"Select Boot Disk Mac Empty? 4 Solutions to Fix No Boot Disk on Mac"

Choosing “Startup Disk Macintosh HD” will prevent your Mac from starting up. If this happens during an update to a newer macOS like Monterey or Ventura, the update can't proceed without a selected startup disk.

"Hello, I have a early 2016 MacBook Retina. I am trying to reinstall the OS but it tells me there is no start up disk. How do I get or install one? This MacBook has a soldered SSD, RAM, and no disk slot so I'm guessing I need to install something. Thanks for your help." - From iFixit

"Mac startup disk not showing in macOS Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur"

The Mac startup disk is usually the internal hard drive of your Mac, where the operating system and apps are installed. Without a Mac startup disk, you will be unable to upgrade, downgrade, or even access your computer.

Though the symptoms may seem similar when a startup disk can't be found, the causes can vary. You can review the various scenarios where you might see this issue in the table, and then jump to the appropriate solution.

Please provide the English content you want to translate, and I'll promptly translate it into Chinese for you.

Before you proceed, make sure to back up your important files and purchased apps (the activation keys/codes will come in handy during reinstallation and second activation). Otherwise, you'll have to rely on a third-party Mac data recovery software like the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool to get your lost files back.

This professional and reliable data recovery software can help you transfer files in macOS Recovery Mode when your Mac startup disk is missing.

• It effectively helps to recover permanently deleted files, documents, photos, audios, music, and emails from Mac startup disk
• It can also repair Mac disk and restore saved data on inaccessible disk with just a few clicks

You'll need to start up from a bootable version of macOS, and then follow these steps to recover your data and move it to a secure location.

Step 1: Boot into recovery mode

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.

Important: If you see "No such file or directory" or "Cannot resolve host," double-check that you've typed the command correctly, make sure your Mac has an 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 your lost data was stored and click “Find Lost Files”. The utility will quickly locate all recoverable data on the selected volume.

Step 3. Select the lost data you want to recover

The software categorizes the recoverable data by file type and storage path. Click on "Type" or "Path" on the left panel to locate the files you need. Then, check the box in front of the data you want to recover.

Step 4: Restore and save data to an external drive

When you click “Recover,” a pop-up will ask you to “Select a location to save.” Choose the external drive as the new location to store your recovered data.

After saving your crucial data, you may try these 4 verified solutions to fix the “No Boot Disk” issue on Mac or the problem that Macintosh HD is not showing in Finder and Recovery Mode.

Solution 1: Repair the startup disk in macOS Recovery mode

Since your startup disk isn't currently showing, you won't be able to open Disk Utility the normal way (by opening the Applications folder and then choosing Utilities). This time, you'll need to get to Disk Utility from macOS Recovery.

Step 1. Depending on whether you have an Apple silicon Mac or one with an Intel processor, you'll need to press a different key/sequence to enter this mode.

• Apple silicon: Turn on your Mac, then press and hold the power button until you see the “Startup Options” window. Click the gear icon labeled “Options,” then click “Continue.”
• Intel processor: Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold Command(⌘)-R until you see the Apple logo or another image.

Step 2: Select a user; you'll be asked to enter your password to continue. When the macOS Utilities window appears, select Disk Utility, then click Continue.

Step 3. In Disk Utility, choose View > Show All Devices. (Don't see any disks? Jump to Solution 2.)

Step 4: If you're lucky, you'll see your boot drive here. Select it, click the “First Aid” button, and then click “Run.” First Aid will scan the selected volume for errors and attempt to fix any problems it finds.

If this helped you, please share this article on social media to help others get their Mac's startup disk to show up so the issue can be fixed.

Solution 2: Get the startup disk to appear in Disk Utility

Disk Utility can check and repair any connected disk that has a problem. If your startup disk doesn't appear in Disk Utility, learn how to repair it. If you don't see the entire disk or any containers or volumes on it, try these steps to make it detectable.

Step 1: Turn off your Mac and unplug all peripherals connected to it.

Step 2. If you have macOS installed on an external drive, make sure that the cable is connected firmly and isn't damaged. Eject the drive, then plug it back in.

Step 3: Follow the instructions in #Solution 1 to enter macOS Recovery Mode and repair your startup disk. If you still don't see any disks, your best bet is to get support from Apple Support.com, starting with Starting up your Mac.

Solution 3: Reset NVRAM to Fix the Issue of Missing Startup Disk

When you try to start up your Mac from the startup disk but instead see a flashing question mark folder, as shown below, it means that your startup disk is no longer available or doesn't contain a working macOS. If this happens every time you try to start up your Mac, you need to use Disk Utility in macOS Recovery to repair your startup disk. Solution ##1 shows you how.

If the question mark appears only briefly during startup, resetting the NVRAM might resolve the issue. As you know, NVRAM can store boot disk selection settings.

Step 1: Turn off your Mac, then turn it back on. Immediately after you hear the startup sound, press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, and R.

Step 2: When your Mac starts up, make sure that the Startup Disk preference pane shows the disk you want to use.

Solution 4: Replace the startup disk

It's possible that the current startup disk has failed and macOS can no longer recognize it. If one is available (such as a CD/DVD, network volume, or different physical disk), try replacing the current startup disk with a known good one.

How to Change the Boot Disk in One Step

Step 1: Shut down your Mac

Step 2. If you have an Apple silicon Mac, press and hold the power button to start up your Mac. On an Apple silicon Mac, continue to press and hold the power button until you see "Loading Startup Options."

Step 3. After you see the available startup disks, click the Up arrow on your Mac or the Continue button on an Apple silicon Mac to select a new startup disk.

Change the startup disk for each startup

Step 1: Open your Mac, click the Apple menu, and select “System Preferences.” Click “Startup Disk.”

Step 2: Click on the disk image you want, then click “Restart.”

Conclusions

If the startup disk error still persists, you can try to factory reset macOS Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur or your MacBook to fix the issue. In the process, run Mac data recovery software to retrieve data from any device.

"Frequently Asked Questions about 'Mac Startup Disk Not Showing'"

For more help, read the Frequently Asked Questions below.

1. How to repair and select a bootable Mac hard drive when it won't load?

Methods to Resolve the Issue of Mac Boot Disk Selection Being Empty:

• Repair the startup disk in macOS Recovery
• Make the startup disk visible in Disk Utility
• Reset the NVRAM on your Mac
• Choose a different startup disk

2. How to fix a Mac stuck on the Apple logo?

Solutions to Fix Mac Stuck on Apple Logo:

• Wait longer
• Force-restart your Mac
• Boot in Safe Mode
• Reset the PRAM/NVRAM
• Reset the SMC
• Use First Aid to repair the startup disk
• Run Apple Diagnostics
• Perform a clean install of macOS from USB...

3. How can I reinstall macOS without losing my data?

How to reinstall macOS without losing data:

1. Format the external hard drive.
2. Download the macOS installer.
3. Create a bootable USB drive.
4. Boot your Mac from the USB drive.