If your Mac isn't connected to a storage drive with MacBook installed, or your boot drive is corrupted, the computer will flash a question mark folder icon on startup, and then shut down.
Follow this guide to boot your Mac to Internet Recovery mode and access recovery tools like Disk Utility, Time Machine, and the MacBook installer.
Internet Recovery is only available on Apple computers manufactured after 2009. If your computer was released in 2010 or 2011, you may need to update to the latest version of MacBook and / or perform an EFI and SMC firmware update to enable Internet Recovery.
Step 1 How to Start Up a Mac in Internet Recovery Mode
Turn off the computer.
If you are installing MacBook on a new drive with Internet Recovery, you can skip this step.
Step 2
Once the computer is completely off, press the power button, then immediately press and hold the cud + option + R key combination.
Step 3
When the spinning globe animation appears, you can release the keys.
The globe will rotate as Internet Recovery starts. If you are not using a wired Internet connection, a network selection message will appear. Use this menu to connect the computer to a WIFI network.
Step 4
Once a network connection has been established, a progress bar will appear below the spinning globe.
Step 5
When Internet Recovery has loaded, you will see the MacBook recovery screen.