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Was given a MacBook Air (2013) secondhand, with one stipulation being that I delete the previous owner's info and items off of the Macbook before I started using it. Did that to Apple's specifications on their website, but whenever it boots into Recovery Mode and I click on reinstall Sierra, I get a "no bag entry" error after clicking go on the MacOS Sierra screen.

I'm at my wits end, and this is basically my last option before I call it quits. Can anyone guide me?

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5 Answers 5

Reset to default
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You could also update the time via ntp service by calling:

ntpdate -u time.apple.com

This solved the issue for the "No bag entry" error message.

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  • 2
    This should be the accepted answer. worked like a charm
    – Mohammad Zekrallah
    Commented Nov 19, 2021 at 8:50
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    This worked for me. And for any future travelers wondering how to do this when you're already in Recovery Mode: You can launch Terminal via the Utilities menu from the menu bar. Once it launches, run the above command, then close Terminal and continue with the restoration.
    – Mike Fahy
    Commented Nov 23, 2021 at 20:52
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    Thank you. Worked like a charm. Wonder why Apple engineer's cloudn't solve it with one line of code
    – Nathan G
    Commented May 16 at 11:40
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    Why did I spend an hour on Apple's support forums and no one even mentioned that system date/time issues can cause the "no bag entry" error??? Thank you for this answer!!
    – kittykittybangbang
    Commented Nov 23 at 21:09
  • This worked for me as well.
    – Rastilin
    Commented Dec 3 at 11:05
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Make sure you're connected to internet before you enter the re-install flow. The machine needs to talk to Apple's servers to verify the license, that's why this error comes up.

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    This was exactly what was wrong for me. After reading this I checked and the mac was connected to a WIFI network with no internet connection. I fixed that and the error went away.
    – JPollock
    Commented Oct 18, 2017 at 18:53
  • This is the correct answer.
    – Dave
    Commented Nov 28, 2017 at 18:33
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    This is also pretty wonky application design
    – duhaime
    Commented Aug 21, 2019 at 13:48
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Sometimes the "No Bag Entry" can be a result of a misconfigured system time and date.

First, verify that the network connection is working properly (which you can do from the Utilities > Network Utilities.

If the network is working properly, try Utilities > Terminal and use the command date to check that the clock is correct.

If it is incorrect, this can cause a "No Bag Entry". You can update it with:

date -u [month][day][hour][minute][year] (or just date [month][day][hour][minute][year] for older machines)

Example: date -u 0711141516

Note: The date you enter should be in UTC and if it's 2:02AM UTC, you'd enter 0202 as hour and minute.

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  • i can confirm that selecting correct date from terminal worked.. but nevertheless i wasn't able to install anyway because system didnt see the disk !!!
    – luky
    Commented Nov 11, 2021 at 9:37
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My suggestion is to create a bootable flash drive with the macOS Sierra installer on it.

  • Boot from the flash drive.
  • Erase the internal harddisk.
  • Reinstall macOS Sierra.

 

Preparation:

  • Download macOS Sierra Installer from the Mac App Store. Once the download completes, it will automatically launch. Quit macOS Sierra Installer app without performing the installation.
  • Take a 16GB or larger USB flash drive to create a bootable Sierra installer. This flash drive is only needed for a clean install on your Mac’s startup drive.

 

How to create a bootable flash drive:

  1. Create a bootable flash drive with macOS Sierra.

First, make sure your USB flash drive is formatted and named as “Untitled”.

  • To format a USB drive launch Disk Utility (Finder -> /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility).
  • Select your USB drive under External.
  • Click the Erase tab at the top of the Disk Utility window. Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from the format list. Then, click the Erase button. When the process is complete, click Done, and close the Disk Utility window.
  • If your drive is named something else, you need to rename it (Open Finder -> right click on the USB drive and choose Rename).

Now, your USB flash drive is ready.

  • Launch Terminal (Finder/Applications/Utilities/Terminal)

  • Enter the following text into Terminal. It may be best to just copy it from here (try triple-clicking) and paste it in.

    sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app --nointeraction

  • Hit the Enter key.

  • Terminal will ask you for an admin password (the one you use to log in). It won’t display characters when you type, so just do it. Hit Return. You’ll see that Terminal erases your drive. Then, Terminal will copy the installer file to your disk. This will take a few minutes. When the process is complete, the Terminal window will report "Done." You can quit Terminal and your bootable macOS Sierra installer USB drive is ready for use.

 

  1. Plug in the bootable macOS Sierra installer USB drive to your Mac.
  2. Restart your Mac while holding the Option key or Cmd+R. Make sure to keep it pressed!
  3. When Mac restarts, you’ll see the macOS Startup Manager with a list of bootable devices that your Mac can start up from.
  4. Use the arrow keys to choose your USB drive with macOS Sierra installer. Press Enter.
  5. Select Disk Utility.
  6. In the window, at the top of the left bar, select your Mac’s Main Drive (it looks like a MacintoshHD).
  7. Select the Erase tab located next to the First Aid button at the top.
  8. Near the center of the window, select the Format drop-down list and select Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) type.
  9. Click Erase (Note: this will erase all your data from your main drive!) and give the drive some time to format.
  10. When it’s done, close Disk Utility and select “Install macOS” from the menu.
  11. Select your main drive and install the new macOS Sierra 10.12.
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    This does not solve the root problem (which was a lack of a valid internet connection). "A bootable installer doesn't download macOS from the Internet, but it does require the Internet to get information specific to your Mac model, such as firmware updates." support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372
    – wisbucky
    Commented Aug 23, 2019 at 23:08
  • but its not possible to download the system !!! it produces error each few seconds and and then another error at the end !!! idiots from apple !!!
    – luky
    Commented Nov 11, 2021 at 9:33
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Updating the date as stated above worked for me. Meanwhile apple tech support told me that it was an issue with the WiFi and I should take the Mac to another location and use a different network

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