How to start up from macOS Recovery

macOS Recovery is the built-in recovery system of your Mac, with utilities to reinstall macOS, repair or erase your startup disk, restore from a Time Machine backup, and more.

Start by determining whether you have Mac with Apple silicon, which includes any Mac with an M-series chip, such as an M1, M2, M3, or M4 chip. If you're not sure, you can try both sets of steps.

• If you have a Mac with Apple silicon

• If you have any other Mac

If you have a Mac with Apple silicon

Follow these steps if you’re using a Mac with Apple silicon. They include steps for what to do if you can’t start up from Recovery.

Start up from macOS Recovery

1. Shut down your Mac. If you can't shut down normally, press and hold the power button on your Mac for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off.¹

2. Press and hold the power button. As you continue to hold it, your Mac turns on and loads startup options. When you see “Loading startup options” or the Options icon, release the power button.

3. Click Options, then click the Continue button that appears below it.

   

4. If asked to select a volume to recover, select your startup disk, such as Macintosh HD. Then click Next.

5. If asked to select a user you know the password for, select the user, click Next, then enter the password they use to log in to this Mac. Forgot the password?

6. You’re in Recovery when you see a list of utilities, which you can use to perform tasks such as restore from Time Machine, reinstall macOS, and erase or repair your startup disk. Additional utilities are available from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

   

7. To quit Recovery, choose Restart or Shut Down from the Apple menu .

If you can’t start up from macOS Recovery

Learn what to do if your Mac doesn't start up all the way, but stays on a blank screen, exclamation point in a circle, or other screen during startup.

If you have any other Mac

Follow these steps if you’re using an Intel-based Mac instead of a Mac with Apple silicon. They include steps for what to do if you can’t start up from Recovery.

Start up from macOS Recovery

1. Shut down your Mac. If you can't shut down normally, press and hold the power button on your Mac for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off.¹

2. Press and release the power button to turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these two keys on your keyboard: Command (⌘) and R. Keep holding until you see an Apple logo or spinning globe.

3. You might be asked to select a network from the Wi-Fi menu or attach a network cable. If you don't see a Wi-Fi menu, look for it in the corner of the screen.

4. If asked to select a volume to recover, select your startup disk, such as Macintosh HD. Then click Next.

5. If asked to select a user you know the password for, select the user, click Next, then enter the password they use to log in to this Mac. Forgot the password?

6. You’re in Recovery when you see a list of utilities, which you can use to perform tasks such as restore from Time Machine, reinstall macOS, and erase or repair your startup disk. Additional utilities are available from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

   

7. To quit Recovery, choose Restart or Shut Down from the Apple menu .

If you can’t start up from macOS Recovery

To help ensure that your Mac can recognize the keys you’re pressing at startup:

• If you’re using a Mac laptop, use its built-in keyboard instead of an external keyboard.

• If you’re using an external keyboard, you might need to wait a few seconds before pressing any keys to give your Mac time to recognize the keyboard as it starts up. Some keyboards have a status light that flashes briefly when the keyboard is ready to use.

• If you’re using your keyboard wirelessly, plug it in to your Mac, if possible. Or try a wired keyboard.

• If your keyboard is made for PC, such as one that has a Windows logo, try a keyboard made for Mac.

If your Mac can’t start up from its built-in Recovery system, it should automatically try to start up from Recovery over the internet. Or you can force Internet Recovery by pressing Command-Option-R or Shift-Command-Option-R at startup instead of Command-R.²

If you see a globe with a warning symbol (exclamation point), startup from Internet Recovery was unsuccessful. If you’re sure that your Mac is connected to the internet, try again later, or try when connected to a different network. Most numbered errors you might see here are network related.

If you're using Boot Camp to start up from Microsoft Windows, set your Mac to start up from macOS. Then shut down and try again.

Learn what to do if your Mac doesn't start up all the way, but stays on a blank screen, lock symbol, or other screen during startup.