So if there’s a problem with your keyboard, you might not be able to access it.ġ. Getting into Recovery mode on an Intel Mac requires a keyboard shortcut. If you have an Intel Mac and Command+R isn’t working, don’t worry and follow the steps below. – As soon as it starts to power up, press and hold Command+R. How to start an Intel Mac in Recovery mode – Eventually, you will be able to select Options > Continue and this will open up Recovery mode.Ģ. – When you see “Loading startup options”, let go of the power button. – With your Mac powered off, press and hold the power button. You’ll need to use a different method to boot into Recovery mode.ġ. If your Mac has an Apple M1 chip - one of the new Macs introduced since November 2020, Command+R won’t work for you. What to do if Command+R isn’t working? Step 1: Determine which type of processor your Mac has. Fortunately, there are some solutions available. There could be something wrong with your hard drive or even your keyboard. There are many reasons why it might not work. However, sometimes the Recovery partition is missing or inaccessible for some reason. Normally, you can press Command+R at startup to boot into Recovery mode. Your Mac creates the Recovery partition during the initial setup and it is set aside in case your Mac’s operating system needs to be completely reinstalled. There are four partitions, but it is the Recovery partition that is the one that can be used to reinstall macOS.

What is Recovery mode?Ī hard drive is split into multiple areas, known as partitions or volumes. In this guide, we’ll show you some of the reasons why Recovery mode might be failing to load, how to troubleshoot the issue, and some alternative ways you can fix your Mac. But what can you do if Command R or Recovery mode aren’t working? Recovery mode can be a lifesaver when things go wrong with your Mac.

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