How to Use macOS Recovery Mode (Apple Silicon & Intel)

macOS Recovery is a built-in toolkit that loads independently of your main system. Use it to reinstall macOS, repair or erase your disk, restore from Time Machine, reset your password, or run Terminal commands when your Mac won't boot normally. Here's every option, for both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

10-15 minutes
Beginner
Updated May 2026

Table of Contents

What Is macOS Recovery?

macOS Recovery is a small, self-contained recovery system stored separately from your main macOS install. Because it runs on its own, you can use it even when your Mac won't start up normally — to fix disk problems, reinstall the operating system, or restore a backup.

Recovery is the entry point for many common fixes, including clean installs, downgrades, and repairing a Mac that's stuck on a black screen or a flashing question mark.

How to Enter Recovery Mode

The method depends on whether you have an Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, and later) or an Intel Mac.

Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later)

  1. Choose Apple menu → Shut Down and wait for the Mac to power off completely.
  2. Press and hold the power button until you see "Loading startup options."
  3. Click Options, then Continue.
  4. Select a user, enter the password, and you're in Recovery.

Tip

On Apple Silicon, there is just one key action to remember: hold the power button. The startup options screen also leads to Safe Mode and Startup Disk selection.

Intel Macs

  1. Restart your Mac (or turn it on).
  2. Immediately press and hold Command (⌘) + R until the Apple logo or a spinning globe appears.
  3. Release the keys and wait for the macOS Utilities window.

The Recovery Utilities Explained

Once in Recovery you'll see the Recovery app (Apple Silicon) or macOS Utilities window (Intel) with these options:

1

Reinstall macOS

Reinstalls the current macOS version without erasing your data (unless you erase the disk first). This is the go-to fix for a corrupted system. The version installed depends on how you entered Recovery — standard Recovery installs your current version.

2

Disk Utility

Repair or erase your drive. Use First Aid to fix file-system errors, or Erase (format APFS) before a clean install. This is where you reformat the startup disk for a clean install.

3

Restore From Time Machine

Roll your Mac back to a previous backup, including the system, apps, and files. Ideal for recovering after a failed update or a botched change.

4

Safari / Get Help Online

A limited browser so you can look up support articles while your main system is offline.

5

Terminal & Startup Security Utility

From the Utilities menu in the menu bar you can open Terminal (for advanced commands), Startup Security Utility (to manage secure boot and external boot), and reset your login password.

★

How to Reset a Forgotten Password

  1. In Recovery, open Utilities → Terminal from the menu bar.
  2. Type resetpassword and press Return.
  3. Follow the Reset Password assistant to set a new password for your account.

Internet Recovery & Key Combos (Intel Only)

Intel Macs support different Recovery flavors depending on the key combination held at startup:

  • Command (⌘) + R — Reinstall the current macOS version.
  • Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) + R — Upgrade to the latest compatible macOS via Internet Recovery.
  • Shift + Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) + R — Reinstall the macOS that came with your Mac (or the closest still available). Useful for downgrading.

Internet Recovery downloads the installer from Apple's servers, so you'll need a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection. Apple Silicon Macs don't use these key combos — they always load Recovery from the local Mac and fall back to the internet automatically if needed.

How to Exit Recovery Mode

Choose Apple menu → Restart or Shut Down from the menu bar. Your Mac boots normally back into macOS.

Troubleshooting

On Apple Silicon, make sure the Mac is fully shut down before holding the power button — a sleeping Mac won't trigger startup options. On Intel, try Internet Recovery (Option+Command+R). If nothing works, the recovery partition may be damaged; a bootable USB installer is the fallback.

If FileVault is on, you'll be asked to unlock the disk first. Select the volume, click Unlock, and enter your password. If the disk shows errors, run Disk Utility First Aid before reinstalling.

On Intel, the key combo determines the version (see above). On Apple Silicon, standard Recovery installs your current version — to install a specific older version, use a bootable USB installer.

Frequently Asked Questions

No — entering Recovery and using "Reinstall macOS" preserves your files. Data is only erased if you deliberately use Disk Utility to erase the drive.

Not for local Recovery. You'll need internet for Internet Recovery, for reinstalling macOS (the installer downloads), and to sign in with your Apple Account on Apple Silicon.

No. Recovery loads a separate repair environment. Safe Mode boots your normal macOS with extensions disabled and caches cleared. On Apple Silicon, both are reached from the same "Loading startup options" screen.

Conclusion

macOS Recovery is the Swiss Army knife of Mac troubleshooting. Knowing how to enter it — hold the power button on Apple Silicon, or Command+R on Intel — and which utility to reach for turns most "my Mac won't start" emergencies into a 15-minute fix. Bookmark this guide for the next time something goes wrong.