Summary: This article discusses all macOS Catalina known issues with solutions. Issues like hardware or apps won't work after macOS Catalina update, Mac not turning on, and data loss are included.

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Many people are indecisive to upgrade to macOS Catalina, the latest operating system by Apple. Thus, knowing possible macOS Catalina issues will help a lot before you install macOS 10.15. For example, you can't download/install macOS Catalina, apps won't work, iCloud is not available, or you have connectivity issues with yout WiFi or Bluetooth on macOS Catalina.

Therefore, this post discusses some common macOS Catalina upgrade issues and how to fix these problems.

Now, let's check the table below and see if you can find a solution to your problem.

Warning: This post will include multiple macOS Catalina problems, and some serious problems like 'Mac not booting after update' could cause data loss. Therefore, if you are facing some Mac booting issue after macOS update, it is highly recommended to recover the lost files from the unbootable Mac with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac first.

With more patchers are released and bugs are fixed, macOS 10.15 Catalina becomes better and better. But new macOS Catalina issues will never stop showing up. Thus, this article is worthy of reading as you'll know some common macOS Catalina upgrade issues, and how to address them.

1. Should I update My Mac to macOS 10.15 Catalina?

macOS Catalina is so tempting to upgrade, but you may still sit on the fence and wonder:

• Is macOS Catalina stable to use on My Mac?
• Is it worth updating to macOS Catalina?
• Will macOS Catalina damage or slow down My Mac?

More worries keep bothering you. Then, should you upgrade to macOS 10.15 Catalina on your Mac? To be honest, it's up to you as now macOS Catalina is getting less and less flaws.

If you want to try these new features mentioned in WWDC 2019, you can have a bash to install macOS Catalina. But keep one thing in mind, back up your Mac and everything before updating macOS.

If you are an conservative person who have get used to macOS Mojave or High Sierra, then just don't upgrade.

2. Can't install macOS Catalina on Mac

Normally, you can sign up to the Apple APP Store to download and install the macOS Catalina 10.15. But you could encounter problems while you are downloading or installing it.

How to fix:

If you are suffering from this problem, you probably need to check if you have enough space on the drive or volume for installation. The macOS Catalina update will take more than 4.9 GB in total.

Or you may not install to this volume because the Macintosh HD is not mounted when installing macOS Catalina, then you need to check your startup disk in Disk Utility.

Space is enough but the macOS installation couldn't be completed still? Well, you can boot your Mac into Safe Mode and reinstall macOS 10.15. This will isolate incompatible software when you update the sysem. Here is how to boot Mac in Safe Mode (also known as Single User mode).

1. Restart your Mac and immediately hold the Shift button.
2. When your Mac boot into Safe Mode, reinstall macOS 10.15 Catalina.
3. Reboot your Mac.

Also, you may be unable to upgrade to macOS Catalina because of the error 'macOS Catalina could not be verified' below, even though you have cleared out your content caching and re-download for times.

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How to fix:

1. Click the Apple logo at the upper left and choose System Preferences.
2. Find Date & Time and open it.
3. Select Date & Time panel and Click the lock to make changes at lower left.
4. Uncheck and then recheck the 'Set date and time automatically' option and then save changes by click the lock.

Then restart the computer and proceed to download the update once again through settings and software update. Hopefully, it will resolve the issue of the update not being verified.

3. macOS Catalina runs into low disk space during installation

Chances are that you still can't install macOS Catalina even in Safe Mode. Sometimes, even though you have pretty much no personal file on this Mac and space appears to be enough, you still could fail to install this system due to low disk space warning. As a matter of fact, it's just one of the macOS Catalina problems many users would face.

However, if you are disturbed by the low space problem, you received the low space warning from the system.

How to Fix:

You can fix the low space issue is to delete some local Time Machine snapshots which were made by the system previously. However, if you are not a specialist, you are not advised to do this deletion in case of losing data. Instead, if you have backups in Time Machine, you can just downgrade the macOS Catalina to another stable one like Mojave and then restore your lost files.

Some users see an additional Macintosh HD - Data volume in the Disk Utility of macOS Catalina and regard it as an unknown issue. Indeed, it's not. APFS drive in macOS Catalina will be divided into two volumes. One is called Macintosh HD which contains the system information and is protected with read-only mode, while the other one is Macintosh HD - Data volume where your apps and files are stored.

4. Can I install the macOS 10.15 alongside macOS Mojave?

You are torn if you don't know if macOS Catalina is better than Mojave or High Sierra. Maybe, you can make a compromise between them. That is to run macOS Catalina alongside your current macOS.

You can split your hard drive into two systems and install the Catalina on a separate partition. It is feasible because macOS Catalina will reside itself in a read-only volume, and you can do this with these steps:

Step 1: Open Finder and click Go at the upper left of your desktop.

Step 2: Go to Utilities and choose Disk Utility.

Step 3: Select the internal/startup hard disk and choose Partition at the top.

Step 4: Click Partition and click on the plus button +.

Step 5: Fill in a name, choose APFS format, and choose a size.

Step 6: Click Apply to create a new partition.

Step 7: When you move forward to install macOS Catalina, choose this partition as the installation location.

To switch between your current macOS Mojave and macOS Catalina, you can access System Preferences by clicking the Apple logo at the upper left of the desktop and select Startup Disk. Then click the lock at the lower left corner to make changes, key in the password as the system asks. Finally, select your system and restart your Mac.

5. Mac won't boot/turn on after installing macOS Catalina

If you breeze in the newest macOS and install it to your lovely Mac computer, only to find that your Mac won't turn on or stuck on the loading bar after update, or even gets stuck on Mac grey or white screen.

What a nuisance! It has to be fixed instantly because you probably are in need of this Mac. But before you go further to fix the not booting Mac, you are strongly advised to recover lost data from this unbootable Mac with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac to avoid losing anything important.

Learn why Mac black screen happens and how to fix black/blue/grey/white screen and turn on your MacBook Pro/Air without problem. Read more >>

After you get your files back, stay in calm and try the following solutions to fix this unbootable Mac.

Solution 1: Check Mac hard drive with Disk Utility in macOS Recovery mode

If your Mac can't boot past the Apple logo after installing macOS 10.15, you can check the startup disk in Disk Utility in case there is any disk error.

Step 1: Reboot your Mac and immediately hold Command + R to boot into macOS Recovery mode.

Step 2: Release theses keys when you see the loading bar.

Step 3: Select Disk Utility from the macOS Utilities menu.

Step 4: Select the startup disk or the macOS volume in the left sidebar of Disk Utility.

Step 5: Click First Aid at the top center and click Run to repair this disk.

Step 3: When it's finished, click on Done and restart your Mac as usual.

Solution 2: Uninstall macOS Catalina or downgrade it to macOS Mojave

Also, it is possible that your Mac is not compatible with macOS 10.15, or you are not satisfied with macOS Catalina's performance. In this case, you may want to uninstall macOS Catalina from your Mac.

Then how to uninstall macOS Catalina on Mac? Can you downgrade macOS Catalina to Mojave? You can check the overall solutions to Mac is not booting up after macOS update or follow these steps to uninstall macOS Catalina.

Step 1: Completely turn off your computer.

Step 2: Restart your Mac and hold Command + R instantly to boot Mac into macOS Recovery Mode.

Note: If your Mac can't boot into macOS Recovery mode with Command + R, you can hold Option + Command + R or Shift + Option + Command + R at startup. It will boot into macOS Recovery over the Internet, so make sure your Mac is connected to the Internet.

Step 3: Let go of the key combinations when you see the macOS Utilities menu.

Step 4: Choose Disk Utility and click Continue.

Step 5: Choose the Startup Disk (labeled Macintosh HD usually) and click Erase.

Step 6: Format it as APFS and click on Erase.

Step 7: Back to macOS Utilities menu and choose Reinstall macOS.

Step 8: Click Continue and then agree to any terms and conditions. When it is completed, your Mac will restart and get back to macOS Mojave.

Check 10 tested and tried solutions to fix a Mac computer, like a MacBook Pro/Air, an iMac or a Mac mini, that won't turn on or start up normally. Read more >>

6. macOS Catalina update is stuck/frozen

You may be wondering how long time macOS Catalina will take to install because this macOS update is frozen on your Mac for hours. Many people are confronted with the similar problem that the macOS Catalina is stuck on 'Setting Up Your Mac', Screen time, or other process. It annoying and frustrating, especially after you have run out of your patience by waiting for its completion.

How to fix:

Well, if you have waited it for a very long time but nothing has changed, you can try to backup your files and reboot your Mac by holding down the power button. Hopefully, this will make your Mac go back to normal condition.

7. Sidecar errors: Service Not Supported

Even though Sidecar is the most exciting feature for many users, the Sidecar is limited to work on some Macs/iPads. That's to say, Sidecar may be not working when you mirror macOS Catalina to iPadOS. If you're unable to connect to your iPad and receive 'Sidecar errors: Service Not Supported', you need to firstly check if your iPad is installed with iPad iOS 13, then check the following list to see if your device is compatible with macOS Catalina 10.15.

Macs that are compatible with macOS Catalina:

• MacBook Pro (Mid-2012 and newer)
• MacBook Air (Mid-2012 and newer)
• MacBook (early 2015 and later)
• iMac (late 2012 or newer)
• iMac Pro (2017 or newer)
• Mac Pro (late 2013 or newer)
• Mac Mini (late 2012 or newer)

iPad models that support Sidecar

• 12.9-inch/11-inch/10.5-inch/9.7-inch iPad Pro
• iPad (5/6th generation)
• iPad mini (5th generation)
• iPad mini 4
• iPad Air (3rd generation)
• iPad Air 2

8. Apps won't work in macOS Catalina

It is possible that you install macOS Catalina on your Mac, only to find that some of your software like Microsoft Word 2011 won't run or even open in macOS 10.15 at all. Instead, you may receive a message like below to inform you that your app is not optimized for your Mac and needs to be updated.

Why? Actually, it is because macOS Catalina doesn't support 32-bit apps anymore. Apple has been phasing out 32-bit software for the last 10 years and macOS Mojave is the last one that supports 32-bit software.

How do I check if my app is 32-bit on Mac?

By default, macOS will tell you that the app is 'not optimized for your Mac' or something like that when you attempt to open a 32-bit app in macOS Catalina. However, if it doesn't give any warning but the software just won't open, you can also check your apps for 64-bit compatibility manually.

Step 1: Click on the Apple logo at the top left corner and select About This Mac.

Step 2: Click on the System Report….

Step 3: Scroll down the context menu in the sidebar until you see the Software section.

Step 4: Click on the Applications option under Software to show your applications on this Mac.

Step 5: Find the target app and you will see a section titled 64-Bit (Intel).

Next to this section is either Yes or No. 'Yes' means the app is 64-bit, and 'No' means the app is 32-bit and needs to be updated.

How to fix:

Well, you can't have your cake, and eat it. If you want to upgrade your operating system to macOS Catalina which is only compatible with 64-bit software for sure, you can't use your 32-bit apps. So, you have only three options in this case and the solution is totally up to your preference.

1. Upgrade this software to a newer 64-bit version.
2. If there is no 64-bit version available for this app, find an alternative one that does the same work but is compatible with macOS 10.15.
3. Downgrade macOS Catalina to macOS Mojave.

Here is the overall tutorial to downgrade from macOS Catalina to macOS Mojave, or High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, etc. without data loss. Read more >>

9. macOS Catalina keeps asking for Apple ID

Some users also complain that after installing macOS Catalina, the Mac asks for updating the Apple ID settings. However, after you put in your password of Apple ID and your Mac password, the message may pop back up again and again after a few minutes.

How to fix:

You can solve this macOS Catalina bugs by saving your keychain to iCloud drive, and the following is the steps to do this.

1. Click on System Settings.
2. Choose Apple ID at the top and then choose iCloud in the context menu. It will show what is using the iCloud.
3. Scroll down this menu and choose Keychain.
4. Enter your Apple ID and your computer password a couple times as they are asked.

10. Apps icons go missing in the Finder

In macOS Catalina 10.15, you might see some icons of your apps disappearing when clicking the Applications shortcut in the Finder sidebar, only third-party applications. This will happen if you used Migration Assistant to migrate your data to a Mac running macOS Catalina.

How to fix:

1. Open the Finder on your Mac.
2. Right-click on Finder at the upper left corner of your desktop, and then choose Preferences.
3. In the Sidebar tab, select the Applications favorite, then remove the Applications shortcut from the sidebar that displays incorrect results.

This article will show you how to recover lost/missing/disappeared Documents Folder and other files on macOS Catalina and earlier with ease. Read more >>

11. WiFi/Bluetooth is not working on macOS Catalina

Can't access the Internet after installing macOS Catalina? WiFi/Blutooth is not working or not available? Check the following methods to fix such issues.

How to fix macOS Catalina WiFi not working issues:

Method 1: Simply click on WiFi in the menu bar and turn WiFi Off. And then wait for 10-15 seconds and reconnect to it. Try this for several times if it doesn't fix the WiFi problem after the first try.

Method 2: Restart your Mac in Safe Mode and see if you can access the Internect. If you can, it should be some incompatible apps or extensions that hinder the WiFi in normal work, and you could fix such WiFi not workign issue by uninstalling or updating your software and drivers.

Method 3: Create a new Network Location simply.

1. Click the Apple icon at the upper left, and then choose System Preferences.

2. Find Network and then create a new Network location which usually show as Automatic.

3. Choose Edit Locations, click on the + button to create a new location, and then click Done.

4. Re-join a known working WiFi network.

How to fix macOS Catalina Blutooth issues:

1. Open Finder, click on Go in the top menu, and then click Go to Folder...
2. Type in /Library/Preferences and click Go.
3. Find the file com.apple.Bluetooth.plist, copy this file to another location and then delete the original one.
4. Restart your Mac and reconnect to your Bluetooth devices.

12. iCloud is not available after macOS update

As you know, iCloud is extremely helpful to share folders between different devices. Sometimes, it can even restore some lost files after an update.

However, after macOS Catalina was released, you might see the message 'Couldn't connect to iCloud' when creating a new Pages, Numbers, or Keynote document in a shared folder. When confronted with this problem, you can simply close this document and then reopen it.

Furthermore, you could meet some other iCloud issues.

• iCloud Drive fails to automatically download all files after macOS Catalina update
• Multiple empty Application libraries within iCloud Drive after update

How to fix:

1. Download the desired files from iCloud drive manually and individually.
2. Safely remove the empty folders from iCloud.
3. Restart your device and start everything from scratch.

13. External hard drives/mouse/keyboard is not working in macOS Catalina

It happens that Mac won't recognize your external hard drive after installing macOS 10.15 Catalina. What's worse, this issue also affects some accessories like keyboard, mouse and printer drivers, etc. Why?

For the most part, it is still the 32-bit driver that makes your external drives not working.

How to fix:

1. Simply update these drivers in App Store
2. Contact the developer in their support page to ask for a driver update.

The reasons for Mac not recognizing external hard drive are varied, so check this guide to fix 'Mac doesn't recognize external hard drive' issue easily. Read more >>

14. macOS Catalina makes Mac slow/overheating

As for a large number of exciting features are introduced in macOS 10.15 Catalina, some people complain that Catalina has slowed their screens down. What's worse, it makes their computers overheating, and even causes some battery problems.

It is annoying, especially for some game geeks and office workers who need a fluent computer eagerly. Thus, try the solutions below to calm you and your Mac down.

Solution 1: Uncheck Login Items as many as possible

Even though macOS is designed for better performance, too much unnecessary items at login will lower you Mac. What's worse, these login items could make your Mac stuck on loading bar when you boot your Mac. So, just disable it as the following steps.

Step 1: Click on the Apple logo at the top left corner and select System Preferences.

Step 2: Choose Users and Groups in the menu and click on your account in the left sidebar.

Step 3: Click Login Items in the right column to show a list of programs that automatically start up when you turn on your Mac.

Step 4: Select as much software as you can and click on the minus - button at the bottom of this window.

If this doesn't fix your problem when you reboot your Mac, try the next solution.

Solution 2: Reset System Management Controller (SMC)

Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) is a feasible solution if the macOS Catalina is not working normally, which helps to solve many power and hardware related issues. If you are suffering from one of these problems below, resetting SMC is particularly effective.

• Mac computer is overheating
• Power management and battery problems
• Video and external displays not working
• Mac doesn't respond when you press the power button
• General performance and functionality problems

How to reset SMC on Mac:

Step 1: Shut down the computer completely and make sure your Mac is connected with power.

Step 2: Using the built-in keyboard, press and hold the Shift + Control + Option + Power Button keys at the same time for about 10 seconds. If you have a MacBook Pro with Touch ID, the Touch ID button is also the power button.

Step 3: Release all the keys together and press the power button to start up your computer.

Step 4: The boot time after resetting a machine's SMC will be a bit longer than usual, that is normal. When the computer is booting up, you can customize your Mac settings according to your need again.

15. Files, documents, or folders get lost after update

You may lose files after macOS update. Some users' desktop becomes empty, and some other people find that they can't locate some photos in Photos library. It's a terrible feeling when you can't find important documents, photos, emails, etc. after macOS update. So, you'd better not risk your work Mac with the every new Apple operating system.

Lost important data after updating to macOS Catalina? Files on their MacBook or iMac are gone? Click this post to get solutions to recover them. Read more >>

But since you have lost files after macOS update, the most urgent thing probably is to recover these files. You can try these 3 solutions to get them back.

Solution 1: Recover files from iCloud

Actually, if you 're using iCloud Drive to sync Desktop & Documents folders, it is rather easy to restore documents, photos, etc.

Just visit www.icloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID to recover your files now.

Solution 2: Recover files from Time Machine backups

No data backup in iCloud? Don't worry, because you have another feasible way to recover lost/disappeared files.

Ta-ta, that is Time Machine. If you have backed up your Mac with Time Machine before update, it's easy to recover lost files then. Now, let's see how to recover files from Time Machine backups.

Step 1: Connect this Time Machine backup external hard drive to your Mac.

Step 2: Click on the Apple logo at the top left corner and select System Preferences.

Step 3: Find Time Machine, open it, and then check Show Time Machine in menu bar.

Step 4: Locate Time Machine at the upper right menu, click its icon and choose Enter Time Machine.

Step 5: Look through the Time Machine backup folders in the left sidebar and locate the target files according to time.

Step 6: Select files you want to recover and click Restore.

Solution 3: Recover lost data with Mac data recovery software

If you haven't backed up the lost/missing files with Time Machine, then you can look for a Mac data recovery tool to recover files from the Mac computer after macOS Catalina update.

You can use iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac to recover lost data from Mac computers.

iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is user-friendly Mac data recovery software, which can recover photos, videos, music files, word files, emails, etc. from Mac computers. It is one of the most powerful APFS data recovery tools that can recover files from formatted, corrupted, unreadable, unmountable APFS partitions/drives. What's more, it also can retrieve deleted/lost files from emptied Trash and supports external hard drive data recovery, SD card data recovery, USB flash drive data recovery, etc.

Tutorial to recover lost data from macOS Catalina with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac

Step 1: Download iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on your Mac and launch it.

Step 2: Select the drive/volume you lost data from and click Next to scan for files on this drive.

Step 3: Select files you want to get back. You can preview the target files by double-clicking.

Step 4: Click Recover to get lost/missing files back.

16. External drive is read-only in macOS Catalina

Another problem many users are facing is that external drives are read-only in macOS Catalina. This could include hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, etc. As a result, you will be unable to write to, transfer, edit, delete files on the read-only drive in macOS Catalina. As a matter of fact, this problem results from the NTFS file system which Apple does not officially allow write support, and it not only occurs to macOS 10.15 Catalina but other Mac operating systems.

How to fix external drive read-only in macOS Catalina:

If your external drives are read-only in macOS and you're unable to write to NTFS drives, you can download an NTFS for Mac driver like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac. This tool can mount NTFS drives on Mac in read-write mode, granting you full access to NTFS drives in macOS so that you can create, save, copy, paste, delete and modify files on this drive.

Best NTFS Driver for Mac - iBoysoft NTFS for Mac

• Mount NTFS volumes in read-write mode and unmount with single click
• Check and repair NTFS disk errors on Mac
• Erase data on NTFS disks easily
• Reformat exFAT/FAT32/HFS+ disk to NTFS on Mac
• Support macOS 10.15/10.14/10.13/10.12 and OS X 10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8

Read also:

If you're faced with a macOS Catalina issue that is not covered in this article or you have other tested and trusted solutions, kindly update us via [email protected]

Jun 17, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

It might sound surprising, but a lot of Mac users undergo issues like this related to their Mac folder icons, dock, and desktop. For instance, chances are that some folders can get disappeared from the desktop on Mac unexpectedly or your Mac toolbar can get hidden as well. Don’t worry – we are here to help you with every essential solution regarding Mac desktop and other related problems.

In this guide, we will discuss stepwise solutions related to numerous Mac desktop issues and even teach you how to get back lost Mac folders as well.

Why Does Everything on Desktop Disappear on Mac?

Before we discuss various Mac desktop issues, it is important to learn what could have caused them in the first place. When everything on my desktop disappeared on Mac, I tried to diagnose the problem and discovered the following reasons behind it:

• You could have accidentally deleted a file or icon from the desktop.
• Chances are that you might have disabled dock or taskbar.
• A third-party application could have changed your desktop settings.
• Mac settings would have been altered during an update or OS repair.
• There might be some change in the overall display or system settings on Mac.
• A clash between some other kernel and local OS process could have caused the issue.
• A broken firmware process or tamper with macOS can also cause the same.
• Sometimes, a virus or malware attack can also make your desktop icons or dock disappear.

Problem 1: Folders Disappeared From Desktop Mac

When it comes to everything disappearing from the desktop, the first problem must be the missing folders or hidden Mac folder icons. There would be a problem with system settings or you might have accidentally deleted something as well. Don’t worry – we have an easy solution for both of these issues.

1. Disable the iCloud Drive Sync

A lot of users have noticed that when the iCloud sync option is enabled on their Mac, it leads to the temporary unavailability of certain folders on the desktop. This is because while iCloud syncs the data, the relevant Mac folder icons become missing or hidden. If you want, you can just wait for the sync to finish or disable it altogether.

1. Firstly, go to your Mac’s System Preferences and open the iCloud application.
2. From here, just disable the iCloud Drive option by unchecking it.
3. If you want, you can also go to its “Options” to further customize things.

In the end, close the iCloud application on your Mac and go to the desktop to see if the icons are still missing or not on Mac.

2. Use a Missing Folder Recovery Tool

If you have accidentally deleted a folder from your Mac’s desktop, then this would be an ideal solution for you. With the help of Recoverit Mac Folder Recovery software, you can get back all kinds of deleted and lost content.

This includes the deleted folders on Mac as well. The tool is developed by Wondershare and is extremely easy to use. It can help you recover data lost due to a virus attack, formatted disk, accidental deletion, corrupt storage, and every other common scenario. The application features different scanning modes and is known for its high data recovery rate.

Will Desktop Icons Stay After Software Update Mac Download

You can get the Mac desktop folder or any other content back using Recoverit by following these steps.

Step 1: Select the desktop disk

Go to the official website of Wondershare Recoverit and install the recovery tool on your Mac. When you launch it, you can select a location to scan. In this case, we will be performing data recovery on Mac’s internal hard drive (Macintosh HD) instead of any other connected source.

Step 2: Scan the desktop disk

As soon as you would click on the “Start” button, Recoverit will take the needed steps for data extraction. If you want positive results, then try not to close the application in between.

Step 3: Preview and recover desktop folders

When the data recovery process is completed, the application will display the results on the interface. You can go to any category of your choice from here and preview the retrieved content. Make the needed selection and click on the “Recover” button to save your files to a secure location.

In this way, you can easily get your documents that were disappeared back on Mac. In case if the quick scan was not able to fulfill your requirements, then you can do a deep scan as well. To do this, click on the “All-around Recovery” and wait as Recoverit would extract data from your Mac’s storage. While the deep scan would take more time than the quick scan, the results would also be far better.

Hide Desktop Icons On Mac

How to Recover Desktop Files on Mac

Problem 2: Downloaded Folder on Mac’s Dock Disappeared

If you are a regular Mac user, then you must be familiar with the Downloads folder on Mac’s dock. By default, the Downloads folder is available on the dock for us to access with a single click. Nevertheless, there are times when the Downloads folder gets disappeared from Mac’s dock. You would have done it by mistake or an overwriting of settings could have also caused the same issue. To fix this and get the Download folder back on the dock, follow these steps:

1. Drag the Downloads Folder from the Home Directory

This is the easiest and the fastest solution to get the Downloads folder back on Mac’s dock. Firstly, we will go to the Home directory to access the folder, and later we will just reposition it on the dock.

1. To start with, just click on the “Go” option on the menu and open the Home directory from here.
2. Once the Home directory is opened, you can access multiple folders from here. Simply find the “Downloads” folder where all the downloaded data is stored.
3. Now, drag the Downloads folder and simply drop it to a relevant position on the dock. This will make the Downloads folder reappear on the dock.

2. Reset the Mac Dock

If the dock on your Mac is not working in an ideal manner, then you should consider resetting it as well. This will restore the dock to its default settings, which would automatically have the Downloads icon present. Here’s how you can quickly reset the dock and even resolve issues as Mac dock disappeared.

1. Click on the “Go” option from the menu and visit the “Utilities” folder.
2. Here, you can view all the utility tools on your Mac. Simply launch the Terminal app from here.
3. Now, enter the following commands on Terminal and press Enter: defaults delete com.apple.dock; killall Dock
4. Close Terminal and try to access the Downloads folder on the dock once again.

Problem 3: Mac Desktop Icons Disappeared

A lot of times, users complain that their Mac’s desktop icons have been disappeared. Why did Mac desktop icons disappear? What can make the icons gone? Sometimes missing icons are due to disk permissions or a macOS fault. In most cases, the reason is simple. An application could have overwritten the desktop icon settings, making them hidden or go missing. Therefore, if you wish to get your Mac icons back, then simply follow these steps.

1. Click on the Finder on your desktop and go to its Preferences.
2. Once the Finder Preferences tab is opened, go to its General section.
3. Here, you can see an option to show various icons on Mac. Just make sure that the relevant options (like hard disk, connected drives, etc.) are enabled here.

Problem 4: Toolbar on Mac Disappeared

The toolbar is one of the most important features on Mac’s desktop, which is often termed as the “menu bar” by many. Apart from having the icons of the important apps, it also gives us access to numerous settings and tools. Also, it displays time, notifications, and helps us manage our system. Though, there could be a change in your system’s settings that might have made the Mac toolbar hidden. You can easily fix the Mac toolbar missing issue by following these solutions.

1. Use System Preferences to Show the Toolbar

Just like the dock, you can also get back the Mac toolbar hidden on your desktop via System Preferences.

1. Firstly, go to the Apple menu on the top left and visit System Preferences.
2. From here, visit the General preference panel settings to explore the available options.
3. Under the Appearance section, you can view an option for “Automatically hide and show the menu bar”. Just disable this feature by unchecking the box to make the toolbar stay on Mac’s desktop.

2. Exit the Full-Screen Mode

Mac comes with a feature of the full screen that lets us have an uninterrupted and wider view of the screen. While the full-screen mode is good for watching videos, it makes Mac toolbar hidden, which can make it harder for you to access its settings. Therefore, you can just exit the full-screen mode to get the toolbar back.

To exit the full-screen mode, go to the menu bar location, and hover the cursor over it. Once you see it, go to the “View” menu and click on “Exit Full Screen”.

Additionally, you can also use the keyboard shortcuts to do the same as well. Just press the Command + Control + F keys at the same time to exit the full-screen mode and get back the toolbar on your Mac.

Problem 5: Mac Dock Disappeared

As you know, the dock is the inbuilt feature of Mac that allows us to access all the vital apps and settings quickly. Ideally, you can customize your Mac’s dock as per your needs. Sometimes, while customizing, users end up hiding the dock by mistake. Also, a sudden change in your OS can cause this problem. When my dock disappeared on my Mac, I followed these steps and it quickly solved the problem.

1. Use System Preferences to Hide or Show the Dock

The easiest way to fix Mac dock disappeared is by visiting the System Preferences on your Mac and changing the dock settings.

1. Firstly, go to the Apple logo on the top and click on the “System Preferences” button.
2. From the System Preferences window, you can open the “Dock” settings.
3. Here, you can see an option for “Automatically hide and show the Dock”. Make sure that the feature is disabled (unchecked) so that the dock will stay visible all the time.

2. Use the Keyboard to Show or Hide the Dock

As you know, Mac has a setting to automatically hide the dock and it will only be visible when we hover the mouse over it. If you still can’t access the dock, then follow this quick drill to fix the Mac dock disappeared issue.

1. Move the mouse arrow over the dock to view it or simply press the Option + D keys at the same time.
2. Once the dock is visible, right-click it to get its context menu.
3. From here, click on the “Turn Hiding Off” option, which will make the dock static and visible permanently.

After reading this post, you would be able to resolve queries related to the toolbar on Mac disappeared or Mac dock disappeared. From getting back the missing dock to desktop icons, we have listed solutions for every common issue. If the Mac folder icons are missing on the desktop, then consider using Recoverit Data Recovery to get them back. If you have accidentally deleted some files, you would be able to retrieve them using this reliable data recovery tool. You can also download it for free on your Mac and use it at the time of need to recover missing files and folders without any trouble.

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