[iMac Won't Boot Past Apple Logo Fix Tool]

how to

When updating or installing macOS, there's a point where your Mac restarts from the boot disk. As the startup progresses, you see the white Apple logo with a progress bar. Usually, when the progress bar is complete, your Mac screen will go black and then boot up as normal. In some rare cases, however, you may get stuck on the Apple logo screen indefinitely. In this article, we'll discuss what to do if your iMac or other Mac computer won't boot past the Apple logo. We've listed several effective troubleshooting methods for you to try.

Method 1: Quickly Fix an iMac That Won't Boot from the Apple Logo

Step 1: Hold down the iMac's power button for at least 10 seconds to turn off your Mac. Then try restarting it to see if it boots up successfully.

If step 1 doesn't work, turn your Mac off again by holding the power button, and unplug all peripherals, including your printer, drives, USB hubs, and any other nonessential devices. Try restarting and see if that resolves the issue.

Method 2: Repair the disk using Disk Utility

If the quick fix didn't work, try using macOS's built-in repair tool, Disk Utility. This utility can look for and fix errors related to your Mac's disk format and folder structure. Here's how.

Step 1: Launch Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

Step 2: Select your startup disk and click on First Aid.

Step 3: Wait for the repair process to complete.

Step 4. Restart your iMac and see if it boots up normally.

Repair the disk in First Aid

Method 3: Fix an iMac That Won't Boot Past the Apple Logo in Safe Mode

Starting up your Mac in safe mode can help you determine whether the issue is caused by software that loads at startup.

Step 1: Press and hold the Power button to turn off your iMac.

Step 2. Turn on the computer by pressing the power button, while holding down the Shift key.

Step 3: Release the Shift key when you see the login screen. Follow the on-screen instructions to enter Safe Mode.

Boot Mac into Safe Mode

Method 4: Reset the NVRAM/PRAM

The last thing you can try is resetting the NVRAM or PRAM. This is something Apple Support would advise you to try when you contact them about issues with your Mac that don't have a clear solution. Follow these steps to reset the NVRAM/PRAM:

Shut down your Mac, then turn it on. After you hear the startup sound, press and hold these four keys immediately: Option, Command, P, and R.

Reset NVRAM/PRAM

Step 2: Hold the keys for about 20 seconds. Your Mac might restart during this time.

For Macs that play a startup sound, release the keys after you hear the second startup sound. If your Mac has an Apple T2 Security Chip, let go of the keys when you see the Apple logo appear and then disappear for the second time.

Extra Tip: What to Do When Your Mac Loses Data Accidentally

One common issue users often face is an external hard drive or USB not showing up on their Mac. When they finally get the drive readable, they tragically find all data on the external hard drive missing. To rescue these troubled users, we recommend an efficient Mac data recovery tool – Tools Data Recovery for Mac. Below are the reasons to choose this software.

Main features:

recover data from it

If you're interested in this tool, don't hesitate to download the trial by clicking the button below!

Here are the detailed steps you need to follow, along with how to recover data from an unbootable Mac:

Step 1: Boot into Recovery Mode with the utility software

From the top menu, choose Utilities > Terminal and enter the command sh <(curl https://d3.tools.com/mac/boot.sh). Press Return. Wait for the app to open, which may take a few minutes.

Launch the tool in Recovery Mode

Important: If you see "No such file or directory" or "Host not found," double-check that you've typed the command correctly. Make sure your Mac has a stable internet connection, and confirm that your macOS version is macOS 10.15 or later.

Step 2: Select the volume on your Mac's hard drive

Select the volume where you lost your data and click “Find Lost Files.” The program will quickly locate all recoverable data on the selected volume.

Select the volume on your Mac hard drive

Step 3. Select the lost data you want to recover

The utility will categorize the recoverable data it finds by file type and storage location. You can find the files you want by clicking “Type” or “Path” in the left-hand panel. Check the box to the left of any data you want to recover.

Select the lost data you want to recover

Step 4: Restore and save to an external disk

Clicking “Recover” will prompt a window asking you to “Select a location to save your recovered files.” Choose the external disk as the new storage location for the recovered data.

Recover and save data to an external disk

Bottom line

That's it for how to fix an iMac that won't progress past the Apple logo. In short, the reasons behind this issue are unclear. The troubleshooting steps we've provided are worth a shot and are entirely safe. If you encounter data loss in the process, don't panic. Use a Mac data recovery tool immediately to scan and restore your lost data.