MacBooks are less likely to have problems; when something arises, one of the simplest solutions is to boot into Recovery Mode and select the right option from there. However, the problem worsens when it does not boot into Recovery Mode. The blog ‘What to Do When Your Mac Won’t Boot into Recovery Mode: Troubleshooting Tips’ provides some simple yet effective ways that are recommended by MacBook repairs Adelaide experts to boot your Mac into Recovery Mode.
Recovery Mode is an option in Macs that contains all the basic troubleshooting utilities to fix your Mac, in case it develops serious problems. The hidden partition on the startup disk is designed to come into good use when your Mac won't boot normally, crashes frequently, or has a damaged boot disk. With Recovery Mode, one can even reinstall macOS, restore from a Time Machine backup, repair disks using Disk Utility, and even run commands through Terminal. It's the most important feature for keeping your Mac healthy and operating at its best.
If the local Recovery partition is damaged or otherwise unavailable, there's Internet Recovery Mode for Mac users, whereby it sidesteps the local Recovery partition by directly accessing Apple's servers. It means you can reinstall macOS or use other recovery tools when the built-in Recovery Mode is not working. This system of two-tier recovery makes sure you can always restore your Mac, even in the most difficult situations.
If your Mac isn't booting into Recovery Mode, you have several troubleshooting options you can go through. Here are some ways you can optimize your MacBook and fix the problem, each point with detailed, simple steps.
Sometimes, the problem is as simple as a faulty keyboard. Let’s look at how to check your keyboard:
Step 1: Disconnect your current keyboard from your Mac.
Step 2: Connect a keyboard that is external via Bluetooth or using a USB cable.
Step 3: Restart your Mac and try to boot into Recovery Mode with the external keyboard.
Step 4: If it goes through, that simply means your main keyboard might be problematic; thus, repair or replace it.
Resetting the SMC will further resolve any system-related problems you're experiencing, including those preventing you from entering Recovery Mode. Let's look at how to do it on intel-based Macs:
Step 1: Unplug your computer from the power source after shutting down the system.
Step 2: After 15 seconds, plug in the power cable.
Step 3: Press the Power button while holding down Control + Shift + Option for 10 seconds.
Step 4: Release all keys and press the Power button to restart your Mac.
[Note: there is no SMC on Apple Silicon Macs, so do this only if you have an Intel-based Mac.]
Booting into Safe Mode can help you determine software-related problems that may potentially inhibit Recovery Mode from working. Steps to follow:
For Intel-based Macs:
Step 1: Shut down your Mac and then restart it with the Shift key held down.
Step 2: Press and hold the Shift key until the login window appears.
Step 3: Log in to your Mac. You will see "Safe Mode" in the menu bar.
Apple Silicon Macs:
Step 1: Shut down your Mac, then immediately press and hold the power button until you see the startup options.
Step 2: With the Shift key pressed, you may select your startup volume and click Continue in Safe Mode.
Step 3: Your Mac will restart automatically. When the login window appears, "Safe Mode" will appear in the menu bar.
If the local Recovery partition is damaged, it uses Internet Recovery Mode to download recovery tools directly from Apple's servers. Here's how:
Step 1: Shut down your Mac.
Step 2: Press and hold the Option + Command + R keys simultaneously, then turn on your Mac.
Step 3: Continue holding the keys until you see a spinning globe and a progress bar.
Step 4: After the recovery tools load, you will be able to perform several options to recover macOS, which include reinstalling the operating system.
If you have successfully backed up your Mac with Time Machine, then this is the right choice to restore your system to a point when this error did not exist. Proceed as follows:
Step 1: You must power off your Mac and hook it up to the Time Machine backup drive.
Step 2: Press the Option key and turn on your Mac.
Step 3: When you see a startup manager screen, select the drive you used to back up with Time Machine and press Return.
Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to restore your Mac from the backup.
Reinstalling macOS might help with the most stubborn of problems that prevent Recovery Mode from successfully booting. Here's how to reinstall the OS using Internet Recovery Mode:
Step 1: Shut down your Mac.
Step 2: While powering on your Mac, press and hold the Option + Command + R keys.
Step 3: This will reboot your Mac, downloading the recovery tools over the internet; you should see a grey spinning globe with a progress bar across it.
Step 4: When these tools have loaded, select to reinstall macOS.
If any of the software methods in this guide don't work, then it may be a hardware issue. What you do:
Step 1: Take a close look at your Mac for physical damage, such as a crack or a dent, because such signs can indicate internal damage.
Step 2: Boot up your Mac but suddenly press and hold down the D key. Don't let go until the Apple Diagnostics screen shows up. This will start the diagnostic software and then it automatically begins searching for hardware issues.
Step 3: If diagnostics report an issue, you really should take your Mac to an Apple Authorized Service Provider to have it fixed.