Internet Recovery uses code embedded in your computer, which includes an image for the specific OS. And that one may not be the latest version.
It reinstalls the original macOS version that came with your Mac - the factory installed version. In such cases, your Mac will begin Internet Recovery automatically, but if there’s a working recovery partition, then you won’t access that mode. Internet Recovery comes handy when your Mac can’t create a partition for the Recovery HD, either because the drive is partitioned with Boot Camp Assistant and modified, or you’re using a RAID volume that doesn’t support the recovery partition.Įven though the partition was successfully created, Recovery Mode may not access it owing to serious system errors or damage to the drive. Note: To use Recovery over the internet, Get Help Online, or Reinstall macOS utility, you need an internet connection. If that doesn’t help the Mac to boot, try booting using an external Mac startup disk or bootable installer. When you do this, you’ll see a spinning globe instead of the usual Apple logo at startup. You can do this manually by pressing and holding down the Option/Alt+Command+R or Shift+Option+Command+R keys at startup. If macOS Recovery doesn’t work, force it to boot in Recovery Mode over the internet. What to Do If You Can’t Boot in macOS Recovery Mode The Shift+Option+Command+R shortcut works while installing the macOS version your Mac had or the closest available version, if it’s not offered as a download. The Option/Alt+Command+R shortcut works while upgrading to the latest macOS version compatible with your Mac. The Command+R shortcut helps while installing the latest macOS version you had on your Mac before the issue came up. There are different key combinations to use at startup, depending on what you want to do with Recovery Mode. Before you quit, you can choose a different startup disk from the Apple menu. Step 4: Exit Recovery Mode by going to the Apple menu and click Restart or Shut Down. There are extra utilities, including Network Utility, Startup Security Utility, and Terminal in the Utilities menu from the menu bar. Here, you’ll see the four services that Recovery Mode offers: Restore from Time Machine backup, Reinstall macOS, Get Help Online, and Disk Utility. Step 3: If you’re seeing the macOS Utilities window, it means startup is complete.
Enter a password (user admin or firmware password) of the Mac if prompted to and move to the next step. Step 2: When you see the Apple logo, spinning globe, or any other startup screen, release the Command and ‘R’ keys. While it starts, hold down the Command and ‘R’ keys to enter Recovery Mode. Step 1: Boot into Recovery Mode by shutting down your Mac, and then restarting it.