Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac (2024)

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > Restart.

2. Immediately press and hold one of the following key combinations until you see the startup screen:

   • Command-R: Start up from the built-in macOS Recovery System. Use this key combination to reinstall the latest macOS that was installed on your system, or to use the other apps in macOS Recovery.

   • Option-Command-R: Start up from macOS Recovery over the internet. Use this key combination to reinstall macOS and upgrade to the latest version of macOS that’s compatible with your Mac.

   • Option-Shift-Command-R: Start up from macOS Recovery over the internet. Use this key combination to reinstall the version of macOS that came with your Mac or the closest version that’s still available.

3. If you see a lock, enter the password for your Mac.

4. If you have multiple volumes on your disk, select the volume you want to recover, then click Next.

5. If requested, choose an administrator account, click Next, enter the password for the account, then click Continue.

   When the Recovery app appears in the menu bar, you can choose any of the available options in the window or the menu bar.

In macOS Recovery, you can check the Wi-Fi status and connect to a Wi-Fi network.

If the Wi-Fi menu icon (in the upper-right corner of the screen) contains one or more bars , Wi-Fi is turned on and connected to a wireless network. If the Wi-Fi menu icon doesn’t contain any bars , Wi-Fi is turned on but isn’t connected to a wireless network. If the Wi-Fi menu icon has a slash through it , Wi-Fi is turned off. Wi-Fi needs to be turned on before you can join a wireless network.

On your Mac, do any of the following:

• Turn on Wi-Fi: Click the Wi-Fi menu icon, then choose Turn Wi-Fi On.

• Turn off Wi-Fi: Click the Wi-Fi menu icon, then choose Turn Wi-Fi Off.

• Join a network: Click the Wi-Fi menu icon, then choose a network. If requested, type the network’s password.

• Join a closed network: Click the Wi-Fi menu icon, then choose Join Other Network. Enter the network’s name and, if requested, the network’s password.

If you have issues with your computer or if you started your computer and the macOS Recovery window appeared, you may need to repair your computer’s internal storage device—such as a solid-state drive (SSD).

1. Start up your Intel-based Mac in macOS Recovery.

2. In the Recovery app, select Disk Utility, then click Continue.

3. In the Disk Utility app, choose View > Show All Devices.

4. In the sidebar, select a volume, then click .

5. In the First Aid dialog, click Run, then follow the onscreen instructions.

6. When the First Aid process is complete, click Done.

7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 for each volume on the storage device.

8. In the sidebar, select a container, then click .

9. In the First Aid dialog, click Run, then follow the onscreen instructions.

10. When the First Aid process is complete, click Done.

11. Repeat steps 8 through 10 for each container on the storage device.

12. In the sidebar, select the storage device, then click .

13. In the First Aid dialog, click Run, then follow the onscreen instructions.

14. When the First Aid process is complete, click Done.

If Disk Utility can’t repair your disk, back up as much of your information as possible, then follow the instructions in Erase and reinstall macOS.

To return to the Recovery app, choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility.

If you previously created a Time Machine backup, you can restore your files from the backup.

Important: Only use your Time Machine backup to restore information to the computer that is the source of the backup. If you want to transfer information from this Mac to a new computer, quit macOS Recovery, restart your Mac, then use the Migration Assistant app in macOS.

1. Start up your Intel-based Mac in macOS Recovery.

2. If your backup is on a Time Capsule, make sure you’re connected to the internet.

3. In the Recovery app, select “Restore from Time Machine,” then click Continue.

4. In the Time Machine System Restore app, follow the onscreen instructions.

Setting a firmware password prevents your Mac from starting up from any internal or external storage device other than the startup disk you’ve selected unless the firmware password is entered. You can turn on, turn off, or change the firmware password using Startup Security Utility.

When the firmware password is turned on, each time you start up from macOS Recovery or from a storage device other than the one selected in Startup Disk settings, you need to enter the firmware password.

After you restart your Mac, changes to the firmware password take effect.

1. Start up your Intel-based Mac in macOS Recovery.

2. In the Recovery app, choose Utilities > Startup Security Utility.

3. If requested, enter an administrator user name and password.

4. Do any of the following:

   • Turn on the firmware password: Click Turn On Firmware Password, enter a new password, reenter it to verify the password, then click Set Password.

   • Turn off the firmware password: Click Turn Off Firmware Password, enter the password, then click Turn Off Password.

   • Change the firmware password: Click Change Password, enter the old password, enter a new password and verify it, then click Change Password.

5. Click Quit Startup Security Utility.

Secure boot options are available only on Mac computers with the Apple T2 Security Chip.

After you restart your Mac, changes to the secure boot option take effect.

1. Start up your Intel-based Mac in macOS Recovery.

2. In the Recovery app, choose Utilities > Startup Security Utility.

3. Enter an administrator user name and password.

4. Select a security option below Secure Boot.

   • Full Security: Ensures that only your current OS, or signed operating system software currently trusted by Apple, can run. This mode requires a network connection at software installation time.

   • Medium Security: Allows any version of signed operating system software ever trusted by Apple to run.

   • No Security: Does not enforce any requirements on the bootable operating system.

5. Select a boot option below Allowed Boot Media.

   • Disallow booting from external or removable media: Restricts the ability to boot from any device not protected by the Apple T2 Security Chip, such as USB and Thunderbolt drives or internally connected PCIe or SATA drives.

   • Allow booting from external or removable media: Does not restrict the ability to boot from any devices.

6. Choose Startup Security Utility > Quit Startup Security Utility.

Under some circ*mstances, you may need to reinstall macOS. You can reinstall macOS while keeping your files and user settings intact.

1. Start up your Intel-based Mac in macOS Recovery.

2. Make sure you’re connected to the internet.

3. In the Recovery app, click Reinstall macOS [name], then click Continue.

4. Follow the onscreen instructions.

   Important: When you’re asked to select a disk, select your current macOS disk (in most cases, it’s the only one available).

Important: Do not follow these steps if you want to get your Mac ready to trade in, sell, or give away, and your computer is an Intel-based Mac with an Apple T2 Security Chip. Instead, use Erase Assistant in macOS to reset your Mac to factory settings. Erase Assistant removes all your personal information, Activation Lock, and trusted iCloud status from your Mac. To use Erase Assistant, start up your computer in macOS, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click General in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down), click Transfer or Reset, click the Erase All Content and Settings button, then follow the onscreen instructions.

If you erase and reinstall macOS, your user accounts, network settings, and all of the files and folders on your Mac are deleted. Before you erase macOS, attempt to log back in to your system, then back up any files you want to keep by copying them to another storage device. Also, write down your network settings from Network settings to make it easier to get connected again after reinstalling macOS.

1. Start up your Intel-based Mac in macOS Recovery.

2. Make sure you’re connected to the internet.

3. In the Recovery app, click Disk Utility, then click Continue.

4. In Disk Utility, select the volume you want to erase in the sidebar, then click the Erase button in the toolbar.

5. Type a name for the volume in the Name field.

6. Click the Format pop-up menu, choose APFS, then click Erase Volume Group.

7. When the erase process is complete, click Done, then choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility.

8. In the Recovery app, click Reinstall macOS [name], click Continue, then follow the onscreen instructions.

The recovery log contains messages logged by macOS Recovery. You can specify the types of messages to view, filter messages to search for specific text, and save the recovery log to a file.

1. Start up your Intel-based Mac in macOS Recovery.

2. In the Recovery app, choose Window > Recovery Log.

3. Click the Detail Level pop-up menu, then choose which messages to display:

   • Show Errors Only: Choose this option to display only error messages.

   • Show Errors and Progress: Choose this option to display error messages and progress messages.

   • Show All Logs: Choose this option to display all messages.

4. To filter messages, type the text you want to search for in the Filter field.

5. To save the recovery log, click the Save button, choose a location for the file, then click Save.

6. When you’re finished viewing the recovery log, click in the top-left corner of the window.

If you file a problem report using Feedback Assistant, you may be asked to provide a recovery diagnostics file. You can create the file and save it to an external storage device.

1. Connect an external storage device to your Mac.

2. Start up your Intel-based Mac in macOS Recovery.

3. Press Control-Option-Shift-Command-Period.

4. After the screen flashes, wait a few moments until a dialog appears.

5. Use the dialog to save the recovery diagnostics file to a location on your external storage device.

Your Mac restarts automatically while restoring your system from Time Machine or reinstalling macOS. In other cases, you need to quit macOS Recovery manually (for example, if you want to back up your files before reinstalling macOS, or if you just changed a setting using Startup Security Utility).

In the Recovery app on your Mac, do one of the following:

• Restart your Mac: Choose Apple menu > Restart.

• Choose a different startup disk before restarting your Mac: Choose Apple menu > Startup Disk, select a startup disk, then click Restart.

• Shut down your Mac: Choose Apple menu > Shut Down.