD on a 2016 16" MBP, any advice @lapfix

[@lapfix]

The only macbook pro from 2016 (and newer) that has a removable ssd is the a1708 model 13". Which model did you have? I assume it is a 15" a1398 2015?

[@randyrandeh]

@@lapfix You are correct! It is a 15" A1398 2015.

[@randyrandeh]

Any insight @lapfix?

[@adnandurmo8901]

When i came to the that stage of recovery, disc utilty show me that my disc has only 1gb of space (at all). What to do? Help me

[@coco_munroe]

God bless you! You doing the lords work because I panicked after deleting the HD

[@bryandavid5043]

Tysm man I was stuck for a couple hours!

[@mynascarfan]

Early 2015 mac pro. Can get to utilities. I can get to recovery mode then it shows apple symbol with progress bar gets stuck at that point. Any ideas?

[@617steve7]

This video just saved me a lot of heartache! Thanks!

[@Np54-l4l]

Thank you so much for explaining the problem and solution in detail. Great job 👍this helped me a lot 😊

[@lapfix]

Glad it helped! 😁

[@DubbPP]

What's newer Mac's I have a cylinder SSD on Monterey do we still select apfs?

[@benklemenzson2028]

Excellent advice - thank you!

[@keithrodgers1030]

I have a 27 IMac 2011 model that was working great with a 1TB SSD in it. Then yesterday it showed the folder Icon, the profess bar went half way before the folder Icon appeared. It then sits on the white screen. Can it be a partition causing the blank screen ? The drive was formatted to APFS (High Sierra) .

[@itman190]

So I found a i Mac looks like a 2020 model. The screen is cracked. That seems like an easy fix but I also have the question mark issue as well. Should I fix the screen first and then the question mark issue? I’m wondering could the cracked screen cause the question mark issue? I found the i Mac on trash day in just trying to gage weather it’s worth it or not and what’s the best way to go about this

[@munnazaahmad9668]

Mine is 2016 Mac. I don’t get the APFS option in the drop down when I try to erase it. I have erased with extended journaled option and tried to reinstall the Mac Sierra as that is the only option I get. After 5-6 minutes it says “An error occurred while preparing the installation ” at the very end

[@dbbias1416]

Thank you so much for this very helpful video 👍💯

[@soofihasan]

Thank you. Very helpful and solved my issue

[@kellychen788]

Can someone tell me how he connected to wifi prior to installing the OS? Thanks!

[@MxcoAlwsTrd]

Hello can i ask how about i accidentally deleted the OS because i try to install an OS that could not support my mac? Thank you

[@colodrurl545]

Thanks for your time!!!

[@acielhue1743]

What if you accidentally disk utility itself? Can you still recover it?

[@rubinden89]

@lapfix Quick question, I have installed a fresh MacOS on a new SATA SSD external and it is going fine. When installed internally (without the mounting screw), the Macbook Pro unable to detect. But it detects the OG HD inside. Is putting the mounting screw on the new SSD a must to make it detect?

[@theonlypain6998]

Bruh this helped me so much thank you

[@billykibakithejamaican]

i have macbook pro 2014 a150 2m.2 not detected with the same folder thing but no ssd shows up all

[@lapfix]

Sounds like an issue with the SSD

[@billykibakithejamaican]

@@lapfix I've used 3 different ssd

[@sismaaa9817]

min 3:44, thats crazy Apple closed the ssd service program.. and now? how can i check i am eligible? i have macbook pro 13 inch 2017 with 3 ports...

[@lapfix]

WOW, I see they did close the program. I think I'll make another video talking about this

[@sismaaa9817]

@@lapfix Yeah thanks, im in trouble, i dont know how to figured out

[@ogunyomiabolaji6790]

this is great, its really made my life easy and then it saved me alot of money

[@lapfix]

Glad to hear

[@nessie1448]

This finally worked and it was easy!! Thank you I thought I was a goner 😂😊❤

[@ralexanderjones2356]

Love the video, I’m getting -2005F and -2003F messages

[@nestorjason788]

U just saved me thanks I was resetting a MacBook for a friend and ended up there watched a previous video but it didn’t work but urs did imma subscribe and like but it’s unlikely I return unless I get a macbook myself MacBook myself 😂

[@maxpeters4071]

thank you!!! this solved my exact issue.

[@milenadragun1537]

OMG!!! Its workk !!! Thanks alot to u 😭 even I send my MacBook to the Apple store they can’t fix it for me 😢 such a waste time and money.

[@noneyabusiness6223]

What if mine doesn’t even show a drive. Would apple have taken it out when I sent it in for a trade and they sent it back due to something cosmetic? I’m not a technical personal at all. I need help 😅

[@arshiaabbaszadeh8391]

Hi there, I have the same problem in my mac(A1708) My ssd cart does not appear in the utilities part if I change my ssd cart does it fix. Thanks my Mac is A1708, 2016

[@Jakesmusings]

Mine’s a 2013 and can only install Lion. When i get to the disk utility point, there’s no erase, nor does it seem to install.

[@Mynotebook-f8b]

Thank you so Much it work for me

[@Beowolfie]

It worked thanks so much 🙏🏼 (June 1st, 2022)

[@Mr__ZED]

you earned a new sub

[@newyear3305]

How much would they charge me to do this if I just take it my iMac Pro to shop for this problem

[@suNRze]

This is a great video and was easy to follow until I got SMART errors. HELP!!

[@galshev]

Should I take my iMac to the Apple store? But it's huge and I don't drive...

[@GabrielMelody]

i did what you told me at 6:33 but it just stayed on the wifi screen, i dont know what to do as this is my school laptop

[@nidadavolepilloduachyut5855]

Hello but when I press option showing white screen with mouse symbol can u please suggestion what for that

[@robertjett5243]

So once I press command and R I get a lock logo and I’ve tried the Mac password that my daughter remembers anyway and that’s not it is there a way to by pass this ?

[@TheMuffinz91]

I've got an old macbook. And I get that file with questionmark thing on the screen. But I manager to delete mackintosh HD by mistake. And now i can't install high Sierra on it :( And in utility i can't find anything like " Apple ssd" . Ive got Hitachi HTc as intern harddrive and OS X Base System .feels like a mess . What can I do?

[@jwproduction508]

Mine starts at mac os extended journaled is this a problem?

[@mertkoraytopalak]

Hello great video :) i have 1286 and trying for internet recovery but it takes literrally forever sometimes it freezes , i already tryed check disk health on a windows computer , it shows %97 i ordered a cable and and an ssd for fixing it but i dont know maybe is there any other problem can cause this freezes . or its a regular reaction when sata cable goes bad?

[@lapfix]

That's the a1286 model. There may be a video issue causing those problems

[@mertkoraytopalak]

@@lapfix Ty for response :) if i see a speed increase at recovery process after hdd change at least we know whats the real problem , have friends in ankara can try reball it ... I realy cant afford a new one here , its deadly expensive i want to rescue it :(

[@andyng9179]

I try to installation of macOS High Sierra but a box shown up saying The recovery server could not be contacted 😢

[@mikedimba6444]

You are a hero!

[@skil1ed_2011]

can you make a tutorial for OS X?

[@faisalamirii]

Click the power button and hold the(option) button 😊

[@Moondadaa]

BEST video period.

[@Sammy-jj7tf]

Please could you help? I am doing everything that you have said to do in this video but when I click ‘Reinstall macOS’ it says ‘The recovery server could not be contacted’. I’m really lost with what to do as I’m unsure what it going on😅

[@lapfix]

You can try a PRAM reset first ( hold cmd + option + P + R all at the same time when booting, the apple logo will come up and go away. When it comes up the second time let it go) Then try the recovery mode, make sure you connect to internet first.

[@immaculateaddicts]

What would I do if I want to wipe clean I have a 2017 MacBook Air pro

[@djtintin]

I have this model and all I get is a white screen. Replaced unibody hard drive cable still nothing. Tried key options. Got no recovery options etc. replaced hard drive still nothing.

[@NightyWolf007]

Thanks for your videos

[@lapfix]

Thank you for watching and enjoying them

[@ahmed-nabhani]

You are super helpful Thank you so much man

[@mirianflores8526]

I’m stuck when I get to the reinstall (macOS Sierra) 120.67 GB total and I have 120.45 GB available what do I do? I’m not very savvy but broke to take it in or buy a new one

[@tommyjohnson7506]

Got a1502 that shows the blinking folder icon i swapped ssd from a known good working a1502 and still does the same also im unable to boot into recovery mode or any other mode

[@lapfix]

There wouldn't be an OS installed. Did you try holding "command-R" to get to the recovery mode to install the new os

[@rujijuy]

What about when the macbook still shuts down in the middle of reinstalling the OS? Is it a hard drive problem?

[@anouarabouelfadle]

He doesn't want to connect to the Internet, what is the solution, my friend, please help me.😢

[@jeffreyviolanti3241]

Thanks, it worked!

[@lapfix]

Glad we could help

[@najdahalfajri4307]

hello bro... can you fix my laptop which is like that too I can't disassemble it for fear of damage

[@T_chux247]

Hello, where are you located? Mine I bought off someone who swore its alright and left me with a fake number. It's a 2018-19 MacBook air. Can you Fix this please?

[@puneet7748]

In my laptop It didn’t showing the external drive option as untitled in this video…what should I do?? Please help

[@edelstudio2753]

you rock Man!