MacOS Recovery (often called Mac Recovery Mode) was introduced in 2010 with OS X 10.7 Lion. This Recovery HD partition contains the latest version of macOS that you have installed on your Mac and helps fix problems with your Mac. It’s a useful tool that the majority of Mac users will almost never need to use.
Why use macOS recovery?
I said almost. There are a few cases in which you may need to use macOS Recovery:
- You need to erase a Mac because you want to sell it or pass it on to a new user. MacOS Recovery will allow you to erase your Mac, removing your data and your Apple ID. We have a detailed tutorial on how to erase your Mac and restore it to factory settings. Note that there is a new way to erase your Mac in macOS Monterey, which we also cover in this tutorial.
- You need to troubleshoot problems, such as boot failure. For more information, read: What to do if your Mac won’t start.
- There is a problem with your disk and you want to use Disk Utility to repair it. Read: How to use Disk Utility on a Mac.
- Disk Utility was unable to repair the problem with your drive.
- You are having problems with a particular version of macOS and want to revert to an older version. Read: How to Reinstall macOS Using Recovery Mode.
- You want to perform a fresh installation of macOS. This could fix issues that might be slowing down your Mac, for example. Here’s how to clean install macOS.
- You want to erase your disk for another reason.
- You want to restore from a Time Machine backup. Read: How to restore from Time Machine.
- You are having problems with your Internet connection.
How to Boot a Mac into Recovery Mode
There are now two ways to start Recovery Mode and the method you use depends on the Mac you have.
M-series Mac
If you have a new Mac with an Apple processor, such as the M1 Macs introduced in November 2020, or one of the newer M3 Pro MacBook Pro models, you need to access recovery using a new method ( many people don’t know this). and you wonder why Command+R no longer works).
- Turn off the Mac.
- Press and hold the power button.
- Eventually the Apple logo will appear with text underneath informing that if you continue to hold the power button you will be able to access the boot options. Keep pressing this button.
- Finally, you can select Possibilities > Continue and it will open the recovery, according to the image below. (Please excuse the quality when it is not possible to take a screenshot!)
Mac Intel
If you need to enter recovery mode on a Mac with an Intel processor, follow these steps:
- Click on the Apple logo at the top left of the screen.
- Select Reboot.
- Immediately hold down the Command and R keys until you see an Apple logo or a spinning globe. You will see the globe spinning if the Mac attempts to boot macOS recovery over the Internet because it is unable to boot from the built-in recovery system.
- Eventually, your Mac will display the Recovery Mode Utilities window with the following options:
There are several different key combinations you can use to boot into recovery mode depending on what you want to do, we detail them below.
What keys to use for macOS recovery mode
Depending on what you want to do with macOS Recovery, several key combinations can be used during startup. These options work on a Mac with an Intel processor:
- Command+R: Use this if you want to install the latest version of macOS that you have installed on your Mac (a newer version is not installed if you have not upgraded). Note that if you are selling or giving away a Mac using OS X El Capitan or earlier, you should also use Command + R: this will ensure that the installation is not associated with your Apple ID.
- Option/Alt+Command+R: Use it if you want to upgrade to the latest version of macOS compatible with your Mac.
- Shift+Option+Command+R: This will install the version of macOS that came with your Mac, or the one closest to that version if it’s not available for download.
Mac Recovery Mode Options
When you boot into recovery mode, you will see the following options:
- Restore from a Time Machine backup: If you have a Time Machine backup, this is an easy way to restore your system
- Reinstall macOS : This will allow you to reinstall macOS (the version will depend on the key combination used above)
- Safari (Or Get help online in older versions): To access Apple’s support web pages. This gives you access to Safari so you can find the help you need, but some browser features won’t be available.
- Disk Utility: This option allows you to check and repair connected drives.
Select the option that applies to you and click Continue.
We have different tutorials that might help you here. For example:
Other options in recovery mode
There are also various options accessible from the menu at the top of the page via the File, Edit, Utilities and Window tabs. These include:
- Terminal: You can access Terminal via the Utilities menu. Learn how to use Terminal here.
- Boot Security Utility: Found in the Utilities menu. The Startup Security Utility includes settings that allow your Mac to boot from a reliable startup disk. M-series Macs and Macs with the T2 chip have additional options, including firmware password protection, Secure Boot, and external boot options. It is in this second section that you will find Allow booting from external or removable media. You will need this selection to boot from a bootable drive. See: How to create a bootable USB installer for macOS.
- Network Utility: The Network Utility app gives you access to tools and information that can help you troubleshoot problems with your network connections. Learn more about troubleshooting network issues. Click the Network Utility option if you want to test ping on your Mac (we have a guide to testing ping on a Mac).
What to do if macOS recovery doesn’t work
If you’re having trouble booting into macOS Recovery, there are several options, but again, they’re different depending on whether you’re using an M-series Mac or an Intel Mac.
M-series Mac
Apple offers a detailed “Recovery Recovery Mode” here. In this case, press the power button twice: first press it, release it, then press and hold the power button. Fallback recovery mode accesses a second copy of recoveryOS on the SSD of Macs with an M-series chip. Apple says the second copy is there for resiliency. There is no Internet Recovery for M-series Macs like there is for Intel Macs.
Mac Intel
You can try to force it to boot into macOS Recovery over the Internet. Internet Recovery Mode lets you download a new copy of macOS from the Internet so you can reinstall it on your Mac. This only works on Macs from 2011 or later, and you’ll need to install OS X Lion or later.
Here’s how to do it:
- On an Intel Mac, hold down Option/Alt-Command-R or Shift-Option/Alt-Command-R during startup to force macOS Recovery to start over the Internet.
We have more tips for booting without a recovery partition.
If you still can’t boot, you can try booting via an external Mac startup disk.
How to exit macOS recovery?
To exit macOS Recovery, you must shut down or restart the Mac. Go to the Apple menu and select Restart or Shut down. If you restart, the Mac will start as usual. If you turn it off, your Mac will start as usual when you turn it on.
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