How to Fix MacBook Pro Stuck on Loading Screen?

Part 1: Why My MacBook Pro Stuck on Loading Screen?

There are several reasons why your MacBook Pro is stuck on the loading screen. There might be an error in the OS of the MacBook, software, or even the hardware. Here we will discuss some of the most common causes of MacBook Pro freezing on start-up.

• Corrupt OS

One of the main causes of MacBook Pro Freeze is a corrupt OS. This can cause an error in the start-up of the MacBook Pro which will cause it to hang on the loading screen. If your OS is too outdated and you haven't run an update, that can also cause the MacBook to stuck on the loading screen.

• Damaged Hard Drive

Another reason for Mac hanging on the loading screen is a damaged hard drive. The system might be unable to load the hard drive and this will cause it to freeze at the loading screen.

• Unsuccessful System Upgrade

The next reason for MacBook stuck on the loading screen is an unsuccessful upgrade. The system might not have a backup to retrieve or it may be unable to retrieve the previous version due to some other reason. In any case, it will result in a system freeze on the loading screen.

You can lose your important data in such a case. Make sure to always have a backup with you. In case you don’t have one, we recommend using 4DDiG Mac Data recovery to recover all your Data for MacBook Pro.

• Peripheral Hard Drives

This is also an important reason that causes the system to freeze. Any such peripheral hard drive which is malfunctioning or even if not compatible with your system can cause this problem.

• RAM Module Failure

The last main reason which can cause MacBook Pro to get stuck on the start-up with a status bar is RAM Module Failure. Any malfunctioning RAM module can be the cause of the problem.

Part 2: How to Fix MacBook Pro Stuck on Loading Screen?

Now, this is the part that you all were looking for. In this section, we will discuss all the possible solutions to fix MacBook Pro Stuck on the loading page. These methods will help you unfreeze your MacBook pro and further avoid hanging.

1. Disconnect the peripherals & restart your Mac

This is the easiest method and the first one which you should try if you are facing any boot problem. This might be due to a Malfunctioning peripheral device or your might have installed a new device with your PC which isn't compatible. In all these cases, follow these steps:

• Shut down the MacBook Pro and remove all the peripheral devices.
• Wait for a few minutes and then turn on your MacBook Pro to see if you still have the problem or not.

2. Reboot into Safe Mode

The next solution that you should try is to reboot the MacBook Pro in safe mode. The problem might be due to some corrupt software or malware. In both cases, the Safe mode will do the job. In Safe mode system will run only the vital functions and this might even help you find the culprit. Here's how you can boot your MacBook Pro in a Safe mood.

• Press and hold the Shit+ Power button of your MacBook Pro.
• Hold it till the MacBook reaches the loading screen.
• There you should be able to spot the safe mood.
• Make sure it's selected and then let the PC run.

Now your PC will boot in a safe mood and this should remove the problem of Mac freezing at the loading screen.

3. Reset Mac SMC

The SMC or System Management Controller can also be the reason for this freezing of the Mac. Well, you don't have to panic about it. A simple reset of SMC should be able to do the job. To reset SMC, follow these steps:

• Press the Shift+ Control+ Option button on your keyboard at the same time.
• Keep them pressed for 10 secs.
• Now again turn on the MacBook.

• This will reset the Mac SMC settings and that should fix the freezing error.

  

4. Reset NVRAM/PRAM

NVRAM/PVRAM is that non-volatile memory where information like recent kernel panic, disk selection is stored. If the progress bar is stuck at 100%, resetting these settings might help to fix the error. To reset NVRAM/PRAM, press Command+ Option+ P+ R keys simultaneously. This will reset the NVRAM/PRAM of your MacBook Pro. If the problem was due to this, it should fix the mac stuck on loading screen error. By the way, if your computer was restarted because of a problem on Mac, this method should work as well.

5. Reboot in Recovery Mode

If these methods do not work, you can also try booting your Mac in Recovery Mood. This will allow your MacBook Pro to recover any small errors by itself and that should fix the error.

• Press and Hold Command+ R button.
• Now turn on the PC.
• This will reboot your PC in a recovery mood.

6. Reboot in Single User Mode

The next solution that you should try in mac freezing in the loading screen is to reboot the MacBook in single-user mode. Here’s how you can boot in Single User mode:

• Press and hold Command+ S buttons.
• Now turn on the PC.
• This will reboot the PC in Single User Mode.

This should be able to fix your MacBook Pro stuck on the start-up screen with the status bar at 100%.

7. Reselect the Start Up Disk

Mac stuck at a loading screen can also because of being booted from an external device last time. In such a case Mac is unable to find the right disk again, so you have to manually reselect the Start Up Disk. Here’s how you can do it:

• Boot into OS recovery mood.
• Select the Apple icon and go to Start Up Disk.
• From there choose the disk you want to select.
• If this disk is encrypted you have to type in the password to boot from this disk.

8. Repair the Start-Up Disk

The next solution you should try is to repair the start-up disk. The problem might be due to some error in your booting disk and this should fix it. Here's how to repair a Start Up Disk:

• First boot into Repair Mode.
• Press and hold the power button until you have start-up options on the screen.
• From there select "Option" and click continue.
• After you have rebooted now choose Disk Utilities> First Aid.
• From there you can let the Disk Utility Repair the hard disk for you.

9. Reinstall Mac OS

If none of the above-mentioned methods are working, we highly recommend installing a fresh version of OS. The problem why your MacBook Pro gets stuck at the loading screen might be due to an outdated or corrupt OS as described before. In both cases, it is recommended to reinstall Mac OS. Here’s how you can do it:

• Press the Command+ R key while turning on the Mac.
• The Utility options will appear on the screen.
• From there select the "Reinstall Mac OS" option.

• After the installation is complete, reboot the Mac to see if the problem is fixed.

  

10. Downgrade macOS

Another problem that you can face is that an upgrade of Mac OS might not be compatible with your MacBook Pro. In such a case you have no other option but to downgrade to the older version of the OS. This will cost you losing all the data from your hard drive, so make sure you already have a backup for all your data. If you don't have any you can download 4DDiG Mac Data Recovery software to recover all your lost or deleted data from the Mac. Here's the guide of downgrading Mac OS are:

• Restart the Mac first.
• Press and Hold Command+ Options+ Shift+ R keys.
• This will give the command to Mac to install the same OS that it originally came with.
• After that, you restart your MacBook and it should solve the MacBook stuck at loading screen error.

If you already have a backup made with Time Machine, you can also restore that backup.

These all are the solutions you can use to fix the MacBook freeze error. Make sure you try them all and surely you will be able to get your MacBook Pro fixed.

Also Read:

How to Recover Ctrl Z Deleted Files?

Part 3: How to Boot and Recover Data from MacBook Stuck on Loading Screen?

Hopefully the methods above can solve that MacBook stuck on loading screen, but if it is not, you may wonder how to boot your MacBook and recover your significant data from it. Next, we'll show you a powerful Mac data recovery tool - Tenorshare 4DDiG Mac to boot your Mac and recover data from it.

• Recover data from unbootable or crashed Mac such as macOS Monterey, macOS Big Sur, macOS 10.15 (Catalina) and below.
• Recover data from emptied Trash Mac.
• Recover data from Mac/Windows/USB flash drives/SD cards/external devices/digital camera and more.
• Support various loss scenarios like deletion, formatting, corruption, RAW, etc. with a higher success rate.
• Support Photo Repair and Video Repair.
• 1000+ files and formats are supported such as photos, videos, documents, audio, emails, google histories and more.

• Select Recover from Crashed System

  To recover data from unbootable Mac, prepare yourself a functioning Mac and a USB or an external portable hard drive. Download the 4DDiG for Mac Data Recovery on the working Mac. After installing, launch the program and connect the USB drive. Then click "Recover Data from Crashed System"> Scan.

  

• Create a Bootable USB Drive

  Now click Scan to start creating the bootable drive. A message is reminding you to backup your data will pop up. The format will begin; wait for a while and a bootable drive is made.

  

• Boot Crashed Mac and Recover Data

  Insert this bootable drive in the Mac that stuck on loading screen and boot it by holding the "Option" key. Release the key and select "4DDiG for Mac Data Recovery" to boot the disk circle when entering the plate choice interface. Presently you can get the data by tapping on "Export."

  

4DDiG can not only boot your dead Mac and access data from it. More importantly, this software can recover all lost, deleted, formatted, corrupted data from all Mac-based devices like SD card/USB flash drive/External hard drive and more.

Frequently Asked Questions

I. How do you unfreeze a Mac computer?

Press Option+ Command+ Escape keys simultaneously. This will force quit all the apps and restart your Mac.

II. How do you force to start a Mac?

Press and Hold Command+ Control+ Power button / Eject button until the screen goes dark. This will force the restart of the Mac.

Conclusion:

4DDiG Mac Data Recovery is the best and most powerful tool available to boot your Mac stuck on loading screen and recover your lost or deleted data from the computer as well. This is a must-have software for all Mac users. If you have any further questions about MacBook Pro stuck at the loading screen or 4DDiG Mac Data Recovery, just feel free to leave them here in the comment section below.