How to Check a Mac's S.M.A.R.T. Status

Techwalla may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.

S.M.A.R.T. stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology, and it verifies the status of your Mac's hard drive. The S.M.A.R.T. status of your Mac can be found in two ways -- either through the System Report window or through your system's Disk Utility. Use the status reading as a way to determine whether your hard drive needs repairing or replacing.

Advertisement

System Report Method

Video of the Day

Step 1

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Click the Apple icon in the menu bar.

Advertisement

Video of the Day

Step 2

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Click About This Mac in the drop-down menu.

Advertisement

Step 3

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Click System Report in the pop-up window.

Advertisement

Step 4

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Locate and select SATA/SATA Express in the hardware menu.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Step 5

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Locate the S.M.A.R.T. Status in the hard drive feature list. The status will read either Verified or Failing.

Advertisement

Disk Utility Method

Step 1

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Click the Finder icon in the launch bar.

Advertisement

Step 2

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Click Applications in the sidebar of the finder window.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Step 3

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Locate and click the Utilities folder.

Advertisement

Step 4

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Locate and select Disk Utility.

Advertisement

Step 5

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Select your hard drive name in the menu.

Advertisement

Step 6

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Click Info in the top menu of the window.

Step 7

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple

Locate the S.M.A.R.T Status heading in the pop-up window. The status will read either Verified or Failing.

Verified Status

A S.M.A.R.T status that reads "Verified" indicates that your hard drive is functioning normally. Continue to use your device as usual; no further action needs to be taken.

Failing Status

A failing S.M.A.R.T status indicates that the hard drive is faulty or dying. This can be caused by an old hard drive or corrupted files on the device. Take the computer to an Apple Store or an authorized Apple service provider for assistance with fixing or replacing the hard drive.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Report an Issue

screenshot of the current page

Screenshot loading...