Mac Disk Utility Not Loading: How to Fix the Problem

Posted By Volodymyr Chubei | 05 Nov 2025

Disk Utility is a built-in macOS tool that allows you to manage disks, partitions, and diagnose storage devices. In this article, we will discuss the main reasons for the disk utility failure and offer step-by-step solutions to help you restore its functionality.

Why is Disk Utility not loading: Reasons

When Disk Utility does not start or freezes, it is most often due to software or hardware failures:

Disk damage.
macOS system errors.
Conflicts with external drives.
Error loading drive drivers.
Insufficient user rights.
Corrupted application .plist files.

What exactly Disk Utility does and what functions it performs is explained in detail in Apple's official help section.

How to Fix disk utility mac not loading

In most cases, the problem with Disk Utility can be solved independently and does not require replacing the drive or reinstalling macOS. Below is the complete list of proven methods that will help you restore access to the software.

1. Restart your Mac in safe mode

Sometimes the error is caused by a conflict between programs, cache, or third-party kernel extensions. Safe Mode starts the system with a minimal set of components.

How to enable Safe Mode:

Turn off your Mac and hold down the Shift key immediately after turning it on.
Hold until the login screen appears.
After booting, try opening Disk Utility again.

If the utility opens, the cause was a user environment failure.

2. Delete the corrupted Disk Utility settings file

Deleting this file is risk-free — next time when you launch the utility, the system will automatically create a new .plist with default settings.

How to do this:

Open Finder — the usual window with your files.
Press Cmd+Shift+G — the "Go to Folder" line will open.
Paste the following path into this field: ~/Library/Preferences/, where the symbol ~ represents your current user directory.
Find the file com.apple.DiskUtility.plist in the list.
Move this file to the trash bin (or copy it to your desktop if you want to keep a copy).
Restart your Mac.

In most cases, the problem disappears — the utility starts correctly because it no longer references the damaged configuration.

3. Launch Disk Utility from Recovery Mode

macOS Recovery is a special mode built into every Mac. It’s independent of the main system and allows you to run diagnostic tools, including Disk Utility, even if macOS itself is unstable.

How to launch Disk Utility via Recovery:

Shut down your Mac.
On a Mac with an Intel chip, hold down Command (⌘)+R; on a device with an Apple Silicon (M1/M2) processor, press and hold the power button.
Hold the keys (or button) until the Apple logo or a window with recovery options appears.
Select a language if prompted.
Select Disk Utility from the menu that appears.

Open the utility and check if the disks are displayed and the interface is working.

4. Disconnect external drives

Sometimes the reason Disk Utility freezes is because of an external drive that was once connected to your Mac. If the storage device is formatted in a non-standard way (for example, NTFS, exFAT, Linux LUKS, BitLocker) or contains file system errors, macOS may freeze when trying to "read" this disk. As a result, Disk Utility freezes at the Loading disks stage or does not open at all.

How to check:

Completely disconnect all external devices except for the keyboard and mouse. It is even better to temporarily remove printers, card readers, and hubs (USB hubs).
Restart your Mac and open Disk Utility.

If the application starts without delay, it means that one of the external drives was interfering with the correct initialization.

To find the problematic drive, connect external devices one at a time, checking each time to see if the utility starts. When the problem recurs, you have found the reason.

Also: How to Reduce CPU Usage on Mac

5. Use Terminal and the diskutil command

If the graphical version of Disk Utility does not load or freezes, this does not mean that the system has completely lost access to the disks. macOS has a Terminal tool that can be used to check and restore disks manually. In this case, use diskutil, a built-in macOS command.

How to check disks:

Go to Applications, then to the Utilities tab, and open Terminal. You can also do this through Spotlight (press Cmd+Space and type Terminal).
Type the command diskutil list. The diskutil command is used to diagnose disks via the terminal and has many subcommands. A detailed list with examples can be found in the official macOS help.

It will display the list of all connected drives and their partitions. If they are displayed here, it means that your Mac can see the disks, and the problem is most likely only in the visual part of the utility.

The basic principles for working with Terminal on Mac are described in Apple's guide.

6. Create a new user and check the utility

Sometimes the problem with loading Disk Utility is local—it only affects one specific account. An easy way to check this is to create a new account and try to run the utility using it.

How to create a new user:

Open System Preferences and go to the Users & Groups section.
Click on the lock at the bottom of the window and enter the administrator password.
Click the "+" button to add a new user.
Select the account type — Administrator, enter a name and password.
Save and switch to the new user (log out and log back in via the Apple menu).
Try opening Disk Utility.

If everything works in the new account, this confirms that the problem originated in the configuration of the old profile.

Important: do not rush to delete the old account until all files, passwords, and data have been completely migrated.

7. Update macOS to the latest version

Apple regularly releases updates, including bug fixes that affect the performance of built-in applications.

How to check for updates:

Open System Preferences, go to the General section, and click Software Update.
Wait for the search to complete.
If an update is available, install it by following the instructions on the screen.

After installing and restarting, open Disk Utility again.

If the problem remains, contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider, as the problem is more serious and requires professional assistance.

Conclusion

When Disk Utility stops loading on your Mac, it can be alarming, especially if you suspect a problem with your storage device. But as we've seen, most of these failures are not related to hardware, but to software errors: corrupted settings, conflicts with external devices, system crashes, or simply an overloaded cache.

The good news is that all the main causes can be fixed on your own — without contacting support or reinstalling macOS. From deleting the .plist file and booting into Safe Mode to running diagnostics through Terminal, you have a whole set of tools at your disposal to get the utility working normally again.

When Apple technology works flawlessly, it's a pleasure. But when something goes wrong, it's important to know where to get help. At Techtoro.io, you'll find everything you need for your Mac: from original parts to professional repairs, from certified pre-owned MacBooks to advice from experts who know Apple inside out.

Visit Techtoro.io right now and see for yourself: your Mac really can work like new.

FAQ

1. Why is Disk Utility not loading on my Mac?

Disk Utility may not load due to a corrupted configuration file, system errors, driver loading failure, or problems with external drives.

2. How do I force Disk Utility on Mac?

To launch Disk Utility manually, use the Cmd+Space combination, type Disk Utility and select the application, or open it via recovery mode (Cmd+R at startup).

3. How to fix Mac not loading?

If your Mac won't boot, start it up in recovery mode or safe mode, then run a disk and system check.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Volodymyr Chubei
Computer Repair Specialist at TechToro.io

Volodymyr was born in Ukraine and has found his passion for electronics from his childhood. At the age of 13, he was capable of soldering some basic elements of a logic board and today he is one of the co-founders of TechToro.io