How to start a Mac in Recovery mode

Start Mac Recovery mode on Apple silicon

These steps apply to Macs with Apple silicon on macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27 Golden Gate. Use the Mac's own power button; on a MacBook with Touch ID, that is the Touch ID button. A finger enrolled for Touch ID isn't required to hold it down.

Shut down. If the desktop responds, choose Apple menu › Shut Down. Wait until it is fully off, with the screen and keyboard lights off.
Hold the power button. Keep holding as the Mac starts. Release when you see Loading startup options or the startup disks and the Options gear.
Choose Options › Continue. Selecting the regular startup disk instead would start macOS normally.
Unlock if asked. Select the startup volume and a user whose login password you know, then follow the prompts. FileVault-protected data doesn’t become public just because you entered Recovery.
Choose the tool for the problem. The main window includes reinstalling macOS, Disk Utility and Time Machine recovery. Other tools are in the menu bar.

Apple documents the same entry method in its macOS 15 guide and macOS 26 guide. There is no Command-R requirement for Apple silicon. If you arrived here while trying to troubleshoot a working Mac, safe mode may be the more useful first test.

If the Mac is frozen: Apple's startup instructions say to hold the power button for up to 10 seconds until it turns off. This can lose unsaved changes. Only then hold it again to load startup options; keeping it held through both stages is easy to misread.

Choose a Recovery tool before changing anything

Recovery is a separate environment with a small set of tools. It isn't your usual desktop, so an app missing from the Dock isn't evidence that your files have gone. Start with the least destructive task that answers your problem.

Tool	Use it for	Data consequence
Reinstall macOS	Replacing the operating system when it won't work or install properly.	Apple says reinstalling without erasing keeps apps and personal data. Back up first.
Disk Utility	First Aid checks and repairs, or deliberate disk erasure.	First Aid and Erase are different actions. Erase removes data.
Restore from Time Machine	Recovery using an existing backup.	Read the restore prompts carefully. Selecting an older backup is not the same as keeping current files.
Web Browser (macOS 27); Safari (macOS 15/26)	Reading Apple Support while connected to the internet.	Browsing support doesn’t repair or erase your disk.
Terminal	A specific documented command or Apple Support instruction.	Commands can change or erase data. Recovery is not a safe place to experiment with copied commands.
Startup Security Utility	Inspecting a startup volume's security policy.	Changing security policy is not a general startup repair. Keep the existing protection unless a specific requirement is understood.
Share Disk	Transferring accessible files to another Mac.	Sharing doesn’t itself erase a disk, but moving or deleting files still changes it.

On all three macOS versions, the menu paths are Utilities › Terminal, Utilities › Startup Security Utility and Utilities › Share Disk. To go back from a utility, quit that utility from its app menu. Don't select Erase merely because an installer or online guide mentions Disk Utility.

Protect your files before repair or reinstall

If the Mac can still start normally, make a backup there first. For a slow but working Mac, Recovery isn't a substitute for the normal maintenance and troubleshooting order. If the Mac only reaches Recovery, consider what copy of the files exists before going further.

Share Disk can help when the internal volume is accessible and another Mac is available. Connect the Macs with an appropriate USB, USB-C or Thunderbolt cable, open Utilities › Share Disk, select the volume and choose Start Sharing. On the other Mac, open Finder › Network, select the sharing Mac and follow Apple's connection steps. Copy the files you need to keep. When finished, eject the volume on the other Mac, then stop sharing.

A cable connection does not bypass FileVault or an unknown password. If the disk won't unlock, is absent, or contains the only copy of critical work, stop before erasing. Contact Apple or discuss recovery options with a qualified data-recovery provider. A successful reinstall cannot recreate an erased, unbacked-up document.

Internet Recovery and fallback recoveryOS

Internet Recovery is Apple's term for the Intel startup method using Option-Command-R or Shift-Option-Command-R. Those shortcuts are not the Apple silicon instructions. Apple silicon Recovery can still need internet access, particularly to download and personalize an installation.

Apple's Platform Security guide documents fallback recoveryOS for Apple silicon: from a shut-down state, double-press the power button and hold the second press. This is an alternative recovery environment, not an Intel Internet Recovery shortcut and not a promise to repair damaged firmware. Try the standard hold-for-options method first.

If you do have an Intel Mac, use Apple's Intel section rather than adapting the Apple silicon button sequence. Which Intel shortcut you use can affect which macOS Recovery offers to install.

If Recovery doesn’t start

Check what appears rather than treating every failed boot as the same problem. A normal desktop means the startup-options hold may have been released early. A blank screen, an exclamation mark in a circle or a disk that never appears needs a different troubleshooting path.

Repeat from fully off. Use the built-in power button and keep holding until startup options are visible.
Check power and accessories. Keep a MacBook on a compatible charger. Remove nonessential hubs and drives if they appear to interfere, while preserving any device needed for input or the intended startup disk.
Connect to a usable network. The reinstall source specifies broadband with DHCP; a hotel page that needs a browser login or an enterprise authentication network can prevent installation.
Contact Apple if the recovery environment remains unavailable. Firmware revival may be needed in a small set of failures. A firmware restore erases the Mac; don't choose it without understanding the difference.

Leave Recovery without erasing

Choose Apple menu › Restart or Apple menu › Shut Down from Recovery. Opening the tools and then quitting doesn’t turn the visit into a factory reset. If you deliberately changed something, such as a startup disk or a security policy, that change persists after leaving.

If your purpose is selling or giving away the computer, use the factory-reset guide. Reinstalling an operating system over your existing account leaves personal information on the Mac and doesn’t prepare it for a new owner.

Where Tend fits

Tend can't run inside Recovery or help a Mac that won't start. Once macOS is working again, its free Security check reports FileVault, Gatekeeper and System Integrity Protection status; it doesn’t repair the disk or change startup security for you.

Questions

Does starting Recovery mode erase a Mac?

No. Starting Recovery and viewing its tools doesn’t erase the Mac. Erase in Disk Utility and some restore procedures do remove data, so read the selected action before continuing.

How do I open Recovery on an M1, M2, M3, M4 or M5 Mac?

Shut down, hold the power button until startup options appear, then choose Options › Continue. On a MacBook with Touch ID, hold the Touch ID button.

Is Command-R the Recovery shortcut on Apple silicon?

No. Apple documents holding the power button for Apple silicon. Command-R and the Internet Recovery key combinations are for Intel-based Macs.

Can I use Recovery without Wi-Fi?

You can open local Recovery tools without joining Wi-Fi, but reinstalling macOS needs a suitable internet connection. Ethernet may work; networks that require a captive login can prevent installation.

For the next step, see reinstall macOS without erasing.