"Solutions for Mac Unable to Enter Recovery Mode | Fix when Command R doesn't work on Mac"

Recovery Mode on a Mac is designed to allow users to diagnose and fix a variety of problems. By pressing Command + R, you can enter Recovery Mode to repair your startup disk, reinstall macOS, or prevent your Mac from starting up normally. However, there can be instances where a user is unable to boot their Mac into Recovery Mode. If you find yourself in this situation, this article will be of help.

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But before we look at the fixes, it's best to first understand why the Mac Command R not working issue occurs.

Possible Reasons Why a Mac Won't Boot into Recovery Mode

Your Mac might not start up in recovery mode when you expect it to. Here are some possible causes:

• 1. You have an M1 Mac. Apple introduced the M1 Mac in November 2020, and there's a new method for entering Recovery Mode.
• 2. Your Mac is too old. Computers running Mac OS X Snow Leopard or earlier don't have a recovery partition, which is why you can't boot into Recovery Mode with Command + R.
• 3. Your keyboard isn't connecting. If you're using a Bluetooth keyboard, it might not be connected to your Mac.
• 4. Your recovery partition is damaged or deleted.

With the possible reasons for being unable to enter Recovery Mode on a Mac out of the way, you can now try the following solutions.

Method 1: Boot Your M1 Mac into Recovery Mode

Here are the detailed steps to enter Recovery Mode on an M1 Mac:

Step 1: Turn off your Mac, then hold down the power button.

Step 2: When the Apple logo appears, you'll see a message telling you that if you continue to hold down the power button, you'll be able to access the startup options.

Step 3. Choose Options > Continue to start macOS Recovery.

Method 2: Check the Mac Keyboard Connection

This step can help confirm whether the issue is with the keyboard. Disconnect the current keyboard, and then connect another keyboard that works on another Mac to see if you can start up in Recovery Mode.

If that works, your keyboard might be broken, and you should replace it. If not, try another method.

Method 3: Create a Bootable Installer

To create a bootable installer, you'll need a USB flash drive with at least 14 GB of storage and the macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, or El Capitan installer downloaded. You can download the installer from Apple's website. The easiest way to make the installer is through the Terminal on your Mac. Here's how:

Step 1. Connect your formatted USB flash drive to your Mac.

Step 2. Open a terminal and paste one of the following commands:

For Big Sur:
Use a command-line tool to create bootable media from the installer: ``` sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume ```

Catalina:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

For Mojave:
Run the following using sudo: /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

High Sierra: ``` sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume ```

Create the installation media using the command line: ``` sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app ``` Please note that you should replace "MyVolume" with the name of the disk volume you want to use for storing the installation media. Make sure you select the correct target volume, as this process will erase all data on it. Also, confirm that the "Install OS X El Capitan.app" file is located in your "/Applications" directory. You might be prompted to enter your administrator password before running this command.

Step 3: Press Return to enter the command.

Step 4: Type your management password, then press Return.

5. When prompted, type Y to confirm that you want to erase the volume.

Step 6: After the disk has been erased, a prompt will appear asking if you allow “Terminal” to access the files on the removable volume. Click “OK” to proceed with the copying process.

Step 7: When it's done, the disk will have the same name as the installer you downloaded (like “Install macOS Big Sur”). You can now quit Terminal.

Method 4: Boot Your Mac in Safe Mode

Safe Mode helps you determine if the issue is caused by software that loads when your Mac starts up. Here's how to start your Mac in Safe Mode:

Step 1: On your Mac, choose Apple menu > “Shut Down.” Wait for your Mac to turn off, then wait another 10 seconds.

Step 2: Restart your Mac, and immediately hold down the Shift key.

Step 3: Release the Shift key when you see the login window.

Step 4: Log in to your Mac. You are now in Safe Mode.

Method 5: Restore your Mac from a Time Machine Backup

If you have previously backed up your Mac using Time Machine, you can use one of those backups to restore your Mac. Here's how.

Step 1: First, turn off your Mac, then connect your Time Machine backup disk.

Step 2. Press the power button, and immediately hold down the Option key.

Step 3: Release the Option key when you see the Startup Manager screen.

4. Select the backup disk, then click “Back.”

Step 5: Your Mac will boot to a screen that looks like the OS X Installer. Here, you can choose to restore from one of your backups.

Solved: USB Flash Drive Not Showing Up on Mac

Does your USB flash drive not show up on Mac after plugging it into the USB port? Find solutions here. Download the tool – Data Recovery Wizard for Mac when you want to recover data from an unrecognized USB drive.

Method 6: Reinstall the operating system using macOS Internet Recovery

The last option is to boot into Internet Recovery, which downloads macOS afresh from Apple's servers.

Step 1: First, turn off your Mac.

Step 2: Press the power button, then immediately press and hold the Option + Command + R keys.

Step 3: Wait until you see a spinning icon with a progress bar on the screen.

Important: Make sure your Mac is connected to a stable internet connection.

Additional Tip: How to Recover Data from a Mac

As advanced as Mac computers are, accidents can still happen. A crashed operating system or an unforeseen event can lead to data loss, especially if you don't have a Time Machine backup to restore from.

As a pioneer in data recovery, we have developed a unique and secure data recovery software – Tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac – to assist users in retrieving their lost data. With this tool, users can swiftly recover deleted or lost data from their Mac in just seconds, without requiring any technical expertise.

Here's a detailed guide on how to use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool to retrieve your data. Download the tool first, and then follow the instructions to attempt data recovery.

Step 1: Boot into Recovery Mode with the utility software

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 app to open, which may take a few minutes.

Important: If the terminal returns "No such file or directory" or "Cannot resolve host," double-check that you've typed the command correctly, ensure your Mac is connected to a stable internet connection, and confirm that your macOS version is macOS 10.15 or later.

Step 2: Select a partition on your Mac hard drive

Select the volume where you lost your data and click “Search for Lost Files”. The tool will quickly locate all recoverable data on the selected volume.

Step 3. Select the lost data you want to recover

The recovery tool categorizes the scan results by file type and storage path. Click on "Type" or "Path" on the left sidebar to locate the data you need. Then, check the box in front of the data you want to recover.

Step 4: Restore and save data to an external drive

When you click “Recover,” a pop-up window will prompt you to choose a location to save. Select the external disk as the new location to store your recovered data.

Bottom line

There are two reasons why your Mac might not be able to enter Recovery Mode: a hardware issue, where your keyboard is faulty, or a problem with your Mac's Recovery Partition.

In this article, we list comprehensive solutions to help you if your Mac won't boot into Recovery Mode. You can try the provided solutions to fix the problem. Also on the page is a data recovery tool that you can try for free if you're interested.