How to boot a Mac to recovery mode

Tags Mac

Devices:

Intel-based Mac

  1. Turn off the Mac
  2. Press the power button then immediately press and hold one of the following combinations until you see the startup screen:
    • Command-R: Built-in macOS recovery system. Lets you reinstall the latest macOS that was installed on the Mac, restore Mac from a time machine backup, or enter disk utility
    • Option-Command-R: macOS recovery over the internet. Lets you reinstall macOS and upgrade to the latest version of macOS that's compatible with your Mac
    • Option-Shift-Command-R: macOS recovery over the internet. Lets you reinstall the version of macOS that came with your Mac or the closest version that's still available
  3. If prompted with a lock screen, enter the log in password for the Mac

For additional information about the options available from recovery, consult the Apple website. 

Apple Silicon Mac

  1. Turn off the Mac
  2. Press and hold the power button until Loading start up options appears
  3. Click Options then Continue
  4. Select a volume to recover (if prompted) then click Next
  5. Select an administrator account then click Next
  6. Enter the password for the administrator account then click Continue 
  7. Select one of the available recovery options 

For additional information about the options available from recovery, consult the Apple website. 

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