How to revive or restore Mac firmware

Rarely, a Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip may stop responding and need to be revived or restored by another Mac.

When to revive or restore

What you’ll need to revive or restore

How to prepare a laptop to revive or restore

How to prepare a desktop computer to revive or restore

How to revive or restore

When to revive or restore

If the firmware stored in its memory needs to be revived or restored, a Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip may become unresponsive. This can occur in certain rare circumstances, such as when a power failure interrupts macOS installation. Symptoms can include:

• Starts up to an exclamation point in a circle

• Shows the status indicator light pattern for firmware recovery mode

• Turns on, but starts up to a blank screen (there are also other causes and solutions for a blank screen)

To resolve without erasing any of your files, revive the firmware of your Mac. Or restore, if reviving is unsuccessful.

What you’ll need to revive or restore

1. The affected Mac, which is the Mac with Apple silicon or Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip that you’re reviving or restoring. Other Mac models don’t apply.

2. Another Mac using macOS Monterey 12.4 or later. You will use this Mac to revive or restore the affected Mac.

   • If this Mac is using macOS Monterey or macOS Ventura, download Apple Configurator from the App Store, then open the app before proceeding. Can’t download it?

   • If this Mac is using macOS Sonoma or later, you don’t need Apple Configurator.

3. A USB-C to USB-C cable that supports data and charging, such as the Apple USB-C Charge Cable included with some Apple products. It works with ports on Mac that accept a type USB-C connector: Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt/USB 4, Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3. Don’t use a Thunderbolt 3 cable.

How to prepare a laptop to revive or restore

You will use the USB-C cable to connect the two computers, then enter DFU (device firmware update) mode on the affected computer.

1. Make sure that both computers are connected to power.

2. On the affected MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, identify the DFU port, then plug the USB-C cable into that port.

3. On the other Mac:

   • Plug the other end of the USB-C cable into any USB-C port.

   • Make sure this Mac is connected to the internet.*

   • If this Mac is running macOS Ventura or macOS Monterey, open Apple Configurator.

4. On the affected Mac, enter DFU mode:

   1. Press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds, until the Mac turns off. (If your Mac has a Touch ID button, it’s also the power button.) If the Mac turns on instead, repeat this step.

   2. Press and release the power button, then immediately press and hold all four of these together on the built-in keyboard:

      • Control ⌃ on the left-hand side of the keyboard

      • Option ⌥ on the left-hand side of the keyboard

      • Shift ⇧ on the right-hand side of the keyboard

      • Power button

        

   3. Mac laptop with Apple silicon:

      • Keep holding all four keys for about 10 seconds, then release all keys except the power button.

      • Keep holding the power button for up to 10 more seconds. Release the power button when the other Mac is showing a DFU window in the Finder or Apple Configurator. If it first shows an alert asking you to allow the accessory to connect, release the power button and click Allow. The affected Mac will now be in DFU mode and should be showing a blank screen.

   4. Mac laptop with T2 chip: keep holding all four of the keys for about three seconds. Release all of the keys when the other Mac is showing a DFU window in the Finder or Apple Configurator. If it first shows an alert asking you to allow the accessory to connect, release all of the keys and click Allow. The affected Mac will now be in DFU mode and should be showing a blank screen.

5. Follow the steps below to revive or restore using the Finder or Apple Configurator.

How to prepare a desktop computer to revive or restore

You will use the USB-C cable to connect the two computers, then enter DFU (device firmware update) mode on the affected computer.

1. On the affected Mac, identify the DFU port, then plug the USB-C cable into that port.

2. On the other Mac:

   • Plug the other end of the USB-C cable into any USB-C port.

   • Make sure that this Mac is connected to power and to the internet.*

   • If this Mac is running macOS Ventura or macOS Monterey, open Apple Configurator.

3. On the affected Mac, enter DFU mode:

   1. Unplug the Mac from its power source.

   2. Press and hold the power button.

   3. Keep holding the power button while plugging the Mac into power and continue holding it for up to 10 more seconds. Release the power button when the other Mac is showing a DFU window in the Finder or Apple Configurator. If it first shows an alert asking you to allow the accessory to connect, release the power button and click Allow. The affected Mac will now be in DFU mode and should be showing a blank screen.

4. Follow the steps below to revive or restore using the Finder or Apple Configurator.

How to revive or restore

After preparing your laptop computer or preparing your desktop computer as described above, use either the Finder or Apple Configurator to revive or restore the affected Mac, depending on which macOS the other Mac is using.

Revive

Try reviving first. It can be faster than restoring, and it doesn’t erase your Mac.

1. If using the Finder (requires macOS Sonoma or later):

   1. In the sidebar of a Finder window, select “Mac”, as pictured above. Don't see it?

   2. Click the Revive Mac button, then click Continue to confirm. A progress bar in this window will show that the revive is underway.

2. If using Apple Configurator (requires macOS Monterey 12.4 or later):

   1. Open Apple Configurator, which you can download from the App Store. Can’t download it?

   2. In the Apple Configurator window, select “DFU” for the affected Mac, as pictured above. Don't see it?

   3. From the menu bar, choose Actions > Advanced > Revive Device. A progress bar in this window will show that the revive is underway.

3. When the revive is complete, the affected Mac restarts automatically. If it shuts down instead, press the power button to turn it on.

4. If asked, select a volume to recover (such as Macintosh HD), then click Next.

5. If asked, select a user you know the password for, and enter that user’s login password. Click Next, then click Restart.

6. Mac with Apple silicon: The revived Mac loads startup options, which includes Options with a gear icon. Select your startup disk (such as Macintosh HD), then click the Continue button that appears below it.

7. The revived Mac will finish starting up, then the process will be complete.

Restore

If your Mac can’t be revived, follow these steps to erase it and restore it to factory settings.

1. If using the Finder (requires macOS Sonoma or later):

   1. In the sidebar of a Finder window, select “Mac”, as pictured above. Don't see it?

   2. Click the Restore Mac button, then click Restore and Update to confirm. A progress bar in this window will show that the restore is underway.

2. If using Apple Configurator (requires macOS Monterey 12.4 or later):

   1. Open Apple Configurator, which you can download from the App Store. Can’t download it?

   2. In the Apple Configurator window, select “DFU” for the affected Mac, as pictured above. Don't see it?

   3. From the menu bar, choose Actions > Restore, then click Restore to confirm. A progress bar in this window will show that the restore is underway.

3. When the restore is complete, the affected Mac restarts automatically. If it shuts down instead, press the power button to turn it on.

4. If asked, select a Wi-Fi network or attach a network cable.

5. Mac with Apple silicon: 

   1. If asked, sign in to the Apple Account previously used with this Mac.

   2. When the setup assistant opens, use it to finish setting up your Mac.

6. Mac with T2 chip: 

   1. The restored Mac will show a spinning globe as it starts up from macOS Recovery over the internet. Choose your language when asked.

   2. If asked, sign in to the Apple Account previously used with this Mac. Then click Exit to Recovery.

   3. When you see the list of utilities in Recovery, choose the option to install or reinstall macOS.

   4. After macOS installation has finished, the Mac will restart and open the setup assistant. Use it to finish setting up your Mac.

If you don’t see your Mac in the window

After setting up your computers, if the affected Mac doesn’t appear in the Finder or Apple Configurator:

• If you’re using the Finder to revive or restore, choose Finder > Settings from the menu bar. Click Sidebar at the top of the settings window, then confirm that “CDs, DVDs and iOS Devices” has been selected.

• Disconnect the USB-C cable from the affected Mac, then press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds to turn off the affected Mac. Reconnect the USB-C cable to the DFU port, then try again to enter DFU mode. Proper timing of key presses is important.

• Try a different USB-C cable. It must support both data and charging.

If you can’t complete a revive or restore or you still need help, contact Apple Support.

If you can’t download Apple Configurator

When attempting to download Apple Configurator from the App Store, if the App Store says Apple Configurator can’t be installed because a later macOS version is required, make sure you’re using macOS Monterey 12.4 or later and have signed in to the App Store. Then try again. You should then be prompted to download an older compatible version of Apple Configurator. Allow the download, then use the older version.