Don't panic if your Mac won't boot, Mac has a hidden recovery mode that you can use to diagnose and fix any issues or completely reinstall macOS if needed. Here's how to use it.
How to boot into recovery mode on Mac
The first thing you need to do is boot into recovery mode. Although the instructions will vary depending on the Mac computer you are using, luckily, booting into recovery mode is easy, first shutting down your Mac, and then:
- On Mac computers with Apple silicon: Press and hold the power button until "Load Startup Options" appears. Then select "Option > Continue" and enter your account password when prompted.
- On an Intel Mac computer: Press and hold the Command+R keys and power on the computer until you see the "macOS Utilities" screen. If prompted, enter your password.
This should put you into recovery mode, where you will see the macOS Utilities window. The recovery model offers four services. You can recover from Time Machine, online from the Apple support site via Safari, try using Disk Utility to fix disk issues, and reinstall macOS.
Run First Aid from the recovery partition
The recovery partition on all Mac computers is loaded with Disk Utility, which can run the first aid tool on the drive that may be error-free, corrupted, or even on the verge of failure. First aid can solve some of these problems and is the best place to start.
Tip: If Disk Utility tells you that your drive is about to fail, take it seriously. We recommend backing up your Mac (if you haven't already) and then consider purchasing a service for your Mac. Disk Utility will not be able to repair a failed disk.
To use it, select "Disk Utility" and tap "Continue". From the Disk Utility window that opens, select your drive in the left pane. It will be listed under "Built-in". Now select "First Aid" from the toolbar and then select "Run" in the dialog box that opens.
You will be prompted to enter your Mac's password to unlock the drive and run the tool. Click "Unlock" to start repairing your Mac drive.
First aid will start running immediately. When you're done, you'll see another dialog box open, and hopefully a green check mark will appear in it. You can view information about the status of the drive by clicking Show Details. Otherwise, select Finish to complete the process.
Now, try booting to macOS again, and you can do so via the Apple icon in the menu bar in the top left corner of the screen.
If Disk Utility doesn't fix everything, you can try running it again. Sometimes, fixing everything may take multiple attempts.
However, if Disk Utility reports that some errors can't be fixed, then now might be a good time to make sure everything is backed up and start taking precautions. If your Mac is still fairly new and is otherwise working well, then you can replace the drive. Otherwise, it might be time to replace your Mac.
If all else fails: Reinstall macOS
Sometimes your Mac won't boot up, not because of a problem with the drive, but because of something wrong with the operating system itself. Sometimes you just need to start over.
Luckily, you won't lose files when you reinstall macOS because it uses the same process as upgrading. However, it's best to make a backup first, and the backup can be done without going into the macOS system without having to do so in Disk Utility.
On the recovery mode boot screen, select "Reinstall macOS", which will bring up the installer.
You must agree to the terms of service and select the drive you want to install. Go ahead and choose your primary drive, which may be the only option.
The installation process will run, and once it's done, you should boot into a new copy of macOS, hopefully your files are still intact.
This is a bit worrying and can be inconvenient if your Mac won't boot properly. But that's why the recovery mode exists. It enables you to fix many of the issues that you are facing without having to send your Mac in for repair. Whether it's an Intel or Apple silicon processor, and no matter what version of macOS you're running, Recovery Mode is available on all models.