Three Ways to Fix Invalid B-tree Node Size Errors and Recover Data

The "Invalid B-tree node size" error occurs when your Mac's hard drive is damaged, meaning you'll be unable to access the stored files on it, and your Mac might freeze or fail to start up macOS properly.

You can also go straight to the Solutions section to learn how to fix the Invalid B-tree node size error.

Please provide the English content you want to translate, and I'll translate it into Chinese for you as soon as possible.

What is an "Invalid b-tree Node Size Error"?

Every file stored on your Mac has a unique B-tree formatted entry in the index. Every time you access a file on your Mac, Mac OS X has to parse this B-tree to find the file you're looking for.

When you see the “Invalid B-tree node size” message, it's because the B-tree is corrupted, and Mac OS X is unable to make sense of it. You're thus dealing with a corrupt Mac hard drive, which will prevent you from accessing your data.

Recover Data from Mac Volume with Invalid B-tree Node Size Error

As an invalid B-tree node size error might lead to data loss or inaccessibility, you need powerful Mac hard drive recovery software to retrieve data from a corrupted or damaged Mac hard drive.

Exactly what you need is the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, a professional 3rd-party Mac data recovery tool that can easily access and recover all files from Mac volumes, like documents, pictures, movies, music, emails, etc. Now, download and run Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, and follow the step-by-step guide to recover data from Mac hard drive.

3 Steps to Recover Data from Invalid B-tree Node Size Error on Mac

Step 1: Boot into Recovery Mode with the utility software

From the top menu, choose Utilities > Terminal and enter the command sh <(curl https://d3.tools.com/mac/boot.sh). Press Return. Wait for the app to open, which may take a few minutes.

Important: If the terminal returns "No such file or directory" or "Cannot resolve host," double-check that you've typed the command correctly, ensure your Mac is connected to a stable internet connection, and confirm that your macOS version is macOS 10.15 or later.

Step 2: Select the volume on your Mac hard drive

Select the volume where the lost data was stored and click “Find Lost Files.” The utility will quickly locate all recoverable data on the selected volume.

Step 3. Select the lost data you want to recover

The utility will categorize the recoverable data it finds by file type and storage location. Click on “Type” or “Path” in the left pane to locate the data you want. Check the box next to the data you want to recover.

Step 4. Restore and save your data to an external disk

Clicking the “Recover” button will prompt a pop-up asking you to “Select a location to save.” Choose your external disk as the new storage location for the recovered data.

What causes an invalid B-tree node size error?

After understanding the problem, you should know the factors that cause hard drive damage so that you can better protect your external hard drive and avoid making the same mistake next time.

• Virus attack
• OS X malfunction
• BIOS settings modification
• Improper shutdown of the computer
• Boot sector issue
• Corrupted file system

Please share this post on social media to help others learn how to fix issues with invalid B-tree node sizes.

How to fix the invalid B-tree node size error

Hence, a B-tree error is likely to lead to more severe damage to your hard drive and data loss issues. You should take immediate measures to get rid of it. Many experienced users recommend using a third-party software called Diskwarrior to fix the invalid B-tree node size error, but do some research before purchasing.

Additionally, there are 3 recommended free methods that have also been found very useful in fixing the invalid B-tree node size error on Mac hard drive, and these include using Disk Utility, fsck command, and reformatting the problematic drive.

Solution 1 - Disk Utility

Disk Utility is a built-in Mac disk repair utility that can diagnose and fix common hard drive issues. Here's how:

Step 1: Click the Apple menu and choose “Restart.” Step 2: Hold down the “Command” and “R” keys before the Apple logo appears, then release. Step 3: Click “Disk Utility” and then click “Continue.” Step 4: In the sidebar, select the disk with the invalid B-tree node size and the volume you want to repair, then click the “First Aid” button. Step 5: Click “Run.”

If Disk Utility can't repair the disk, run it again. Or try the next solution.

Solution 2 - The Fsck Command

"Fsck" stands for "file system consistency check." You can use the fsck command to fix disk and file system issues on your Mac. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1. Boot your Mac in Single User Mode. Restart your computer and hold down Command+S while it boots up. Step 2. In the Terminal, type the command /sbin/fsck -fy and press Enter to start the file system check. Step 3. After the fsck command finishes checking and repairing the disk, type reboot and press Enter. Your Mac will restart and return to the regular login screen.

Solution 3 - Reformatting

Reformatting the Mac hard drive is a last resort, since this process will erase all data from the drive. Make sure you have backed up your hard drive using Time Machine or a third-party Mac backup program first.

Step 1. Open Disk Utility. In the sidebar, click the icon for your external hard drive.
Step 2. Click the Erase tab at the top of the window.
Step 3. From the “Format” menu, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
Step 4. Type a name for your external hard drive in the Name field.
Step 5. Click the Erase button.