Startup Key Combinations

iMac MAC MacBook macbookair macbookpro Macintosh macOS MacPro Apple OSX boot startup

Issue/Question

What do I press to access macOS's boot types?

Resolution

Macs with Intel Processors

Key Combination	Description
Option	Display Startup Manager. Boot to an operating system hosted on an internal drive, a connected drive, or one detected on the network.
Shift	Start up in Safe Mode. Verifies the startup disk and automatically attempts to repair directory issues, deletes various system caches, and loads the minimal amount of system files.
Command-V	Start up in Verbose Mode. Displays the names of system files as they load into the Operating System. Will also display errors encountered in the loading process.
Command-S	Start up in Single-User Mode. Loads the minimal amount of system files to access Terminal for inputting UNIX commands. This startup combination is not supported on machines running 10.14.x or later. Single-User Mode must be accessed from macOS Recovery (see below) for these systems.
Option-Command-P-R	Reset NVRAM. Clears various system settings, such as sound volume, display resolution, and startup-disk selection. Hold in the key combination until the startup sound chimes a second time, or the Apple logo appears and disappears for the second time, if no chime is played.
T	Start up in Target Disk Mode. Connect the computer as an external hard disk to another Mac.
D	Start up from the built-in Diagnostics utility. Checks for hardware issues.
Option-D	Start up from the Diagnostics utility from Apple's servers. Checks for hardware issues and can relay findings to Apple technicians.
Command-R	Start up from the built-in macOS Recovery system. Can reinstall macOS, repair or erase the hard disk, and access other system utilities.
Option-Command-R	Start up from the macOS Recovery system hosted on Apple's servers. If reinstalling macOS, machines running 10.12.4 or later will receive the latest macOS compatible. Machines running 10.12.3 or earlier will receive the macOS version that came with the Mac, or the closet version still available.
Shift-Option-Command-R	Start up the macOS Recovery system hosted on Apple's servers. If reinstalling macOS, machines running 10.12.4 or later will receive the macOS version that came with the Mac, or the closest version still available. This startup combination is not applicable to machines running 10.12.3 or earlier.

Macs with Apple Silicon Processors

Startup Mode	Steps to Initiate Mode
Safe mode	Turn off the computer. Wait 10 seconds. Press and hold the power button until Loading startup options appears. Select your computer's drive. Press and hold the Shift key. Click Continue in Safe Mode. Release the Shift key.
macOS Recovery	Turn off the computer. Press and hold the power button until Loading startup options appears. Select Options. Click Continue.
Share Disk	Follow the macOS Recovery steps above. Once in macOS Recovery, if prompted, enter the password for an administrator account. Click Utilities > Share Disk. Select the volume you want to share and click Start Sharing. Connect a USB, USB-C, or Thunderbolt cable between the Apple Silicon Mac in recovery and the Mac that will receive the data. On the receiving Mac, open a Finder window, click Network in the sidebar. Double-click the Apple Silicon Mac in recovery. Click Connect As, select Guess, then click Connect.

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