How to enable and use macOS Recovery Mode to repair your Mac

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to enable and use macOS Recovery Mode to repair your Mac. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

macOS Recovery Mode is a built-in troubleshooting environment that lets you repair your startup disk, restore from a Time Machine backup, or reinstall the operating system without booting into your normal desktop. It's the first place to turn when your Mac refuses to start, is stuck on a loading screen, or is behaving unusually after a software update. This guide walks you through accessing Recovery Mode on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, and explains what each recovery tool does.

Before You Begin

Recovery Mode works without an internet connection for most tasks, but you'll need Wi-Fi if you plan to reinstall macOS or restore from a Time Machine backup stored in the cloud. If your Mac is a laptop, plug it into mains power before starting — the process can take a while and you don't want the battery dying mid-recovery.

How to Boot into macOS Recovery Mode

The steps differ depending on whether your Mac uses an Intel processor or an Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) chip. If you're unsure which one you have, click the Apple menu → About This Mac and check the "Chip" or "Processor" line.

On Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4 and later)

1. Shut down your Mac completely. Click the Apple menu → Shut Down, then wait for the screen to go black.
2. Press and hold the Power button on your Mac. Keep holding it even when you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.
3. Release the Power button when you see the Startup Options screen showing the gear icon labelled Options.
4. Click Options, then click Continue.
5. If prompted, select a user account and enter the password to unlock the startup disk.
6. The macOS Utilities window will appear.

On Intel-based Macs

1. Shut down your Mac completely. Click the Apple menu → Shut Down.
2. Press the Power button to turn your Mac back on, then immediately press and hold Command (⌘) + R.
3. Keep holding both keys until you see the Apple logo, a spinning globe, or the macOS Utilities window.
4. If prompted, select a user account and enter the password.

Understanding the macOS Utilities Window

Once you're in Recovery Mode, you'll see four main options. Here's what each one does and when to use it.

• Restore From Time Machine Backup — Replaces everything on your startup disk with the contents of a Time Machine backup. Use this if you have a recent backup and your Mac is seriously broken or you need to roll back to an earlier state.
• Reinstall macOS — Installs a fresh copy of macOS onto your startup disk without removing your files, apps, or settings. Use this when the operating system is corrupted but your data is intact.
• Disk Utility — Repairs disk errors and erases volumes. Use this first if your Mac won't boot or you suspect the startup disk is damaged.
• Get Help Online — Opens Safari so you can browse Apple's support documentation while in Recovery Mode.

Repairing Your Startup Disk with Disk Utility

Running First Aid on your startup disk fixes file system errors and is often enough to get a misbehaving Mac booting again.

1. From the macOS Utilities window, select Disk Utility and click Continue.
2. In the sidebar, select your startup disk. It's usually named Macintosh HD or Apple SSD.
3. Click the First Aid button in the toolbar.
4. Click Run, then confirm by clicking Run again.
5. Wait for the process to complete. If prompted, repeat First Aid on any other volumes listed beneath your startup disk (such as Macintosh HD - Data).
6. When finished, quit Disk Utility and return to the macOS Utilities window.

Reinstalling macOS

If Disk Utility didn't fix the problem, reinstalling macOS is the next step. This process keeps your personal files and most settings intact, though you'll need to reinstall any third-party apps afterwards.

1. From the macOS Utilities window, select Reinstall macOS and click Continue.
2. Follow the on-screen prompts and accept the licence agreement.
3. Select your startup disk (typically Macintosh HD) as the installation destination.
4. The installer will download the appropriate version of macOS from Apple and install it. Your Mac may restart several times during this process.
5. When installation is complete, your Mac will boot into the Setup Assistant.

Restoring From a Time Machine Backup

If you have a Time Machine backup and your Mac is in an unrecoverable state, restoring from backup will return your system to exactly how it was when the backup was made.

1. Connect your Time Machine backup drive (external USB drive, or make sure your network-attached storage is online).
2. From the macOS Utilities window, select Restore From Time Machine Backup and click Continue.
3. Select your Time Machine backup as the source.
4. Choose the most recent backup date that you know was working correctly.
5. Select the destination disk (your startup disk).
6. Click Restore and wait for the process to complete.

Exiting Recovery Mode

When you've finished using the recovery tools, restart your Mac normally.

1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Select Shut Down or Restart.
3. If your Mac boots back into Recovery Mode, shut it down again, then press and release the Power button once (Apple Silicon) or press the Power button normally (Intel) to start up in your regular operating system.

Troubleshooting

Recovery Mode won't load

• Make sure you're holding the correct keys for your Mac type. On Apple Silicon, it's the Power button, not a key combination.
• Try a different key combination. On Intel Macs, Option + Command + R forces Internet Recovery if the local recovery partition is corrupted.
• Disconnect all external devices except your display, keyboard, mouse, and power cable.
• Try an SMC reset (Intel Macs) or a full shutdown and restart (Apple Silicon) before attempting Recovery Mode again.
• If your Mac still won't enter Recovery Mode, contact us for further assistance.

Disk Utility can't repair the startup disk

• Run First Aid multiple times — sometimes a second pass resolves errors the first pass couldn't.
• Boot back into Recovery Mode and try First Aid on each volume individually, including any hidden volumes.
• If the disk still cannot be repaired, back up your data using another Mac in Target Disk Mode (Intel) or by removing the drive and connecting it externally, then contact us for further assistance.

Reinstall macOS fails or gets stuck

• Check your internet connection — the installer needs to download macOS from Apple's servers.
• Make sure your Mac is plugged into mains power.
• Try Internet Recovery (Intel: Option + Command + R) to download a fresh copy of macOS.
• If the installation continues to fail, your startup disk may have a hardware fault. Contact us for further assistance.

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