Full Context:
I had a triple boot setup on my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) running macOS, Windows (via Boot Camp), and Kali Linux. Everything was working fine until Windows stopped booting after installing Kali Linux. When I attempted to reclaim the Windows space using the Boot Camp Assistant on macOS, I encountered an error.
After rebooting, I couldn’t boot into any of the operating systems (macOS, Windows, or Kali Linux). In order to get my system working again, I installed a fresh copy of macOS on the Boot Camp partition.
Once I had macOS running, I used Terminal in both normal macOS and Recovery Mode to try and fix my main Macintosh HD partition. Unfortunately, the APFS container shows the UUID FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF and isn’t recognised as an APFS volume.
Terminal Output:
Here are the exact terminal commands and their outputs, both from macOS Recovery and standard mode:
diskutil list
gpt -r show disk0
Issue:
My primary concern is the Macintosh HD APFS partition, which is showing the UUID FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF and is not recognised as an APFS volume. I suspect there’s a problem with the partition table, likely related to the GUID Partition Table (GPT) or Master Boot Record (MBR).
I have seen several users with similar issues involving corrupted UUIDs and damaged partition tables, but I haven’t been able to resolve it by myself.
What I’ve Tried:
Reinstalled macOS over the Boot Camp partition to regain access to macOS.
Used Terminal commands such as diskutil list and gpt -r show disk0 both in Recovery Mode and regular macOS to diagnose the problem.
I haven’t tried installing rEFInd again because my main focus is on recovering the Macintosh HD APFS partition.
What I Need Help With:
Fixing the Macintosh HD APFS partition that is showing the incorrect UUID (FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF).
Restoring proper recognition of the APFS file system.
Any guidance on how to rebuild or repair the partition table (GPT or MBR) to recover access to macOS.
I’m not concerned about Windows or Kali Linux at this point, and I will make sure to set up Time Machine backups moving forward to avoid this situation in the future.
Available Tools & Options:
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I have a bootable Ventoy USB with various utilities, including GParted, Ubuntu, and other operating systems, which I can use to troubleshoot the issue further.
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I also have a macOS Monterey bootable USB that I’ve used to reinstall macOS on the Boot Camp partition.
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Although I don’t currently have a Time Machine backup, I’m committed to creating one immediately after I regain access to my main Macintosh HD partition.
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I can reinstall rEFInd to regain access to Kali Linux, but right now, my priority is fixing the Macintosh HD partition.
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I’ve attempted several terminal commands, including:
diskutil apfs unlockVolume
diskutil apfs decryptVolume
apfs listcryptousers
Unfortunately, none of these worked, and they returned the error: “This is not an APFS file system.”
I’ve seen other users with similar issues related to partition tables and faulty UUIDs, and I plan to reference their cases.
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Thank you in advance for any assistance! I’ve gone through a lot of troubleshooting steps already but am unable to get the Macintosh HD partition back.