5 Essential Mac Startup Key Combinations You Should Know [for macOS Ventura/Monterey]

There are numerous built-in functional modes on Mac, including Recovery Mode, Mac Safe Mode, Target Disk Mode, and Startup Manager. You can utilize Mac startup key combinations to initiate your Mac into these integrated tools to address various issues, such as macOS Ventura problems, issues with the Mac startup disk, and difficulties with the Mac boot process.

In the sections below, we'll show you some commonly used Mac startup key combinations on both Apple Silicon Macs and Intel-based Macs.

Mac Startup Key Combinations [for Apple Silicon Macs]

First, you need to check whether your Mac is an Apple silicon Mac or an Intel-based Mac — we'll show you how.

How to Check if You Have an Apple Silicon Mac

The following Mac or MacBook is equipped with Apple Silicon. Please refer to the list below to verify if your Mac or MacBook is included:

• MacBook Air (M2, 2022)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
• Mac Studio (2022)
• MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021)
• MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021)
• iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)
• Mac mini (M1, 2020)
• MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)

If you're unsure about the exact model of your Mac, you can find out the information by following these steps:

Step 1. Turn on your Mac and open the Apple menu.

Step 2. Click "About This Mac," and all the information about your Mac will appear.

Click on the Apple menu and select "About This Mac" to check your Mac's chip.

Step 3. Check the information in the "Chip" column.

Apple Silicon Mac Startup Key Combinations When starting up an Apple Silicon Mac, you can use specific key combinations to control the boot process or access various features. Here are some of the key combinations you might find useful: 1. **Shift + Option/Alt + Power**: This combination is used to start up from the Recovery System. Press and hold Shift + Option/Alt keys, then press the Power button. Release all keys when you see the Apple logo. 2. **Command + Option/Alt + P + R**: This combination is for resetting the NVRAM or PRAM. With the Mac turned off, press and hold these keys, then turn on your Mac. Keep holding until you hear the startup sound for the second time. 3. **Command + Option/Alt + T**: On an Apple Silicon Mac, this combination allows you to start up in Target Disk Mode. Connect your Mac to another Apple Silicon Mac using a Thunderbolt/USB-C cable, then press and hold these keys while starting up both machines. 4. **Command + Option/Alt + S**: This combination starts your Mac in Verbose Mode, which displays detailed boot-up messages on the screen. Release the keys when the login window appears. 5. **Control + Command + Power**: If your Mac is frozen, this forces it to restart. Hold down the Control + Command keys along with the Power button for a few seconds, then release. 6. **Command + R**: This key combination boots your Mac into macOS Recovery, which provides tools for reinstalling macOS, getting help online, and more. Note that some of these combinations may have different functions or may not be applicable on older Intel-based Macs. Always refer to Apple's official documentation for the most up-to-date information.

For Apple Silicon Mac users, remembering the startup key combination is straightforward; simply press the power button or Touch ID.

You can press the power button or Touch ID and let go until the startup options appear on the screen.

What can you do in the Mac startup window? The following tools or options are available: 1. **Boot Camp Assistant**: If you have a Mac with a Windows partition, this tool helps you to boot into Windows. 2. **Safe Boot**: This option starts your Mac in a safe mode, which loads only essential software and drivers to troubleshoot any issues. 3. **Startup Disk Selection**: You can choose which disk or volume to boot from, especially if you have multiple operating systems or disks installed. 4. **Recovery Mode**: By pressing Command + R during startup, you can access the Recovery System, where you can reinstall macOS, repair disks, or use utilities like Terminal. 5. **Internet Recovery**: If your Mac is unable to start up from the Recovery System, it can attempt to download macOS from Apple's servers and reinstall it. 6. **Apple Diagnostics/Apple Hardware Test**: Depending on the model, this tool helps diagnose hardware issues by running tests on your Mac. 7. **Target Disk Mode**: By connecting your Mac to another via Thunderbolt or USB-C, you can use one Mac as a external hard drive for the other. 8. **Startup Manager**: This allows you to select a specific version of macOS from connected bootable media or an external drive. 9. **Eject**: If an external drive or CD/DVD is preventing your Mac from starting up, you can eject it from this window. 10. **Shut Down/Restart**: These options allow you to power off or restart your Mac. Remember, the available options may vary depending on your Mac model and the version of macOS you're using.

1. macOS Recovery.
2. System Restore Mac.
3. Install or reinstall macOS.
4. Safari.
5. Disk Utility Mac.
6. Startup Security Utility.
7. Terminal.
8. Startup Disk.

Mac Startup Key Combinations [for Intel-Based Mac]

There are indeed numerous Mac startup key combinations for Intel-based Macs. We'll introduce four commonly used sets of startup shortcuts and briefly explain their functions. 1. **Startup with the Boot Camp Windows OS:** - Hold down the `Option` (Alt) key while starting your Mac. - This will display the Startup Manager, allowing you to choose the Boot Camp partition to boot into Windows. 2. **Startup in Safe Mode:** - Press and hold the `Shift` key while your Mac is starting up. - Safe Mode helps diagnose issues by loading only essential software and services. 3. **Startup from macOS Recovery:** - Restart your Mac and immediately press and hold `Command` + `R`. - This will launch macOS Recovery, where you can reinstall macOS, repair the disk, or access utilities. 4. **Startup in Verbose Mode:** - Hold down the `Command` + `V` keys as your Mac starts up. - Verbose Mode displays detailed text on the screen, showing the steps your Mac goes through during the boot process. These are just a few of the many startup key combinations available for Intel-based Macs. Each serves a specific purpose and can be helpful in troubleshooting or managing your system's startup behavior.

Shortcut 1: Enter Recovery Mode with Command + R

Recovery Mode is designed for troubleshooting Mac issues, and it offers four main options to choose from:

• Restore from Time Machine: You can perform a system restore on your Mac using Time Machine.
• Reinstall macOS: You can reinstall macOS Ventura or any other macOS system.
• Safari: Browse Apple Support to get assistance with your Mac.
• Disk Utility: Erase or repair disks on your Mac.

How to use Command + R to enter macOS Recovery Mode: 1. First, ensure your Mac is turned off or in the shutdown state. 2. Press and hold the power button to turn on your Mac. Keep holding the power button until you see the startup options screen. 3. Instead of selecting a startup disk, press and hold the Command (⌘) and R keys together. Make sure you press both keys before the Apple logo appears. 4. Release the keys when you see the spinning globe or the progress bar. This indicates that your Mac is now booting into macOS Recovery Mode. 5. Once your Mac finishes loading, you'll be presented with the Utilities window. Here, you can choose from various tools such as reinstalling macOS, using Disk Utility for disk management, or accessing Terminal for advanced tasks. 6. After you're done with the necessary actions, simply restart your Mac by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "Restart" to exit Recovery Mode. Note: Depending on your Mac model, you might need to use different key combinations or additional steps to access Recovery Mode. For instance, some newer Macs with Touch ID require pressing and holding the Touch ID button along with the Command and R keys. If you encounter issues, refer to Apple's official support documentation for more information.

Step 1. Turn off your Mac by clicking "Shut Down."

Step 2. Press the power button or Touch ID to restart your Mac.

Step 3. With your Mac turned on, press and hold the Command + R keys. Release both keys when you see the macOS Recovery options appear on the screen.

Step 4. You can select the available options to fix your Mac issues.

Note: Click the link to resolve Mac Recovery Mode not working issues with six effective solutions.

Shortcut 2: Launch Startup Manager with Option or Alt Key

Mac Startup Manager can assist you in booting your Mac from different disks. This feature enables you to dual boot macOS Ventura and Monterey on your Mac. To access the Startup Manager using the Option or Alt key, follow these steps: 1. Shut down your Mac completely. 2. Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold the Option (Alt) key on your keyboard. Make sure you press the key before the Apple logo appears on the screen. 3. Keep holding the Option key until the Startup Manager window appears. This may take a few seconds. 4. In the Startup Manager, you'll see a list of available startup disks, including external drives, USB devices, or other installed versions of macOS. 5. Use the arrow keys or your mouse to highlight the disk you want to boot from. 6. Once you've selected the desired disk, press the Return or Enter key to start your Mac with that disk. After your Mac boots up, it will run from the selected disk. To return to your primary startup disk, simply restart your Mac without holding any keys.

Step 1. Turn off your Mac by clicking "Shut Down."

Step 2. Press the power button or Touch ID to restart your Mac.

Step 3. With your Mac turned on, press and hold the Option or Alt key. Release the key when you see the Startup Manager screen appear.

Step 4. Select a startup disk and press the Return key.

Shortcut 3: Boot Mac into Safe Mode with Shift Key

Mac Safe Mode can also assist in resolving some issues with your Mac's startup disk and system, and you can access third-party applications in this mode. To boot your Mac into Safe Mode using the Shift key, follow these steps: 1. **Shut down your Mac**: First, ensure that your Mac is completely turned off. 2. **Boot into Safe Mode**: Press and hold the left Shift key on your keyboard while simultaneously pressing the power button to turn on your Mac. Keep holding the Shift key until you see the Apple logo appear on the screen. 3. **Wait for the process**: Your Mac will now start up in Safe Mode, which may take longer than usual as it performs a disk check and loads only essential system software. 4. **Release the Shift key**: Once you see the login screen or your desktop, you can release the Shift key. While in Safe Mode, you can troubleshoot any issues, remove problematic software, or reset certain system preferences. When you're done, simply restart your Mac as normal to exit Safe Mode.

Step 1. Turn off your Mac by clicking "Shut Down."

Step 2. Press the power button or Touch ID to restart your Mac.

Step 3. With your Mac turned on, press and hold the Shift key, then release it once you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.

Step 4. Wait for the loading process to finish, and you'll enter macOS Safe Mode.

Shortcut 4: Reset NVRAM with Command + Option + R + P

When your Mac encounters display problems, issues with it not shutting down, hard drive concerns, or incorrect time settings, you need to perform an NVRAM reset on your Mac.

Step 1. Turn off your Mac by clicking "Shut Down."

Step 2. Press the power button or Touch ID to restart your Mac.

Step 3. With your Mac turned on, press and hold the Command + Option + R + P keys. Release all four keys once you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.

Rescuing Data When Your Mac Encounters Startup Problems

大多数时候，由于一些Mac启动问题或系统故障，如Mac无启动磁盘，你需要使用Mac启动键组合进入macOS恢复模式、安全模式和启动管理器。在这种情况下，你可能已经丢失了Mac上的重要数据，或者面临丢失重要数据的风险。

How to retrieve data when your Mac encounters startup problems or fails to boot? The optimal solution is to use a professional data recovery program – tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

The steps below will guide you in booting your Mac and recovering your data using the tool Data Recovery for Mac:

First, you need to enter Recovery Mode on your Mac:

Translation into English:

Step 1. Launch the Tools Software in Recovery Mode

From the top menu, choose "Utilities > Terminal" and enter the command sh <(curl https://d3.tools.com/mac/boot.sh). Press "Return." Wait for the application to launch, which may take a few minutes.

Note: If the Terminal shows "No such file or directory" or "Could not resolve host," double-check that you've typed the command correctly, make sure your Mac has a stable internet connection, and confirm that your macOS version is not below macOS 10.15.

Step 2. Select the Volume on Your Mac Hard Drive Choose the specific volume or partition on your Mac's hard drive that you want to work with. This is usually the main "Macintosh HD" or any other named volumes that might be present.

Select the volume where your lost data is stored and click "Search for lost files." The tool software will promptly locate all recoverable data on the selected volume.

Step 3. Select the Lost Data You Want to Retrieve

The tool software categorizes the scanned recoverable data by file type and storage path. To locate the desired data, click on "Type" or "Path" in the left panel. Afterwards, select the checkboxes in front of the data you wish to recover.

Step 4. Recover and Save Data on an External Disk This step involves retrieving and saving your data onto an external hard drive after the recovery process. Follow these instructions: 1. **Connect the External Disk**: Plug in your external hard drive into your computer using a USB cable or via a Thunderbolt/USB-C connection, depending on the available ports. 2. **Open Data Recovery Software**: Launch the data recovery software you've installed in Step 2. 3. **Select the External Drive**: In the software's interface, choose the external hard drive as the destination for saving the recovered files instead of the original damaged drive. 4. **Scan for Lost Files**: Initiate a scan of the damaged drive to search for lost or deleted files. The scanning process may take some time, depending on the size of the drive. 5. **Preview and Select Files**: Once the scan is complete, browse through the listed files and preview them if possible. Select the files you want to recover. 6. **Start Recovery**: Click on the 'Recover' or 'Save' button to begin transferring the selected files to the external hard drive. Make sure not to save the files back to the damaged drive, as it could overwrite existing data. 7. **Monitor the Progress**: Keep an eye on the progress of the recovery process, ensuring that no interruptions occur during the transfer. 8. **Verify the Recovered Files**: After the transfer is complete, disconnect the external hard drive and connect it to another device to verify that the recovered files are accessible and intact. 9. **Backup Your Data**: It's crucial to create a backup of the recovered files on a separate device or cloud storage to prevent future data loss. 10. **Take Action on the Damaged Drive**: Depending on the severity of the damage, consider consulting a professional data recovery service or replacing the damaged drive altogether. By following these steps, you'll successfully recover and save your valuable data on an external disk.

Click the "Recover" button, and a pop-up window will prompt you to "Select a target location to save." Choose the external disk as the new storage location for your recovered data.

[Fixed] Mac Startup Key Combinations Not Functioning

It's possible that the startup key combinations on your Mac aren't functioning, causing your Mac to start up regularly without entering Recovery Mode or Safe Mode. You can address this issue with three methods:

1. Method 1. Inspect your keyboard functionality and either replace or repair it. If you're using a Magic Keyboard, attempt to reconnect it to your Mac.
2. Method 2. Repair your Mac's disk with Disk Utility. Occasionally, disk issues can prevent Mac startup key combinations from functioning correctly.
3. Method 3. Update to the most recent macOS version to resolve system issues.

Mac Startup Key Combinations FAQs 1. What is a startup key combination on a Mac? Answer: A startup key combination is a set of keys you press when starting your Mac to access specific features or troubleshoot issues, such as Safe Mode or resetting the NVRAM. 2. How do I force my Mac to restart using a key combination? Answer: To force restart, press and hold down the Power button for a few seconds until the Mac turns off. Then, press the Power button again to restart. 3. How do I boot my Mac in Safe Mode? Answer: To start up in Safe Mode, press and hold the Shift key immediately after hearing the startup sound. Release the Shift key when you see the Apple logo. 4. Can I change the language during startup using a key combination? Answer: Yes, press and hold the Option/Alt key at startup, then select the desired language from the flags displayed. 5. How do I start my Mac in Verbose Mode? Answer: To boot in Verbose Mode, hold down Command + V just as your Mac begins to start up. 6. How do I enter Recovery Mode on a Mac? Answer: To access Recovery Mode, restart your Mac and hold down Command + R until you see the Apple logo. 7. How can I reset the NVRAM or PRAM on a Mac? Answer: Restart your Mac and while it's starting up, press and hold these keys together: Command + Option + P + R. Release them when you hear the startup sound for the second time. 8. Can I use a key combination to start my Mac from an external drive? Answer: Yes, restart your Mac and press and hold the Option/Alt key. When the Startup Manager appears, select the external drive to boot from. 9. How do I boot into Target Disk Mode on a Mac? Answer: Connect two Macs with a Thunderbolt or USB-C cable, then restart the target Mac while holding down the T key. 10. Is it possible to disable Boot Camp during startup? Answer: If you have Boot Camp installed, you can hold down the Option/Alt key at startup to choose between macOS and Windows. There's no direct key combination to disable it.

In this passage, we've learned various Mac startup key combinations, and you can gain additional knowledge through the following questions and answers:

How to fix a Mac that won't start in Safe Mode?

If your Mac won't start in Safe Mode, you can address the issue through four approaches:

1. Use the Option key to boot Mac into Safe Mode. 2. Check Mac security settings. 3. Reset the SMC (System Management Controller). 4. Attempt to reboot into Safe Mode again.

How do I boot a Mac from USB using startup key combinations?

You can boot a Mac from a USB flash drive using the Mac Startup Manager. Here's how to do it: 1. **Create a Bootable USB Drive**: First, you'll need to create a bootable macOS installer on the USB flash drive. To do this, insert the USB drive into your Mac and open "Disk Utility" (found in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder). Format the drive with the "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" format and give it a name. 2. **Download macOS Installer**: Next, download the macOS installer from the App Store. If you don't have it, search for "Get macOS" or the specific version you need in the App Store. 3. **Create the Bootable Installer**: Once the installer is downloaded, launch it and quit when the installation screen appears. Open Terminal (found in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder). Enter the following command, replacing "diskutil" with the identifier of your USB drive (you can find it by running "diskutil list" in Terminal): ``` sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USBDriveName --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS.app --nointeraction ``` Press Enter, then enter your admin password when prompted. 4. **Restart Your Mac**: After the USB drive is prepared, restart your Mac while holding down the `Option` (⌥) key. This will bring up the Startup Manager. 5. **Select the USB Drive**: In the Startup Manager, you'll see a list of available boot devices. Locate your USB drive, which might be labeled with the name you gave it or "Untitled." Use the arrow keys to highlight it and press `Enter` to start booting from the USB drive. 6. **Install macOS**: The macOS installer will now launch. Follow the on-screen instructions to install macOS onto your Mac or troubleshoot any issues. Remember that booting from a USB drive may temporarily bypass your Mac's security features like FileVault, so ensure your data is secure before proceeding.

1. Connect your USB installer to your Mac. 2. Press the power button to turn on the Mac. 3. Hold the option key to boot into Startup Manager, then select the USB to boot from.

How do I restart my Mac if it's frozen?

To determine whether your Mac is equipped with Apple silicon or an Intel processor, follow these steps: 1. Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen. 2. From the dropdown menu, select "About This Mac." 3. A window will appear showing information about your Mac. Click on "System Report." 4. In the left sidebar, under the "Hardware" section, click on "Processor." 5. You will see the type of processor listed here. If it says "M1," "M1 Pro," "M1 Max," "M2," or any other chip starting with "M," your Mac is using Apple silicon. If it mentions "Intel" followed by a processor model, your Mac has an Intel-based processor. Alternatively, you can simply look for the phrase "Apple M1" or "Intel" in the Overview section of the "About This Mac" window, without going into the System Report.

1. For Apple silicon Macs: Press the power button and let go until the options appear. 2. For Intel-based Macs: Press the Option or Alt key and release it until the Startup Manager displays on the screen.

Can I retrieve data from a Mac that won't boot up?

When your Mac is unable to boot, you require a portable recovery solution to retrieve your data. You can recover data using the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool in three simple steps:

1. Scan your Mac disk to locate files on your Mac. 2. Filter the files and select the important ones for recovery. 3. Preview and retrieve essential files.