How to Recover Data from a MacBook that Is not Booting up (Two Possible Solutions)

MacBook laptops not booting up is a rare occurrence because they are a durable and reliable piece of technology. This is evident in the number of Mac users that choose a Mac over other laptop brands.

However, MacBook laptops also encounter errors in their technical operations. One of these rare error occurrences is MacBook not turning on. In this case, the root cause of the issue can be due to some malfunctions. And what you need to do first is recover data from MacBook that won’t turn on as soon as possible.

Recovering important data on a MacBook that is not booting up requires some methods to achieve. This article details two various solutions on how to go about Mac data recovery. One is by means of iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac, a data recovery utility that provides the best data recovery functionality for recovering data from Mac that won’t turn on. And the other is Time Machine backup, a Mac built-in restoration and backup function to help you roll your Mac back to a previous state.

How to Get Data Back from a MacBook that Is Not Booting up?

Recovering data from a MacBook that is not booting up can be tricky but doable. Here are two recommendations on how to conduct Mac data recovery from an unbootable Mac.

1. Data Recovery Software

Recovering important data from the Mac becomes a top priority when it is not booting up. A data recovery program that you can trust to recover your data is iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac. This data recovery software is efficient and effective at recovering data from your unbootable Mac in the simplest way.

For the situation where the MacBook is not booting up, iBoysoft Mac data recovery software can be launched from the Recovery Mode to enable you to retrieve your data. This way, it bypasses the need to download this software on your Mac computer before retrieving the essential data. Just launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac in macOS Recovery Mode, you can easily get your lost files back. To recover vital data from Mac using iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac in macOS Recovery Mode, follow the steps below:

Step 1 Force shut down your Mac. After 10 seconds, click on the power button. Immediately click and hold the Command, Option, and R key combination for a little over five seconds if you are using an Intel-based Mac before 2018. You can also press the Command + Shift + Option + R key combination to boot a T2 and Intel-based Mac into Recovery Mode. For an M1 Mac, you need to press down the Touch ID button after turning it on and then click Options when seeing the Loading startup options to enter macOS Recovery mode. Once the macOS Utilities menu comes up, it means your Mac is in Recovery Mode successfully.

Step 2 Select an Internet connection to connect your MacBook to the Internet.

Step 3 Click Terminal from the drop-down list under the Utilities menu.

Step 4 Input the sh <(curl http://boot.iboysoft.com/boot.sh) command in the Terminal window, and then hit the Return key to make iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac launch.

Step 5 Follow the wizard to perform data recovery using iBoysoft Mac Data Recovery after it is successfully launched. Select the drive where your essential data is situated, tick the Deep Scan option to search for the lost data, and hit the Scan button. When the scanning process is complete, preview the files which have been found, check the boxes before the desirable files, and then click the Recover button to get them back.  

2. Time Machine Backup Restoration

Backing up your data is a good practice. This saves you the headache if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to retrieve your critical data. Time Machine backup can be used as an efficient way to restore your Mac to a previous state. Thus, your lost files are able to be recovered and your unbootable Mac can normally startup.

However, the Time Machine backup has a little limitation because it is the snapshot of the Mac at a particular point in a certain time. This may result in losing the other bit you did not get the chance to backup. To restore your Mac using Time Machine backup, follow the steps below:

Step 1 Insert the external hard drive that has the Time Machine backup into your MacBook.

Step 2 Boot up your Mac into Recovery Mode. Use the Command, Option and R key combination, the Command, Option, Shift and R combination, or the Command and R key combination to boot your Intel-based Mac into macOS Recovery Mode.

Step 3 Click on Restore From Time Machine Backup on the macOS Utilities window and hit the Continue button.

Step 4 Select the external hard drive that contains the backup > the latest Time Machine backup to proceed, and then click the Continue button.

Step 5 Select a drive where you will restore the backup files and then select Continue.

Step 6 Get the destination disk erased and hit the Restore option.

This data recovery method might take some time to complete. On completion, your Mac can restart and boot up normally. Also, it is possible for you to access your lost data again.

Final Thoughts

Either iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac or Time Machine backup can be effectively used for Mac data recovery when your Mac won’t boot up normally. However, The latter has a limitation because it can only get your Mac files saved at a certain time, which indicates not all of your Mac files will be backed up. Thus, there is still a possibility that your wanted files fail to be restored. In view of this point, using iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac to recover lost data from unbootable Mac is more reliable than using Time Machine backup.