Summary:
macOS not recognizing HFS partition on your Mac? What if the HFS volume is not found? If HFS volume is not found on Mac, data stored on drive cannot be accessible. With the help of this article, you will be able to gain access to lost HFS data and reasons that caused the trouble along with the troubleshooting methods to fix the same.
HFS/ HFS+ is a file system in Apple Inc for Mac computers. HFS is the file system used in the earlier versions of Mac. Though HFS has been replaced by HFS+ and APFS file system, most of the Mac systems still use HFS file system to store system data. HFS volume not found error could be the result of a severely corrupted drive. Generally, the error is evidently seen while you try to format the disk to get rid of corruption on the disk.
Quick Navigation
- Causes for the error
- Indications of HFS/HFS+ volumes not found
- Recover inaccessible data from HFS/ HFS+ or APFS Volume
- Fix no Mac HFS volumes found problem
Reasons Behind the Error HFS Mac Volume Not Found
There are various reasons that lead to the corruption in Mac drives and the error. A few of them are listed below.
Inappropriate Read/Write Operation: if read/write operations on drive are interrupted, Mac volume gets corrupted. This leads to the error no Mac HFS volume found.
Formatting: Sometimes formatting the drive intentionally or unintentionally causes an error.
Multiple sharing of data: When data on a single volume is shared across multiple unsupported system, file system becomes inaccessible and corrupt.
Corruption in header: Headers contains the information about the file or the drive, if any interruptions are caused, data becomes inaccessible and could generates the error HFS volume not found.
Corruption in Catalog file node: It is a system generated file that keeps the record of file types and accessing type.
Boot Sector problem: If Mac system fails to load, you won’t be able to access the stored data files and might cause issues with Mac file system.
Kernel panic issues, hardware and software issues, accidental deletion of Mac HD, improper installations of program files or any modifications in BIOS setting could also lead to the issue HFS not found on Mac system.
Symptoms of the error No Mac HFs Volume Found
- File system gets crashed and freezes frequently
- System rums slow and sluggish
- System often shut downs automatically after few minutes of use
- Unable to find .dmg file error appears on screen often
- Cannot access any data stored on your computer
- Also, file not found or access denied errors while trying to access any data on Mac.
All the above-mentioned indications point to severe damage and Disk Utility can also not repair the disk if they are not fixed early. Also, the methods to fix the issue may involve data loss scenarios. Therefore, it is recommended to recover inaccessible data Mac HFS and then try fixing the error.
Note: Stop using your Mac immediately if you come across any data inaccessibility or data loss scenarios. Using your computer may overwrite the lost data and Mac data recovery becomes challenging.
If data itself cannot be accessed, you cannot try any manual methods. In such situations, all you need is a trusted Mac Data Recovery Software.
SFWare Mac Data Recovery software not only helps you restore inaccessible data but, also helps recover corrupted or formatted data without modifying it. The tool is compatible with all versions of mac and supports recovery for HFS, HFS+ and APFS as well. You can try the trial version of software for free.
Mac HFS Volume Not Found: How to Recover Data from Inaccessible Mac Drive?
Download and install SFWare Mac Data Recovery Software on your computer to recover data from HFS drive partitions and access data. Using SFWare, you can recover data from HFS, HFS+ and APFS volumes flawlessly.
- First step is to, select Recover Drives from the main screen and next, select Drive/Partition recovery to retrieve a healthy data from the HFS drive that is not detected
- Now, Select the Disk you need to repair. Once disk is selected, the tool displays the volume.
- Next, select the Volume to continue the process. Scanning is initiated (scanning time depends on the volume of the drive chosen to recover)
- Once the scanning process completes, all the recoverable files on the selected Mac drive will be displayed in Data View or File Type View.
- You can preview the files to be recovered. If you are satisfied with the results, you can save the files in your desirable location on your PC that has enough storage to hold the data.
Once your data has been secured, try fixing the issues caused due to the corruption in the HFS file system.
Troubleshooting steps to Fix Mac HFS/HFS+ Not Found
Here are some of the manual methods that are helpful in fixing the issues like No Mac HFS is found. With the help of these repair methods, you will be able to fix any disk related issues on Mac.
Method 1: Fix HFS/HFS+ not found on Mac using First Aid option
First Aid is the first option that any Mac user should try when there appear any disk related issues. It helps fixing logically damaged or corrupted HFS partition. To fix HFS not found or recognized on macOS using Disk Utility, follow the below given steps-
- To open Disk Utility, Start or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold Command + R Release the keys when the Apple logo appears. This will boot into Mac Recovery Mode, now you can click on macOS Utilities -> Disk Utility -> Continue to open the utility.
- Select Macintosh HD the startup disk from the sidebar of Disk Utility, then click the First Aid tab -> Run. This initiates the repair process.
Once the process is complete, restart your computer and verify if the problem still exists on the drive.
Method 2: Fix HFS not Found on Mac by Formatting in Disk Utility
Disk Utility is the system tool that performs all the disk related and volume related tasks on macOS. Formatting is Mac disk is the best suited method to fix corruption on the disk when volume is not found on the computer.
Note: This process erases all the data present of the disk, make sure you have a backup or recover data from HFS, HFS+ partitions.
- Launch Disk Utility by Clicking on Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility or boot up the Mac and hold Command + R as it boots.
- Make sure the Macintosh HD startup disk is highlighted in your Disk Utility window, now select Erase
- When a pop-up widows appears, change the Format to macOS you want on your Mac machine.
- Click on Quit Disk Utility in the Disk Utilities menu.
Now you will be prompted to reinstall macOS. Select on Install macOS. After the new macOS is installed, your computer will be successfully factory reset with program files and no traces of corruption.
Conclusion
Be it HFS or HFS+ or the new APFS, every file system is prone to corruption due to various reasons. It’s vital for any user to follow basic protocols like ejecting the drive safely, have a UPS backup to avoid any power surges etc to avoid any vulnerability to corruption or data loss. The above-mentioned methods help to fix any disk related issues occurred on Mac machines. If your data is at stake, you can always rely on SFWare, the most recommended data recover software for Mac.
If you were able to fix the error successfully using the methods mentioned in the article, do share your thoughts in the comment section below. Also, comment if you have any queries or any other methods that helped you fix the error.
