Summary: What to do when Disk Utility or macOS can't repair this disk? You can check out the solutions in this post, or you can easily recover lost data from this corrupted drive with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
- Sep 10, 2020 This article provides you the best Mac backup software to help you selectively backup wanted files, data and even folders in Mac. If you are looking for a simple way to backup specific files and folders on Mac, just follow to see how to backup target Mac data to external storage device now.
- Enter the Disk Utility tool; Select the Disk that you want to back up; In the menu bar select File New Image Image from 'mydisk' Select your options. You may want to compress the image to save some space on the backup disk. Press Save and wait. It is likely that some parts of your disk are not readable anymore.
When a disk is not working properly on a Mac, most users would go to Disk Utility and run First Aid to repair this disk. However, the error message 'Disk Utility can't repair this disk' error usually appears when First Aid fails to repair this disk. Though frustrating, but it doesn't mean you will necessarily lose all files.
In this article, we will give you effective solutions to fix 'Disk Utility can't repair this disk' issue, especially when you are facing the issue that Disk Utility can't repair external hard drive, or when Disk Utility can't repair Macintosh HD on Mac.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 501 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3) I installed snow leopard on my backup hard drive to boot my iMac. I went to disk utility and tried to repair. Disk utility couldn't. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose File New Image Blank Image. Enter a filename for the disk image, add tags if necessary, then choose where to save it. This is the name that appears in the Finder, where you save the disk image file before opening it. In the Name field, enter the name for the disk image.
Help! Disk Utility can't repair this disk
You might be experiencing the same or similar situation as the user below. Audacity download mac 10 6 8.
I am in the midst of trouble where Disk Utility is failing to repair the drive. It gives me message 'Error: Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files'. Now, what should I do to fix this error without losing data on my drive?
'Disk Utility can't repair this disk' is one of the messages you will receive when First Aid failed. Sometimes, it would be followed up with these error messages:
- First Aid process has failed. If possible back up data on this volume. Click done to continue.
- macOS can't repair this disk. You can open or copy files on this disk, but you can't save changes to files on this disk. Back up the disk and reformat it as soon as you can.
- Disk Utility stopped repairing your disk. Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your back-up files.
What can you do in these situations to fix this issue without data loss? Keep reading.
Run First Aid to repair this disk again
One of the most tried and tested solution is to repair this disk one more time. To do First Aid again, follow these steps.
- 1. Go to Launchpad, find Other, and then launch Disk Utility.
- 2. Choose View and choose Show All Devices at the upper left of this app.
- 3. Select the disk or volume you want to repair in the left sidebar, and then click First Aid at the top.
- 4. Click Run to check and repair for disk errors.
If Disk Utility can't repair your disk still, or you receive a report that the First Aid process has stopped or failed, and it's asking for backing up and reformatting, you'd better firstly follow its suggestion to back up files on that disk to avoid further data loss.
How to back up or recover lost data from an unrepairabl disk?
Method 1: Back up with Time Machine
There is a built-in tool on your Mac called Time Machine which can help you back up your files efficiently in this case. Here is how:
- 1. Connect an external storage device with enough free space to your Mac.
- 2. A notification will pop up and ask if you want to use this device to back up with Time Machine. Click on Use as Backup Disk and follow its on-screen instructions. Go to learn more about backing up your Mac with Time Machine.
Method 2: Recover lost data from the disk that Disk Utility can't repair
If you don't have an extra external drive in hand or you can't back up files from that disk with Time Machine for some reasons, alternatively, you can recover files with reliable data recovery software, likeiBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is professional data recovery software for Mac, which can recover lost data from internal hard drives, Macintosh HD, external hard drives, SD cards, USB flash drives, memory cards, memory sticks, etc.
Also, when disk is formatted, unreadable, unmountable, unreadable, or unrecognizable, it can easily recover the lost files in these cases. What's more, this program can recover lost data from recover lost data from unmountable macOS partitions, encrypted APFS boot volume, etc.
Through only 4 steps, you can recover lost data from the disk that Disk Utility can't repair.
- 1. Download and install iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
- 2. Launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
- 3. Select the disk and click Next button to scan all lost data.
- 4. Preview the searching results, choose files you need, and click Recover to get them back.
How to fix 'Disk Utility can't repair this disk' issue on Mac?
Method 1: Fix Disk Utility can't repair this disk error in Single User Mode.
If Disk Utility can't repair this disk, you can try to repair it by running FSCK command on Mac. FSCK is a powerful command line to verify and repair external hard drive in Terminal.
How To Backup Files On Mac From Disk Utility Windows 7
- 1. Restart your Mac and, before the Apple logo appears, hold down Command + S keys. This will boot your Mac into Single User Mode.
- 2. Type in:
- 3. If you see 'File system was modified', then re-type in the command above again until you see 'The volume _ appears to be OK'.
- 4. To restart your Mac, type in:
Method 2: Fix Disk Utility can't repair this disk error by reformatting.
If you failed to fix the disk using Single User Mode, then, you have to reformat the disk in Disk Utility as suggested.
Warning: Reformatting will wipe all your files off this disk, so please make sure you have backed up your files with an external drive or have retrieved your files from this corrupted drive with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
- 1. Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
- 2. Select the external hard drive and click Erase on the top.
- 3. Provide a name and a format to format the drive.
- 4. Wait until the process finishes.
After reformatting this disk, you can restore your backed-up or recovered files to the disk again. IfDisk Utility First Aid still failed on external hard drives, and you receive the information like 'This drive has a hardware problem that cannot be repaired' on your iMac, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air, you may need to send it to a local repair center or simply replace it with a new disk drive.
Bonus tip: You may not need to repair the disk in Disk Utility
In some cases, if an external drive is shared between a Mac and a Windows PC, you could receive the error message 'Disk Utility can't repair this disk' as well. It's because when a USB drive is disconnected by yank out of the USB port, the disk may be busy in getting data settled down. As a result, the disk won't readable by Mac.
For instance, you have a disk that is formatted with FAT32, and you didn't unmount your disk properly when you remove it from your Windows PC. Then the whole volume will be marked as 'busy' and you'll be prompted to repair the volume if you look at it in Mac's Disk Utility. However Disk Utility will fail to repair the volume, and report:
An easy workaround to this 'Disk Utility can't repair the disk' issue in this situation is to simply plug this disk drive back into a Windows PC, and unmount it properly before plugging it into your Mac.
Note: If you are trying to repair your startup disk or startup volume with Disk Utility, you need to restart your computer and hold Command + R to boot into macOS Recovery mode. Then select Disk Utility in the macOS Utilities window and click Continue. If you want to check the Macintosh HD volume in macOS Catalina, please make sure you also check the Macintosh HD - Data volume.
Mac won't turn on, what to do?
Here is a guide to recover and rescue files from MacBook Pro, Mac mini, MacBook Air, and iMac when it is not turning on. Read more >>
Upgrading Mac Mini or MacBook Pro to SSD Drive can significantly boost its performance. You will find below the steps to upgrade Mac to SSD Drive and transfer Data to New SSD Drive on Mac.
Upgrade Mac to New SSD Drive
The main concern when it comes to upgrading Mac to SSD drive is the possibility of data being lost and how to safely transfer data to New SSD Drive on Mac.
Luckily, macOS software provides multiple data transfer methods and you can choose from Time Machine, Migration Assistant or the Cloning method to safely transfer data to new SSD Drive.
Perhaps the easiest way to transfer Data from Mac to New SSD Drive is to use Time Machine, unless you have an older Mac running macOS High Sierra or MacOS Mojave.
In which case, the external hard drive gets formatted as extended journal and cannot be used for Time Machine Backups (you will need to use the cloning method on older Macs).
1. Make Time Machine Backup to External Hard Drive
The first step is to back up all the data and programs on your computer to an external Hard Drive using Time Machine Backup.
1. Connect External Hard Drive to the USB Port of your Mac.
2. Click on the Apple Logo and click on System Preferences in the drop-down menu.
Captura de pantalla mac. 3. On the System Preferences screen, click on Time Machine.
4. On the next screen, check Show Time Machine in menu bar option and click on Select Backup Disk… button. Best mac malware tool.
5. On the next screen, select your Backup Disk and click on Use Disk button.
6.. If the selected disk is not formatted, you will be prompted to erase the disk first. Click on Erase to proceed.
7. After the disk is formatted, click on Backup Now to start the process of Time Machine Backup.
If you are making a Time Machine Backup for the first time, it may take multiple hours to complete the Backup process.
2. Replace Existing Hard Drive on Mac with SSD Drive
Now that you have a Time Machine Backup on a separate external drive, you can safely remove the current Hard Disk on your Mac and replace it with a New SSD Drive.
To upgrade Mac Mini to SSD, you will need a New SSD Drive, TR6 and T8 Screw drivers, Logic Board Removal Tools and Spudger.
To upgrade MacBook Pro to SSD, you will be needing a New SSD Drive, P5 Pentalobe Screwdriver, T5 Torx Screwdriver and Spudger.
The steps to replace 2014 Mac Mini Hard Drive with SSD can be found in this ifixit guide and you should also watch this video on YouTube.
To replace 2015 MacBook Pro Hard Drive with SSD, you can refer to this ifixit guide and you should also watch YouTube videos applicable for your model of MacBook.
3. Format New SSD Drive Using Disk Utility
Captura de pantalla mac. 3. On the System Preferences screen, click on Time Machine.
4. On the next screen, check Show Time Machine in menu bar option and click on Select Backup Disk… button. Best mac malware tool.
5. On the next screen, select your Backup Disk and click on Use Disk button.
6.. If the selected disk is not formatted, you will be prompted to erase the disk first. Click on Erase to proceed.
7. After the disk is formatted, click on Backup Now to start the process of Time Machine Backup.
If you are making a Time Machine Backup for the first time, it may take multiple hours to complete the Backup process.
2. Replace Existing Hard Drive on Mac with SSD Drive
Now that you have a Time Machine Backup on a separate external drive, you can safely remove the current Hard Disk on your Mac and replace it with a New SSD Drive.
To upgrade Mac Mini to SSD, you will need a New SSD Drive, TR6 and T8 Screw drivers, Logic Board Removal Tools and Spudger.
To upgrade MacBook Pro to SSD, you will be needing a New SSD Drive, P5 Pentalobe Screwdriver, T5 Torx Screwdriver and Spudger.
The steps to replace 2014 Mac Mini Hard Drive with SSD can be found in this ifixit guide and you should also watch this video on YouTube.
To replace 2015 MacBook Pro Hard Drive with SSD, you can refer to this ifixit guide and you should also watch YouTube videos applicable for your model of MacBook.
3. Format New SSD Drive Using Disk Utility
If you have replaced the Hard Drive on Mac with a New SSD Drive, you need to format the disk to APFS format.
Make A Backup File
1. Turn on the Mac and immediately press and hold Command + R keys on the keyboard of your computer.
2. Release both the keys when you see your Mac starting with white Apple Logo. This should make your Mac go to macOS Utilities startup screen.
3. On macOS Utilities screen, select Disk Utility option and click on Continue.
4. On the next screen, type a Name for your SSD Drive and click on Apply to start the format process.
5. When the SSD Drive is formatted, close the screen and this should take you back to macOS utilities startup screen.
4. Transfer Data From Old HDD to New SSD Drive on Mac
The final step is to transfer Data from Old SSD Drive to New SSD Drive on your Mac. You can skip steps 2, 3 below, if you are already on macOS utilities screen.
1. Connect External Hard Drive containing Time Machine Backup to the USB Port of your Mac.
2. Turn on the Mac and immediately press and hold Command + R keys on the keyboard of your computer.
3. Release both the keys when you see your Mac starting with white Apple Logo. This should make your Mac go to macOS utilities startup screen.
4. On macOS utilities screen, select Restore From Time Machine Backup option and click on Continue.
5. On the confirmation screen, click on Continue to confirm.
6. On the next screen, select your Time Machine Backup Disk as the restore source and click on Continue.
7. Select the New SSD Drive on your Mac as the destination source and click on Restore.
8. Patiently wait for the Restore Process to be competed.
Once Time Machine Restore is completed, restart Mac and see if all your data is intact.
5. Desktop & Apps Missing After Time Machine Restore
In our testing, Desktop Files and Program Files were missing on Mac after Time Machine Restore.
Delete Backup Files Mac
If this happens, you can always Enter Time Machine > copy desktop files from Time Machine Backup and paste them on your new desktop.
Similarly, you can copy Program Files from Time Machine Backup and paste them in Programs Folder on your Mac.
