9 Tips to Fix Mac Stuck on Apple Logo and Recover Data [UTF-8]

Quick Navigation: How to Fix a Mac Stuck on the Apple Logo

1. Wait Longer
2. Force Restart Your Mac
3. Boot in Safe Mode
4. Reset the PRAM/NVRAM
5. Reset the SMC
6. Use First Aid to Repair Your Startup Disk
7. Run Apple Diagnostics
8. Clean Install macOS from a USB Drive
9. Install macOS Updates Overnight

When does the Mac start up to the Apple logo screen?

Regardless of whether you have a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac, it will display the Apple logo screen when it boots up. It should only take a moment for your Mac to boot up; a progress bar below the Apple logo will show you how far along your Mac is in the loading process.

In addition to when you start up your Mac, you usually see the Apple logo screen when your Mac is updating. Updates can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on your Internet connection and the size of the update.

There are two instances when you'd usually see the Apple logo on your Mac. In the succeeding sections, we'll look into why your Mac gets stuck on the Apple logo.

Download Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to retrieve data from a non-bootable MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac.

Why does my Mac get stuck on the Apple logo?

Before troubleshooting, it's essential to understand why your Mac gets stuck on the Apple logo. Here are a few common reasons:

Input/output devices: If you have issues with any of your input/output devices (like a mouse, keyboard, or printer), it could cause your Mac to become stuck on the Apple logo during startup.

Problem with macOS Update: When macOS is being updated, it may change many settings on your Mac. If any application fails due to the macOS update, it usually leads to a startup issue with your Mac. (Do you need to stop macOS update?)

Storage Issue: Your entire storage space might also be causing your Mac to get stuck on the Apple logo.

There are many others, but these are the most common.

How to Fix a Mac That Won't Start Up Past the Apple Logo

The first half of the article helped you understand why your Mac might get stuck on the Apple logo screen or freeze on the Apple logo. Now, you'll learn how to fix a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac that's frozen on the Apple logo.

Note: The solutions listed below are ordered from easiest to most complex. Try them in the order presented.

1. Wait longer

When your Mac is updating or installing any new updates, it can take some time to start up. So, if your Mac is stuck on the Apple logo screen, make sure you wait long enough.

The amount of time this takes depends on what caused your Mac to restart in the first place. Sometimes, an macOS update can take hours. So, make sure you wait long enough before trying other fixes.

2. Force Restart your Mac

If you feel like you've waited long enough, you can force your Mac to restart. Forcing your Mac to restart might resolve the issue, and you may be able to start up your Mac after doing so.

You can quickly force-restart your Mac by holding down the Power button for more than 10 seconds. Your Mac will shut off, and you can press the button again to restart it.

3. Boot in Safe Mode

Occasionally, your Mac might have a minor issue, such as with storage or the file system, that causes it to get stuck on the Apple logo screen. You can safely start up your Mac to get past this.

Safe Mode helps you start your Mac so you can free up storage space or fix issues with your file system. Follow these steps to start your Mac in Safe Mode:

Step 1: Forcefully shut down your Mac using the power button. (If you're unsure how to do this, refer to Solution 2.)

Step 2: After your Mac is completely off, press the power button on your Mac again and hold down the Shift key on your keyboard.

Step 3: After a moment, your Mac will boot into Safe Mode and display the login screen. Release the Shift key when you see the login screen.

4. Reset the PRAM/NVRAM

PRAM and NVRAM are types of memory on a Mac that store system settings like display resolution and time zone. Issues with these can cause your Mac to get stuck on the Apple logo.

Follow these steps to reset the PRAM/NVRAM:

Step 1: Turn off your Mac.

Step 2: Hold down Command-Option-P-R until you hear the startup sound from your Mac.

Step 3: Release the keys as soon as you hear the startup sound, and then restart your Mac.

This will reset the PRAM/NVRAM. If you are now able to log into your Mac, go to Sound & Display preferences and make sure they are set to default.

5. Reset the SMC (System Management Controller)

SMC stands for System Management Controller. It's responsible for power management, fans, and batteries on a Mac. Resetting the SMC can sometimes help fix an Apple logo that's stuck on your screen.

Reset the SMC by following these steps:

Step 1: Force-restart your Mac using the power button.

Step 2: Now, you need to hold down the Command + Shift + Control keys for about 10 seconds.

Step 3: After that, continue holding down Control, Option, Shift, and the Power button on your Mac for 10 seconds.

When it's done, try turning your Mac on again to see if the Apple logo issue is resolved.

6. Use First Aid to repair the startup disk

A disk or hardware issue can cause your Mac to get stuck on the Apple logo. However, you can try to fix your startup disk to resolve the problem. Here's how:

Step 1: Start up your Mac in Recovery Mode by pressing the power button and holding down Command + R.

Step 2: You'll see the Apple logo screen, then the macOS Utilities window will appear on your display.

Step 3: Here, you'll need to click on “Disk Utility.” When it opens, select your main startup disk.

Step 4: Click “First Aid” and then confirm the operation to repair your startup disk.

7. Run the Apple Diagnostics

Apple's diagnostic tool can help you check for any hardware issues that might be causing your Mac to get stuck on the Apple logo. You can do this by:

Step 1: Disconnect all devices from your Mac except for the power cable or Ethernet cable.

Step 2: Turn off your Mac using the Power button.

Step 3: Press the power button again, then hold down the D key on your keyboard until you see the Select Language screen.

After you select a language, you'll see a progress bar and a message that says “Checking your Mac.” Wait for it to finish, then it will display a list of errors and error codes.

You can jot down these codes, search for them one by one, and resolve each issue in the hope of fixing your Apple logo problem.

8. Reinstall macOS

If all else fails, you can try reinstalling macOS, which can also help resolve issues with the Apple logo getting stuck. To reinstall macOS:

Step 1: Turn on your Mac and press the Command+R keys while holding them down.

Step 2: When you see the Disk Utility window, choose “Reinstall macOS.”

Step 3: Wait for the installation to complete.

After the installation is complete, check if the Apple screen issue on your Mac has been resolved.

9. Install macOS updates during off-hours at night

If the progress bar takes too long to load during an update, you might need to wait longer for macOS to finish updating. For example, some users have reported getting stuck with a progress bar while updating to Big Sur 20+.

However, Apple recommends that you install macOS updates when you don't have any urgent work to do. Therefore, make sure to update it during the night or when you're not using your Mac for work.

How to Recover Data from a Mac Black Screen of Death

This should resolve the issue of the Apple logo being stuck on your screen. If not, you may be dealing with a more serious problem, and you'll want to back up all of your data and take your Mac in for professional repair.

First, you can try to recover data from your Mac with the bootable version of Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. This user-friendly and reliable software can help you boot up a frozen Mac without accessing or starting macOS.

You can use this software to fetch all your files and data from an unbootable Mac device. Follow the steps below to use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool in recovery mode:

Step 1: Boot into the 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.

Important: If the terminal returns "No such file or directory" or "Cannot resolve host," double-check that you've typed the command correctly, ensure your Mac is connected to 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 the lost data was stored and click “Search for lost files.” The tool 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. You can locate your needed data by clicking "Type" or "Path" on the left panel. Then, check the box in front of the data you want to restore.

Step 4. Restore and save your data to an external drive

Click the “Recover” button, and a window will pop up asking you to “Select a Destination.” Choose your external drive as the new location to save the recovered data.

Conclusions

A frozen Mac with the Apple logo is a common issue for users. It can happen for several reasons, often occurring when you're in the process of updating your macOS.

But, don't worry, as you can resolve this issue with the methods mentioned in this article. Most of them are pretty straightforward and should fix the Apple logo stuck problem without much hassle.

If all else fails, you'll need to recover data from an unbootable Mac. The best and recommended way is with a dedicated Mac data recovery tool.