Big Sur Upgrade Not Enough Free Space Boot Loop FIX [DEEP DIVE] Full report & Detailed Instructions!
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- Did you upgrade to macOS Big Sur & your Mac is in a boot loop with error "An error occurred preparing the software update" Then this DEEP DIVE Fix video is for you. In this video, I will go over the issue in full detail then show you what you need to do to fix your Mac so you can save your data and get macOS running again!!
UPDATE VIDEO!!!
• Big Sur Upgrade Not En...
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Main Article.
Big Sur Upgrade not enough free space - Serious Issue! - An error occurred preparing the software update.
mrmacintosh.com/big-sur-upgra...
Chapters!
0:00 Intro
1:35 Full Report - How could you get into this situation
2:04 The Big Sur Installer is not checking for enough free space
3:05 How much free space does the Big Sur Upgrade need?
3:40 11.0.1 & 11.1 Installers are fine, problems start in 11.2
5:10 Demo of starting the upgrade without enough free space.
6:00 Going over my article and the details of the issue
7:40 How to find the my latest updates on this issue
8:12 Are Big Sur updates affected (ex 11.1 to 11.2)?
8:40 Affected Mac Hardware (Intel only not M1)
9:25 How can I tell if my Mac has been affected by this issue
10:24 How can I prevent this from happening to me?
10:35 How quickly will Apple fix this issue? 11.2.2? 11.3?
11:10 Why this is not a widespread issue.
11:55 Investigating the issue
15:10 An error occurred preparing the software update - What next?
15:57 Pop-up window says Target Disk Mode can it help? What is it?
16:52 If you click restart on the error message you will go into an install boot loop.
17:48 Booting your unencrypted Mac into Target Disk Mode
18:55 Target Disk Mode Password Prompt on host Mac - (Unencrypted T2 Mac)
19:44 Macintosh HD - Data password not accepted in Big Sur (Unencrypted T2 Mac)
20:10 Macintosh HD will mount but we need "Macintosh HD - Data" (Unencrypted T2 Mac)
20:28 Big Sur can mount a T2 "Macintosh HD -Data" if you see Macintosh HD Mounted on the desktop.
20:55 Disk Utility right click on Macintosh HD - Data then click "Show in Finder" (Unencrypted T2 Mac) will mount the drive on Big Sur
21:27 macOS Mojave & High Sierra will mount the TDM dives with no issues.
22:38 Disk utility shows a 100% Full drive.
23:28 If you have red circles on your files or do not have permission to view them
24:45 Clearing up some space on the drive.
26:05 After clearing up 35GB of free space all we need to do is restart and the Big Sur Upgrade will finish!
26:25 What if you do not have a 2nd Mac for Target Disk Mode? (Non Encrypted Mac)
27:25 Way #1 For a Non Encrypted Non T2 Mac 2013-2017 - Install macOS to a USB Drive to access or remove files
30:10 Way #2 For a Non Encrypted Mac 2013-2020 - Erase files from recovery using terminal.app
35:42 Now we need to talk about how to rescue an FileVault 2 Encrypted Mac
37:55 An Encrypted Mac requires a password to enter macOS Recovery - Password does not work!
39:34 Target Disk Mode - ONLY Way to recover an (Encrypted Mac)
41:03 What happens when you try to connect an (Encrypted Mac) to Big Sur via TDM
42:44 (Encrypted Mac) to Mojave via TDM = Works no problem
43:50 Stepping back a bit, how to get TDM to work on Big Sur (Encrypted Mac)
48:28 After deleting the System Volume "Macintosh HD" we can now mount "Macintosh HD - Data" on Big Sur!!!
49:43 (Encrypted Mac) Final way to fix and still let the Big Sur Upgrade finish without erasing the drive and reinstalling macOS!
59:25 Final Summary, Questions? Thank You.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!
Main Article.
Big Sur Upgrade not enough free space - Serious Issue! - An error occurred preparing the software update.
mrmacintosh.com/big-sur-upgra...
Big Sur Upgrade not Enough Free Space = Serious Issue & Possible Data Loss!
Quick Summary - When you start the macOS Big Sur upgrade, the installer should first check to make sure your Mac has enough free space available. If the installer finds that you do not have enough free space for the upgrade, it will stop and not let you continue. You should see a pop up message showing you how much space is needed before you can attempt the upgrade again. This free space check is NOT working. The upgrade will start even if you only have 1% of free space left and will fail. Your hard drive is now 100% full and the installer is now stuck in a boot loop attempting to finish the install. This leaves you unable access your data! I will go over all the details below and show you a fix at the end.
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Hey guys, this is the longest most detailed video that I've ever created. I cut it into chapters so you can easily navigate to the section that you need. I know this is a super complicated issue. If you watch this video and are still confused, it's totally understandable. Even I was overwhelmed by all the different situations. I tried my best to go over each situation that you could be in. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask and I will help you with your situation. I've added 2 clarifications to this video in the comments 👍
Can I just send you my laptop so you could get this done for me 😂
Your description and process saved me and my impulsive upgrade with no backup stuck because I had 26Gb available, in a 2017 MacBook Pro. I required a Thunderbolt 3 cable to access via second MBPro. Apple store staff had no idea what I was talking about when I explained .
on target disk mode I don't see the usb sign. thunderbolt I tried one time and it didn't work. why is my target disk mode not working? not reading usb to c type either .... 2014 Mac Pro going on 2020 Mac Pro. thank you
@@nashik807 i can help u miss way easier then this i had same problem before and i got the solution super easy
@@Everestkitchen07 Hi Suraj, thank you so much for replying. how would you have fixed it? I ended up ordering the thunderbolt 2.0 and the thunderbolt 3 to 2.0 adaptor cables and followed the recovery steps for Big Sur by deleting the system files , taking some backup [basically making space] , finishing the installation on Mac 2014. my old laptop has now rebooted and I couldn't be happier. it cost me a lot though to get the cables so I would have been preferred a different method, but in the end it was worth it to get the data recovered.
It is people like you that make the internet great. This is the one of the most thorough and well constructed help videos i've ever seen. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into making this and how clearly you walked through the resolution. I spent my Valentines evening on the phone with my son at college trying to troubleshoot on my own but to no avail. There was nothing on the internet that was of help at all. Coincidentally when i started doing research the next day, you had just posted this video. Its a Valentines Miracle! Thank you!
Tom, right back at you! Honestly it's comments like this that keep me going! I really do appreciate it, thank you very much. 👍
Thank you, your article helped a lot. Especially to calm down and realize that there is a solution.
Mr Macintosh you are incredible!!! I have sent my laptop to 2 different technicians and both of them told me all of my data was lost due to this problem. I was devastated as this would have meant that all of my university work from the past year (including my final year dissertation) would have been lost. I found your video yesterday and have managed to get all of my data back through target disc mode through a laptop running Mojave. I cannot thank you enough! I wish I could share this with everyone is experiencing this problem😁
Lara, that's great news! I'm really glad that you were able to rescue your data 👍
This video was super helpful for troubleshooting this exact problem that my friend was having. I owe a huge thanks to you finding out that Mojave would let us access his encrypted APFS volume and we had no idea that he was running out of storage space on his main drive. You helped us recover his data and complete the Big Sur software update. Thank you again for your thoroughness and detailed help. Cheers!
Luke, thanks for writing in. I'm really glad that you were able to help your friend! I bet this person was super happy👍
Just got into an issue recently with a customer’s macbook. Didn’t find out that older systems might work w/ target disk. But thank you so much for all the detailed video. I love it.
You bet András! thanks for the comment!
I was glued to your videos for hours(!) yesterday during my big sur debacle. It wasnt pretty but thanks to your comprehensive and friendly demos’, my M1 and a very old air both came out alive. My sincere thanks for your time, effort and knowledge!!!
Glad I could help Magoo!!!! 👍
Hands down one of the best videos I have seen on here! Thank you for taking your time on making it.
Thank you @MSPiVS, I really appreciate that. This video was crazy to make for sure. 👍
Thank you 1000 times - I have not have had this issue but I know I will have customers and friends that will !!! I have never watched a 1 hour you CZcams video before - Worth It - Excelsior !!!!!
When I was editing this video, it became quickly apparent that it would be the longest detailed video that I've ever created. I totally understand that people have a short attention span. Who is going to watch a 1 hour youtube video! haha I figured instead of cutting it up, I would keep it all in one place with chapters. I've seen the stories of computer repair places and Apple Stores struggling with this issue. I hope it helps them and appreciate the comment Shawn!!!
Thank you. Thank you. A thousand times thank you. Although I read your article last week, this video is also extremely useful for a first time Mac owner such as myself. Spent 2 hours on the phone with Apple support and was told at the service center that they’d be wiping my MacBook Pro, along with all of my Lightroom edits (the only thing NOT in my iCloud). Luckily I work at a school that has a bunch of Macs with Mojave still on them. After buying a thunderbolt cable, I was able to access my data.
Liked, subscribed, and eternally grateful. You rule Mr. Mac!
Awesome James, thank you! I'm really glad you were able to save your data 👍
I was able to finally finish the upgrade for my friend with this. Thank you so much. He had been trying to figure it out for a month.
So satisfying and emotional just to see the system and all those files restored!!! You’re a genius!! Thank you!
Thank you so much for creating this video, Mr Macintosh! The "deleting system volume" trick helped me recover my macbook when all hope was lost. Much respect for your expertise and efforts! Subscribed!
Man I cannot explain how grateful and how useful this video this, thanks soooo much you’re a true legend, I followed your steps and fixed my T2 encrypted mac, before seeing your vid I spent 1 hr with apple support which they had no clue what the issue is.
Glad it helped M M !!!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge on this subject through your incredible video. My wife's Macbook was well and truly locked out due to this issue and we both thought it was a goner, but thanks to your brilliant instructions, I was able to get it back up and running again using the terminal commands and deleting a load of stuff. You are an internet hero!
Just wanted to comment and say thank you!! I really started to panic after not having access to my Mac since Thursday but your video came at the perfect time. I got back into my machine last night and immediately started backing files up haha.
Thank you so much!! As a freelance graphic designer, you saved me from a devastating file loss.
Awesome Eddie! I'm glad you got your Mac up and running again!
This video and your article totally saved the day. THANK YOU! I was finally able to get my working iMac to recognize the password of my broken MBP, so I could access Target Disk mode and free up some space. I am writing this from my now-working MBP! THANK YOU!
Glad it helped Bill!!! 👍
This was INCREDIBLE. Thank you for putting in the time to replicate this error and provide detailed, clear directions for various situations. I specifically benefited from the path in which you used your terminal to delete large files and clear space. Best resource available by far!!
Hi! I’m stuck with the same problem unfortunately :( As this is my first time with terminal, can I maybe DM you and ask about a few steps so I can move forward with my problem? I’m trying to follow the steps on the video but I think I’m probably pressing the wrong keys? 😢 Hopefully you can help me! Thank you so much 😣
Mr Macintosh, you´re a genius. You saved me from disaster with this video. Though, needed to but that expensive Thunderbolt cable but it was worth it. Thank you so much!
AMAZING!!! Thank you so much!!! 110% recomended!!
Thank you Mr. Macintosh, you have no idea how much this has helped me. This issue happened to me on Wednesday, I found your blog on Thursday, and you had a solution by Sunday. The timing was unbelievable and I am so grateful for your work. I had to use the final solution you provided because my friend's Macbook already updated to Big Sur. One thing to note was that I had to purchase a thunderbolt cable and a thunderbolt to USB-C adapter just to connect my 2013 model to his 2016 model! Anyway, I really appreciate this video. Thanks again.
Ricky, thank you for your comments! I'm really glad that you got your Mac up and running again 👍
Did you use the MacBook with Big Sur on it to fix yours? There is a part of the video that I don’t understand. He says that you can’t use the Bigsur MacBook to fix yours unless you delete the hard drive of your own MacBook. An than he deletes the hard drive with the Mojave MacBook... How can I delete the hard drive when I don’t even have excess to a Mojave MacBook in the fist place...? maybe I’m totally wrong and it’s just my overstressed dumbass self that has overlooked something ;) (I got a encrypted MacBook late 14 myself, with the same problem, I ordered a thunderbolt cable yesterday... should arrive tomorrow, but I can’t find anyone with Mojave...) your answer will immensely appreciated ;)!
@@woutaccou I have the same problem. i have no access to another mac user where i am at. I have no idea what to do.
Thank you so much for this! You saved my bacon. The depth of your knowledge of the various paths is really impressive. I was on an out of disk space/encrypted file path and managed to not only save my data, but as also able to resurrect my MacBook Air with Big Sur running in the process. Only downside was having to buy a MacBook Pro to do it :(. Lots of lessons learned here. Thanks again!
Thank you Mr.Mcintosh, you just made me cry, because I was able to retrieve my desktop folders, when my IT Support could not even fathom how to think of a fix!
I'm really glad that I could help Lissette!
OMG! Thank you so much! You saved my MacBook Air 2015😭 I had everything on there and my personal statement that I need to apply to MS program soon! I’m subscribed to you!
Nice work Lina!!! 👍
Tysm! Apple support were telling me to wipe the hdd. Luckily came across your video and deleted apps through terminal. Saved 6 years of personal files.
Glad I could help and you could save your files Hazza!
Dear Mr. Macintosh, my wife and I can't thank you enough. We had a lot of stress the past few days thinking we might have lost years of work due to this bug... and if it wasn't for you, we'd still be none the wiser. A friend of mine was able to install Mojave on a partition of his iMac... and yes, for the first time in days we have access to our data again. Buying an external drive right now, copying all data, resetting the machine and setting up automatic iCloud backup, time-machine, and regular check-ins. We walked away with a black eye, for sure, but if it wasn't for you... it would have been a broken heart. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
[Also, I think this is the first time I ever commented on a CZcams video]
Alex, thanks for writing in! Let's be honest, with everything going on it is hard to focus on computer backups. In this case you researched found this video and fixed it yourself! Now you not going to let this happen again because you have a backup. This is the right path an you will never have to worry about your data again! I'm really glad that you got your Mac up again going again 👍
You saved me from letting go of 6 years of files. Big sur is still very buggy but you've provided an amazing walk through. 1000x thank you!
Glad it helped Imani, especially with your files!!! 👍
Thank you very much. Your video helped me solve the problem. So good that you’re doing this.
Glad it helped Stefan!!!
Hey Mr. Macintosh, thank you very very much for the explanation how to get the access to the Macintosh HD Data Partition, this saved me a lot of time and effort. Keep up the good work!
You are welcome Deceiver13! Thanks!
this is awesome 😍thanks for creating!
You're welcome Tushar!
Thank you for telling me my Mac is full and I though something would go wrong if I updateed
You saved my life man, I was an hour or two away from rebooting and losing everything. I tried everything, followed your web tutorial to no avail. Luckily stumbled upon this video and right clicking and opening in finder let me find some data to delete so I could finish installing the update. Thank you so much for the detailed explanation!
You bet Loags! I'm glad you were able to save your data 👍
Thank you so much! A whole week I been scratching my head, what did I do to my laptop after I updated, did I broke it? I thought I lost all my data, after searching for days your video save me, guide me and now really really happy that is everything back to normal, Thank you for your hard work you should deserve an award from Apple for helping their customers, Big thumbs up for me and a subscriber to your channel
grayfoxuk1979, thank you very much for your thought out reply. I really appreciate it and am really glad that you got your data and mac up and running again!
Awesome help thankyou so much, i tried the terminal method and success. Hats off to your help.
Nice work saving that mac IT Admin! Thanks for the comment 👍
I had to wipe everything, but I had accepted that and just couldn't get there. This tutorial helped me finish the job. Thank you!
Followed your video, I was able to successfully bring my mac air back , thank you
Glad it helped Srihari!!!
Thank God I found you before I did anything!!! YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!! Saved all my files and recovered everything!!!! Wow!!! Even Apple didn’t help me. This video is great!!!!
Glad I could help Mimo!!!
Thanks for a great and detailed explanation. This video makes you feel qualified to troubleshoot the problem, as i was in a specialized course. I have a question, what if I simply not interested to save data?
Thank you very much for this video! It’s very well explained and really life saving. Thank you.
Thanks, you saved my wife :D She had the encrypted version issue. Solved deleting the partition and mounting again in another mac.
Glad I could help! Happy wife happy life am i right? hehe
wow thank you thank you thank you!! you deserve an award seriously. was able to delete files from the terminal part in recovery mode. i couldn't use my laptop for a week. watched this with my friend who has some knowledge of coding and she was able to help me follow this better. will definitely direct people to your channel in the future!!
Glad I could help Shalenah!!! thank you 👍
hey. uh would your friend know what i shld do is the test option didn’t come up? it’s fine if she doesn’t :)
i took my machine to the geeks, and they said that my only option was to wipe my drive... i figured i could do that myself and luckily, i found your video. you legit saved my files. thank you!
Awesome Wes! That should have been my first warning "DO NOT BRING YOUR MAC TO ANY SERVICE SHOP FOR THIS ISSUE IF YOU WANT TO RETAIN YOUR DATA!!!" I joke but sadly over the past month this has happened to hundreds of users :(
Life saver, thank you so much for all your hard work
You're welcome Andrew!
Thank you so so so much. This video saved me losing all my data and I'm glad I found it early... !
I followed the directions and this has gotten my IMac working again and most of my docs were still available. Thank you so much 😊
which way did you follow?
@@slickgamer007 I brought more cloud based storage and uploaded all my documents to the cloud then deleted all physical documents on the hard drive and then let the update install then did the restart.
Just to add my BIG THANKS! This video and your article saved my digital life. I followed the instructions and it worked, I was able to stop the endless loop and get the computer working again without a loss of data. Shame on Apple for putting us through this stressful situation.
I'm glad you got your files back and mac up and running again!!!
EDIT: Clarification #1 - I mention an upgrade hidden partition. What I was incorrectly referring to was the hidden partition created when you run a startosinstall erase install. That hidden partition is created to hold the install data because the installer will erase the main drive. In an UPGRADE the big sur data is stored in a folder at the root of the drive called "macOS Install Data".
Thank you so much. That saved me a lot of time troubleshooting my sisters MacBook.
Man, that was more than helpful! I’ve faced the exact problem when I was upgrading from mojave to moneterey on intel chip macbook pro with 11gb of free space available, and i got stuck on the update assistant. Luckily, i managed to erase some data through the terminal in the recovery mode. Your advice helped me to save my data and finish the upgrade. Thanks a lot for your investigation and video!
You, Sir, singlehandedly saved me an enormous amount of time, nerves and data in five-digit-Euro-worth. I went through the terminal solution on an unencrypted mac. Apart from the paypal support I would like to thank you in written form.
Thank you very much Stefan, I'm really glad that you got your Mac back up and running again!
Amazing! Big thanks to you❤❤❤!!! Saved my MacBook air successfully within 2 hrs!!!! (Just to let you know that I was in the most difficult scenario and have struggled with Apple Support for 3 weeks but got nothing fixed at all)
big big help. using the terminal to delete files was key for me!!! thanks a lot !!
Glad it helped Nils!!!
Thank you so much Mr. Macintosh ended up using the terminal function. I thought my computer was toast.
Thank you for the detailed information. Good Wishes.
Many thanks for this video. Unfortunately, I am on standby for your video using Big Sur, as I have already upgraded my Host computer to Big Sur! Nevertheless, your video - which I first found via your blog- was SUPER useful!! Awaiting your video using Big Sur 😅 Many thanks again!
Glad it helped Lashbzh! I'm working on an update video for tomorrow 👍
Mr. Macintosh Can’t wait!!
Thank´s a lot for the video! I have 2 questions: How do I know if my Mac is encypted with filevault??? And what cable do I need to use for the target disk mode if my Mac is from 2016? Is it a normal double-en usb??? THANKS A LOT!!!
Thanks for this very in depth troubleshooting tutorial. I have just purchased a 13” MacBook Pro M1 and am having a similar issue however, there is ample room on the 250GB HARD DRIVE. I have learned a lot from your CZcams vid above but I haven’t resolved the issue. I think this MB Pro may have had macOS Montgomery on it and the individual I purchased this from may have accidentally erased his Mac HD_Data partition. I have gone through a bunch of CZcams tutorials but none of them have solved my dilemma yet. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Bob
For non-T2 Macs, I have been able to use apfs-fuse in linux to mount the affected drives when macOS refuses to unlock the drive after the failed Big Sur upgrade.
thanks for this video.. very informative and a life saver
I watched your DFU video. Great video, but I wanted to ask if it is possible to remove the lock from the MacBook remotely?
Mr. Macintosh, Can I do the first option you mentioned with a Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt 2 cable into my Imac (2012) and my laptop that has this problem (Macbook air 2013/2014)?
Dear Mr. Macintosh, thank you so much for putting together such a detailed, timestamped and easily accessible video and article! Not only did you help me diagnose and understand what my specific problem was, but you also gave me a smorgasbord of solution options. One of those solutions worked for me. Apple should GIVE you MONEY! What a lifesaver. Well done champ! You made my day. You, sir, are a true gentleman and a scholar. Greetings from South Africa! #whatabooikie #befok #mainkonyn #maaklos
Thank you very much Willim, I really appreciate the comments :)
@@Mr.Macintosh No, thank YOU!
Thank you so much! With your video I was able to save my data and projects! You are a lifesaver and such an amazing help after Apple support really dropped the ball
Awesome Alexander!!! Nice work.
thank you very much for this video! I'm having this issue (T2 + encrypted) and although I have a 2nd mac with Mojave installed I can't get my target disk to connect to the other mac. the usb symbol doesn't disappear when I plug the usb-c cable to both ends and the charging sound is played. Any idea on how to fix that?
Thank You very much for your help, It’s also save my data when apple couldnt help me 🙏🏻 so thank you!!
Happy to help Avd Audrey!
Thank you Mr. Macintosh, your video is a great help. I am having the same issue with big sur and the not enough space. I tried to do the same steps with the charging cable that comes with MacBook pro but it just does not work. Is there a specific thunderbolt cable that is preferred for target desk mode or does the apple charging cable work?
Hello Abbas, the charge cable will not work. I mention that in my update video. czcams.com/video/O8d939VAPU8/video.html You can use a USB-C 3.0 cable or any ThunderBolt 3 Cable.
Hello sir, I have same error type but instead it was saying "an error occurred while applying software update", I read the reddit forums and apple support website most of us people are having issues the this problem only. After waching your video I decrypted my apple ssd then ran the installer but same problem occurring again and again even after going to recovery I disk space was 90 gb available. Pls help us suggest some tips to fix this
I’m a Mac guy, I’m and IT guy and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. I spent hours talking with apple and days rebooting for nothing. I’m trying this now, will report if anything wrong happens. Thanks again!
Keith, thank you! Question, was this an update or upgrade that caused this issue?
@@Mr.Macintosh it’s a 2017 iMac w/1TB SSD that was enrolled In Monterey beta. On Monterey beta release 5 install did the same as your video. I erased the disk, still the same error. I have installed high sierra all the way to Catalina on different volumes but Big Sur and Monterey are both giving this issue. I just got it to target disk mode but it’s giving me an issue by not showing up on my host machine. Your video is the first one I’ve come across being able to replicate my issue. Anything else you can think of let me know. It’s baffling me why it’s not working.
Just to update, I got into the system but my suspected volume isn’t even 10% full. So, although this error is exactly as mine it appears the issue isn’t the same. I am almost convinced this is on Apples end. I may try to copy a disk to see if that will resolve the issue.
Thanks for the detailed response Keith. Yes, even though the error in this video was for an out of space issue it seems like your issue was different.
@@Mr.Macintosh thank you for your video. It gave me different ideas for possible solutions. I think I corrupted my drive on my iMac during that beta installation. I was able to install Big Sur and Monterey on a usb drive through my MBA which is running Monterey. Just a heads up that the new version has the same basic settings as Big Sur. Again, thank you for your really helpful video!
Hey Mr. Macintosh! We have a 2015 Macbook Pro with what appeared to be the same issue, the one difference being the error message is "an error occured APPLYING the software update" rather than PREPARING. I connected it to my 2012 Macbook Pro with Catalina through thunderbolt cable and tried the steps you presented here. I was able to access the Macintosh HD- Data folder through target disk mode and cleared out 45gigs of space. We then rebooted the problem machine and got the same error result.
I then re-connected via target disk mode to check it out and now I cannot access any of the files at all? There is the Macintosh HD, mounted with only 786KB used, 204.97GB other volumes and 45.82GB free. There is also Macintosh HD- Data, mounted with 33KB used, 204.97 GB other volumes and 45.82GB free. There is also a Macintosh HD-Data-Data, which is unmounted and when I try to mount that it doesn't accept my password. There is also two update sections, one with all the update files in it and another that is totally empty as far as i can tell.
I am looking for any guidance on what to do next? At this point I am just trying to access the files to get them somewhere else safe.
Thank you in advance
Hellor Mr. Macintosh. Thanks for you video, I think it will help me. First of all, how do I know mine is encrypted?
Hey, thanks for this. Is the mac charger c cable the one I can use as a thunderbolt cable for the storage recovery?
The world needs more people like you in the world!!!
Hey there,
I wanted to follow up on my old comment. So at about minute 40:00 of your video you are mentioning what to do if we dont have a second Apple device and seconds later you are pulling the Mojave device. What is left for people that indeed do not have a second device themselves nor family or friends? I did understand that I can have a 2nd device that is either Catalina or Big Sur and delete the Macintosh Hard Drive so that way the system will not be locked and we get into recovery mode. But again, I just do not have access to any Apple Mac Book device, what are my options?
Hi Mr Macintosh,
Thanks for the explanation video. I have an issue when i trry to connect my Imac late 2015 through thunderbolt 2 to a macbook pro M1 2020 with a thunderbolt 3 acces. Nothing happens, i do not see any drive popping up to acces. The Macbook pro is runnung on Mojave. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks a lot
Hi the, i have a monterey device, will i be able to access and fix my encrypted/locked out/hardrive only device with this method on a monterey device ? thanks
This is so helpful thank you! However I have a question- I was able to use your instructions to get into my hard drive and rescue my files and delete them, but when i tried to let it reboot and finish installing Big Sur, I left it overnight and it is still trapped at a partial loading bar and has not moved. I deleted everything i possibly could to make space I don’t know what else could be wrong.
I was able to bypass the loop by shutting down, then immediately holding the Option button after powering on, and selecting the Macintosh HD startup option.
Thank you so much! Just one question regarding fixing an encrypted mac using TDM on Catalina host mac, after I used target disk mode to free space on my macbook pro the Big Sur installation was able to complete however when I reach the setup stage for Big Sur it asks me to either create a new user or migrate my existing user (which I cannot do because that would double the storage needed). After doing an inspection in Disk Utility in recovery mode it is apparent that Big Sur has installed its own "Macintosh HD" for the OS and "Macintosh HD - Data" for user data (which in this case is empty) in its own partition whilst ignoring my existing data which is in an unmounted volume called "Macintosh HD - Data". So to clarify Big Sur has created its own volume group (Mac HD, Mac HD - Data, both mounted) and my original data and files (Mac HD - Data, unmounted) are not part of that. I have tried to delete the partition containing Big Sur and reinstall it from recovery mode however this has not changed anything. Is there any way to solve this without copying my data off the hard drive, wiping my exisiting partition and then transferring my data back onto the new Big Sur data partition?
Nayan Kad, I go over this situation at the very end of my video. The difference is that on my test the OS reconized the user and let me log in. In yours it seems to not be able to unlock the old DATA volume. Maybe you could create a new user then copy the data from your old to new. That should do the trick let me know if that works!
Hey Mr. Macintosh, thanks for the video! What can I do if I only have a Lenovo ThinkPad as a second Laptop? Can I take the same steps? How do I connect my MacBook Air to the windows Laptop?
And thanks again….
Thank you for this video. I am trying to do this for Mac 2015 and I’m trying to find out with cable I need to do this
Hello Ahmed, USB-C 3.0 or Thunderbolt cable will do the trick
Mr. Macintosh - thank you so much for birddogging this issue. I feel like I am very close to solving my issue, but I keep getting hung up on one item. When I boot the affected iMac in Target Disk Mode and connect to my host MacBook Pro running Catalina, the only drives from the affected iMac that appear are "Macintosh HD - Data" and "Update." There is no "Macintosh HD." Is there a step I can take to get the fix back on track? Also wanted to point out that when I run disk utility in recovery mode on the affected iMac, only two disks appear, (a) Apple HDD HTS541010A9E662 Media, under which Macintosh HD - Data appears, and (b) a disk image under which MacOS Base System appears. Not sure if that makes a difference. Thanks.
Fab video, many thanks, Terminal can be used to copy data to a pendrive once the password is able to be used in disk utility to mount the Data partition too.
Great video!!! I had the problem with a Filevault encrypted disk... I didn't have a thunderbolt 3 cable, so I used a bootable USB stick instead.
Here's the bootable USB method:
Reformat it to APFS and then install Catalina (you can choose another OS version) there. (notice that creating a bootable USB is different from creating a USB OS installer) Then, boot from the USB by holding Option at startup and choosing the USB. I was finally able to access Disk Utility, therefore being able to delete Machintosh HD, mount Machintosh HD - Data and free up some space!
Nice Work Jose!!!! 👍
Big thanks. I was on the dark until your video. I went with the thunderbolt 2 and another laptop solution. Hard drive not encrypted. It reboot now waiting for bigsure to install.
Edit: install completed successfully.
Glad I could help, nice work Lahcene!!
i used the terminal option, thanks for your help
Hi
Thank you for the detailed video - I was able to follow up until part (after erasing MacintoshHD). I am unable to reinstall as there is no option of choosing a disk. It says 'Select the disk where you want to install macOS but nothing is showing up underneath hence continue. Can you please help? Thanks in advance
My Macbook Pro had this issue encrypted but I managed to start-up Recovery mode using WiFi and access the data inside via terminal. Thanks alot for the guidance! 🙏
You just saved me live !
Many thanks from germany :)
You bet Nicolas!!! Nice work 👍
Hi there - running Catalina 10.15.7 on a Macbook Pro - trying to get data off my other Macbook Pro stuck in the Target Disk mode loop. I went into Disk Utility and see that the Macintosh HD-Data is available under External but it's greyed out. When I click "Mount" it asks for my password but entering the correct password but it won't accept it. Next steps?
Hey what can I delete apart from my files and apps? The dmgs you talk about are not the installation of Big Sur ones right??
Hi, i ran into same issue, thx for your post. My system did not want to upgrade to Big Sur. I "fixed" it by rebuilding my internal HD by cloning from a Carbon Copy BackUp. I have FileVault on. Now i need to ugrade to 11.6 from 11.5.2. I am having similar issues
. My system runs the installer and reboots, but then it falls back booting to 11.5.2. Not sure if i should try rebuilding the system, or deleteing systemsnapshot to force some upgrade, i am afraid i am running into a similar issue. Proble statement. Macbook Pro 15inch 2017 , 80 Gig free space, 11.6. update installs the system and reboots , but system "falls back" to 11.5.2
So I have a 2015 MacBook Pro and the External hard drive way work. Was able to transfer my personal stuff to the hard drive and delete things to make space. But it’s still doing same thing doesn’t show hard drive on startup disk. Any idea?
I dont have another device / hard drive to plug into my Mac. Any advice?? I dont have anything of great value on my computer that isn’t in the cloud, so could I erase the computer via FindMy and have things just reset??
EDIT: Clarification #2 In the 2nd part 43:50, where I talk about erasing ONLY "Macintosh HD" What I was trying to explain was that on a FileVault encrypted Mac you can use a Catalina or Big Sur Mac as the Target Disk Mode Host. I forgot to move to the Big Sur Mac to demonstrate. You also do not have to boot to recovery. Just plug in the Mac via Target Disk mode on Big Sur, then erase ONLY "Macintosh HD" once complete click mount on "Macintosh HD - Data" and the password will now work! The 2nd part at 49:25 will show you how to finish the upgrade without an erase and reinstall!!
@Francisco Pinheiro Same i have this error, pls help
@Francisco Pinheiro Im sorry but im not quite sure what you mean by highlighted comment?
@Francisco Pinheiro Well in my situation, its the exact same error as yours when i try to erase the Macintosh HD. Did you find a fix for this error?
Thanks. Very Grateful.
Hi, please, could you do a video explaining the process with just an external hard disk? I don’t have another Mac and with the third option you provided is not working for me. Thanks
HI Has the Mac OS installed in the USB? I have encrypted HD, how do I unlocked the HD?
Question.. I don’t own a second MacBook.. is there anyway I can do this on a computer that is either not a MacBook… or use a public Mac desktop at the library?
This video saved a serious headache. Thanks
Awesome @The Fillers! I'm glad it helped.
Omg, i’m so thankful that found your video! You are my life savior! God bless you
Glad it helped!