Question: My Mac displays a question mark when it boots. What is it trying to tell me?
When I turn my Mac on, it displays a flashing question mark for several seconds before booting. Is this anything I should worry about?
Answer:
The flashing question mark is your Mac's way of telling you that it's having trouble finding a bootable operating system.
While the question mark is flashing, your Mac is checking all available disks for an operating system it can use. If it finds one, your Mac will finish booting. You can shorten this search process by selecting a startup disk in System Preferences.
- Click the 'System Preferences' icon in the Dock.
- Click the 'Startup Disk' icon in the System section, and then select the location of the operating system.
- You will need to restart your Mac for the change to take effect.
If the flashing question mark doesn't go away, and your Mac doesn't finish booting, you may have a more serious problem than a difficult-to-find operating system. Check our troubleshooting guide for assistance with Mac startup issues.
