Fix ‘File system check exit code is 8’ Error on macOS and Recover Lost Data

Hard Drive Issue - File system check exit code is 8

“Hi, I have a 1TB WD external hard drive. But, it won’t mount on my Mac. I restart my Mac, then use Disk Utility > First Aid to repair it. It gives this messages ‘File system check exit code is 8’ when running First Aid. Basically wondering what my options are, wondering what I am to do. If there is a way to recover the data from it and/or fix the drive.” - Darren

Some causes result in ‘File system check exit code is 8’ error

• Corrupt or incompatible file system, system directory on the drive.
• Incorrectly configured system settings.
• Virus attack, malware or spyware infection.
• Outdated drivers/software Mac startup drive or directory is loaded with Junk file/programs.

macOS contains a variety of tools for repairing disk, partition, and file system errors. Disk Utility's First Aid is the most frequently used one. But First Aid can only fix minor errors on disks, if the problem is beyond its reach, some error messages will be reported, such as "File system check exit code is 8". Normally, the exit code 0 is a good thing, which means no error is found. While the "File system check exit code is 8" indicates a corrupted file system is found during a check. Here, we will show you some easy methods to fix ‘File system check exit code is 8’, and find a data recovery software to help you recover data from your hard drive (local hard drive or external hard drive).

First of all, rescue your data

When ‘File system check exit code is 8’ occurs, you can’t access to your data in the hard drive. The data is lost? Don’t worry, you can get lost data back. Here are some methods.

1. Check your previous backups. If you have backup your hard drive which has ‘File system check exit code is 8’ error, you can restore your data via backups.

2. Clone or move your data to another hard drive. Some disk cloning software is able to help you clone the hard drive data to another good hard drive.

3. Find a Windows PC, then connect the hard drive to the Windows PC to check if it can be recognized by the Windows PC. If yes, just copy the hard drive to your Windows PC.

4. Find a data recovery software to recover lost data.

Do Your Data Recovery is a powerful data recovery software, it can help you recover lost data from the hard drive which has ‘File system check exit code is 8’ error. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Download Do Your Data Recovery on your Mac computer, then run it on your Mac. It will show all hard drives and external devices on your Mac computer.

Step 2: Select the hard drive which has ‘File system check exit code is 8’ error, then click on Scan button to scan the hard drive. It is recommended to enable Advanced Recovery to scan the hard drive.

Step 3: Preview and recover lost files after scan. If you can’t find all lost files after quick scan, then try advanced recovery mode to scan the hard drive again.

Some useful tips for fixing ‘File system check exit code is 8’ error on macOS

1- Check your macOS, and upgrade it to the latest version. Then restart your Mac to check if the ‘File system check exit code is 8’ is fixed.

2- Boot your Mac into Safe Mode: Restart your Mac computer and hold the button of the "Shift" while it's booting. Input your secret word and your Macintosh will then check your disks. This will cost much time, please be patient. When it's finished signing in and you see a work area, the disk check is finished. You can reboot your Macintosh now.

3- Run First Aid in macOS Recovery mode: Boot your Mac into macOS Recovery mode > From the macOS Utilities menu, select Disk Utility > Select the disk that has "File system check exit code is 8" error > Click First Aid on the top menu bar > Click Done and restart your Mac.

4- Use fsck in Single-User Mode.

To do this, start your Mac in single-user mode. Restart it, and then press and hold the Command+S keys while it boots. Type /sbin/fsck -fy into the terminal and press Enter to start a file system check:

If a message generated is "File system was modified", then again run fsck –fy. If it will generate a message "The volume (name) appears to be OK", type reboot and leave Single User Mode.

5- You also can format the hard drive to fix the ‘File system check exit code is 8’ error. DoYourData Super Eraser can help you easily format the hard drive or corrupted hard drive.

If all solutions above can’t help you solve the ‘File system check exit code is 8’ problem, you also can check this guide: How to Repair Disk and File System Problems on Your Mac?