TL;DR
To boot Mac into recovery mode:
- On Intel-based Mac: Restart your Mac and press and hold the Command ⌘ + R keys with the Power button.
- On Apple Silicon Mac: Press and hold the Power button until the Startup Options screen appears.
Tried and Tested ✅: The methods and steps mentioned in this article have been tried and tested firsthand by Ojash Yadav on his MacBook Pro M3 and rechecked for errors on Hashir’s MacBook Air M2.
macOS Recovery mode can help you recover your Mac, repair storage, tweak security settings, reinstall macOS, or restore files via Time Machine. In this guide, I’ll show you how to boot Mac into Recovery mode, both Intel-based and M1.
How to Boot Mac Into Recovery Mode
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Before I explain how to boot Mac into Recovery mode, note that the steps differ for Intel-based and Apple Silicon Macs. Here’s how to check your processor type on Mac:
Go to Apple menu > About This Mac.
- If the new box says Chip, you have Apple silicon
- If the new box says Processor, you have an Intel Mac
You can click the More Info button to find out more about your Mac’s firmware.
Now, I have an Apple M1 Mac, so I’ll start with that.
How to Boot Apple Silicon Mac into Recovery Mode
Follow these steps to boot your Apple Silicon Mac with M1, M2, or M3 chip into Recovery Mode:
- Shut down your Mac by choosing the Apple menu > Shut Down.
- Press and hold the Power button until you see the Startup Options screen.
- Click Options, then click Continue.
This will boot your Apple Silicon Mac into Recovery Mode. When the Recovery app appears, choose from the available options in the window or menu bar.
How to Boot Intel-based Mac into Recovery Mode
Here’s a step-by-step guide to boot your Intel-based Mac into Recovery Mode:
- Click the Apple menu and select Restart.
- Press and hold one of these key combinations until the startup screen appears:
- Command ⌘ + R: Start from the built-in macOS Recovery to reinstall the latest macOS or use other Recovery apps.
- Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + R: Start from macOS Recovery over the internet to reinstall and upgrade to the latest compatible macOS.
- Shift ⇧ + Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + R: Start from macOS Recovery over the internet to reinstall the macOS that came with your Mac or the closest available version.
- If prompted, enter your Mac’s password.
- If you have multiple volumes, select the one to recover and click Next.
- Choose an admin account, enter the password, and click Continue.
This will boot your Intel-based Mac into Recovery Mode. When the Recovery app appears, select an option from the window or menu bar.
What Can You Do in macOS Recovery Mode?
Once you’ve entered the Recovery Mode on your Mac, you can do the following repair and recovery tasks:
- Reinstall macOS: You can reinstall macOS on your Mac without erasing your data. This is useful if your system is malfunctioning or if you want to refresh the OS.
- Restore from a Time Machine Backup: If you have a Time Machine backup, you can restore your Mac to a previous state.
- Disk Utility: Use Disk Utility to repair, erase, or partition your disk. You can also use it to check your storage drives’ health and fix certain disk-related issues.
- Safari: Access the web using Safari, which can be helpful for finding online support or downloading tools while troubleshooting.
- Startup Security Utility (Intel-based Macs): Manage startup disk security, set a firmware password, or control external boot options. To access in Recovery Mode, click Utilities > Startup Security Utility from the menu bar.
- Terminal: Access the command line for advanced troubleshooting, running scripts, or accessing system files. To access Terminal in Recovery Mode, click Utilities in the menu bar > Terminal.
- Share Disk: On a Mac with Apple silicon, you can share your disk with another Mac and allow it to use your Mac’s disk as an external drive.
- Startup Disk Selection: Choose a different startup disk if you want to boot from an external drive or a different partition.
Why Won’t Your Mac Go Into Recovery Mode?
💡 Tip: If your Mac doesn’t enter Recovery Mode, reboot it and hold Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + R or Shift ⇧ + Option ⌥ + Command ⌘ + R to force boot into macOS Recovery Mode via the internet.
If your Mac won’t go into Recovery Mode, it could be due to one of the following reasons:
- 🔑 Incorrect Key Combination: Make sure you’re holding the correct keys for your specific Mac model (Command ⌘ + R for Intel-based Macs, or holding the Power button for Apple silicon Macs).
- 🛠️ Firmware or Hardware Issues: A failing hard drive or memory problems can prevent your Mac from entering Recovery Mode.
- ⚠️ Corrupted Recovery Partition: If the Recovery partition on your Mac is damaged or missing, the system may not be able to access Recovery Mode.
- 🕰️ Older macOS Version: Some older Macs or macOS versions may not support the standard Recovery Mode or might require different key combinations.
- 🛡️ Third-Party Security Software: Security or antivirus software could interfere with your Mac’s ability to boot into Recovery Mode.
- 🔌 External Devices: Sometimes, connected external devices or peripherals can interfere with booting into Recovery Mode.
- 🔒 FileVault Encryption: If FileVault is enabled, it might affect how your Mac boots into Recovery Mode, especially if the encryption process was interrupted.
- 🚫 Unresponsive System: If your Mac is entirely unresponsive, it may not be able to enter Recovery Mode due to a more severe system issue.
In these cases, you may need to try alternative recovery methods, like using Internet Recovery, booting from an external drive, or contacting Apple Support.
Why Use macOS Recovery Mode?
macOS Recovery Mode is a powerful tool but most Mac users will almost never use it. However, there are a few situations where you may need to use Recovery Mode on Mac:
- If you want to give away, trade-in, or sell your Mac, you can erase all your data and disconnect your Apple ID using Recovery Mode.
- Boot with minimal resources in Recovery Mode to diagnose and fix Mac startup problems.
- If your Mac’s hard drive has any issues, Recovery Mode can help repair it with Disk Utility.
- If you want to restore your Mac to a previous state via Time Machine back up, Recovery Mode can help.
- You’re having issues with your current macOS version and want to revert to an older one.
- You want to perform a clean install of macOS to fix issues that may be slowing down your Mac.
Repair Your Mac In Recovery Mode
Knowing how to boot your Mac into Recovery Mode can help fix various system-related issues. Here are some more tips to troubleshoot Mac issues:
- If the standard Recovery Mode is not working, boot your Mac into Internet Recovery Mode.
- If you suspect hardware issues affecting your system performance, run Apple Diagnostics on your Mac.
- Back up your Mac data to cloud or an external drive before any disk repairs or reinstallation.
