Jun 16, 2020 For more information about using Windows on your Mac, open Boot Camp Assistant and click the Open Boot Camp Help button. If you're using an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) or iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) or iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) with a 3TB hard drive and macOS Mojave or later, learn about an alert you might see during installation. How to Boot Mac in Internet Recovery Mode. Along with the introduction of a locally stored recovery.
Most Mac users will experience years of using a Mac without problems. But like any other computer, Macs are prone to problems that could significantly impact performance. Fortunately, your Mac is equipped with Mac Recovery mode which is very useful to fix some issues. You can also reset Mac password using recovery mode if needed. There are several ways about how to boot Mac into recovery mode. Here, we'll discuss different ways on how to boot Mac into recovery mode so that they will become effective when users are in any emergency.
Important: If you're still covered by Apple's warranty or AppleCare, you should contact Apple support.
What Is Mac Recovery Mode and When to Use It?
macOS Recovery mode, also known as Recovery Partition, is part of the built-in recovery system of your Mac. You can start up from macOS Recovery and use its utilities to diagnose disk problems, recover and restore data from Time Machine, re-install macOS, get help online, fix and wipe the data on the hard disk, and more.
Here's when you might need to use different Recovery mode utilities:
- Reinstall macOS, to restore macOS to its original factory state.
- Restore from a Time Machine backup.
- Set a firmware password on your Mac, for additional security.
- Access Disk Utility, to repair or erase your start up disk.
- Wipe all your personal data when you're selling or giving away your Mac.
How to Boot Mac in Recovery Mode?
There are 3 key combinations to start your Mac in Recovery Mode. The Reinstall macOS utility installs different versions of macOS depending on which one you use.
- Bonus: How to Recover Lost Data After Booting Mac
1Boot Mac in Recovery Mode (Standard Mode)
This is the recommended option. This ensures that the installation isn't associated with your Apple ID, which is important if you're selling or giving away your Mac.
- 1. Shutdown your Mac.
- 2. Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold: Command - R, holding until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.
To quit Recovery, click on Restart or Shut Down in the menu. In the case where you need to start with a different startup disk, pick the option Startup Disk from the Apple menu.
2Boot into Recovery Mode on Mac over the Internet
To launch Internet Recovery, you'll need an Internet connection. Please make sure your Mac is connected to Wi-Fi before booting your Mac into Internet Recovery mode. Here you have two options:
A - Upgrade or Install the Latest macOS
![For For](/uploads/1/3/4/6/134637790/387154029.png)
- 1. Reboot your Mac first.
- 2. Then turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold: Option - Command - R, holding until you see a spinning globe. At this point, your mac is successfully booting in recovery mode.
B - Downgrade or Install the macOS that Came with Your Mac
This option is nearly the same as the above one. What is different is the key pressed and held should be Shift - Option - Command - R.
To quit Recovery, choose Restart or Shut Down from the Apple menu.
The Difference between Standard and Internet Recovery Mode
The Recovery utility enables you to reinstall the Mac operating system. So why would you choose one option over another? It really depends on your issue, and what version of macOS you need:
- The Standard Recovery mode reinstalls the version of macOS that was last installed on your Mac, taking the Installer image file from your Mac's local recovery partition.
- The Internet Recovery mode connects to Apple servers, checks for any hardware issues, and downloads either the version that came with your computer at the time of purchase, or the latest compatible one (depending on which key combination you choose).
Note that if your local partition is somehow damaged, your Mac will automatically revert to Internet Recovery mode.
![Reboot Reboot](/uploads/1/3/4/6/134637790/657277300.png)
Bonus: How to Recover Lost Data After Booting Mac
Lost or accidentally deleted your family pictures, or other important data? If you are looking to recover lost data, but you don’t have a backup and you lost them because of the recovery mode. Then you will need the help of AnyRecover for Mac. Whether the system crashed, or you emptied your Trash, unintentionally deleted a partition, or fell victim to a virus attack - there are ways to recover all those important files.
Features of AnyRecover
- Recover from Everywhere. Getting important data back from any storage space, such as hard drive, flash drive, sd card, digital camera and more.
- Recover All Formats. Recovering any formats of files, including photos, videos, audios, emails, documents, etc.
- No Matter How You Lost. It can restore lost files from recovery mode on Mac along with other data loss scenarios, including system crashed, accident deleted, formatted device, etc.
- Fully compatible with all Mac operating systems, and most file systems, such as APFS, HFS+, HFS X, exFAT, etc.
Steps about recovering lost files after booting Mac into recovery mode:
Step 1: First, Launch the software. Select the drive from where the data files are lost, then start scanning by clicking 'Start' button.
Step 2: The software will will run an all-around scan on your drive to identify the deleted, hidden or lost files
Step 3: When the scan completes, the files will be listed on the screen. Finally, tap on Recover option and the files will be restored on your drive.
As you can see, it's quite simple and also completely safe: your data stays on your drive, doesn't get uploaded anywhere, and you recover it yourself without anyone else viewing your data.
Before we get our hands dirty, here’s a word of warning. If you’re wondering how to reboot a MacBook Pro, bear in mind it’s the last resort when all other methods to unfreeze your Mac had failed. Don’t try it too often as it may harm your system. No question, your Mac can handle rapid power losses and your hardware most likely won’t be hurt. What’s at risk though, is your data because each time you force reboot a Mac it affects the consistency of the file system. Now that you’ve been warned, let’s go.
Symptoms your frozen Mac needs a force restart
- Applications are not responding
- Pointer is not responsive
- Loud fan noise
- The screen goes black
- Mac unable to restart
Can you move the cursor? If yes, try this
Before you force restart a Mac, it’s always recommended to first try a software solution.
Go to the Apple menu
Choose Restart
Click Restart in the menu that appears
Choose Restart
Click Restart in the menu that appears
Two ways to force restart a Mac
The simplest method: hold down the Power button till your Mac shuts down. Press the button again to restart it.
If your Mac hangs for good and the pointer is inactive:
Hold down Control + Command while pressing the Power button.
Hold down Control + Command while pressing the Power button.
This is an alternative key combination to force restart a Mac. By the way, if you are on an iMac, the Power button is found on the back of your Mac. Voila!
Is Shut Down any different from Restart?
The difference between Shut Down and Restart is quite self-explanatory. When you perform a restart, your Mac will turn on again loading its previously active apps. As for shut down, your Mac won’t start until you press the Power button again. Interestingly, all new Macs have an automatic reboot feature built-in. So even if you sit and do nothing, your frozen Mac would eventually reboot by itself, though it takes a bit of patience.
How to force shut down a frozen Mac
If you need to force shut down a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, all you need is again to press a Power button on your Mac’s keyboard.
Press and hold Power button for 2 seconds
Choose Restart, Sleep or Shut Down in the menu that appears
Choose Restart, Sleep or Shut Down in the menu that appears
If you don’t want to reload the baggage of your previously opened apps, tick off “Reopen windows when logging back in”. We do recommend you to deselect this option when your Mac is slow in order to lighten the weight on your RAM.
If your Mac won’t shut down:
Press and hold Power button for about 6 seconds
Hold the button until the Mac shuts down.
Hold the button until the Mac shuts down.
Needless to say that when you force restart a Mac all your unsaved projects may be lost. It’s unfair, we know.
Why does my Mac keep freezing?
The obvious explanation is your Mac lacks memory. Or to put another way, there are too many active processes running on your Mac. First off, go to Activity Monitor to check your memory usage.
Go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor
Click the Memory tab
Click the Memory tab
Now, look into how heavily your Memory is loaded. Quit apps that eat up too much memory for no reason. While this may work as a temporary solution, it doesn’t stop your Mac from freezing up again. You can either force reboot your Mac each time or opt for a radical solution. Below are a few more ideas you can try.
More ways to fix a frozen Mac
Restart your Mac in the Diagnostics mode
Shut down your Mac and reboot while pressing D key. Within the menu that appears, launch the Apple Diagnostics tool. This will check your Mac’s drive for errors. From then, follow the prompts to finish the diagnostics.
Clean up your Mac
Reboot For Mac Download Windows 10
Remove old unused apps, system junk, and pervasive browser extensions. For this purpose, try running CleanMyMac application on your Mac.
It’s quite effective in removing all junk from your Mac and has a number of helpful utilities, like RAM free up or app uninstaller. Download it for free here .
Reiboot Free Download Mac
Reinstall your macOS
This is the most radical of all methods, that’s why it’s so effective.
Check out how to clean install macOS Sierra
Instructions for macOS High Sierra
How to clean install macOS Mojave
Instructions for macOS High Sierra
How to clean install macOS Mojave
How to clean install macOS Catalina
Hope this guide has helped you. Before you force shut down this article, feel free to share it, using the social buttons below. Cheers!