If you only have a single macOS system on its internal SSD, and no external bootable disk, the version of Recovery will be the same as that macOS. Then shut it down, wait ten seconds or so, and press and hold the Power button until the display informs you that it’s loading startup options.īecause it’s paired with a boot volume group, the version of macOS loaded in Recovery will then be the same as that group. First ensure that your Mac has been running from the boot volume group whose Recovery you want to access (if your Mac has more than one boot system available). If you need Recovery mode on an Apple silicon Mac, this should be your first choice. I’ve tested this on two Apple silicon Macs, and it works as expected on a MacBook Pro M1 Pro, but my Mac Studio M1 Max refused to enter fallback Recovery, despite it being available. Now, at least in Ventura 13.2.1, and presumably in recent releases of Monterey with their firmware updates, you can enter fallback Recovery with a restart, instead of having to start up cold, but that normally enters fallback rather than primary (paired) Recovery mode.

Until recently, probably with the release of Ventura, when it has changed again. Trying either of those following a restart did nothing, though, and a normal startup took place. Fallback Recovery is similar, except this time the Power button is pressed twice, once briefly before pressing it again and holding the button pressed. Primary Recovery is entered by booting the Mac with the Power button pressed and held until the display reports that startup options are loading. Monterey swapped those over, so primary Recovery goes into the paired volume in the boot volume group, and fallback Recovery into the hidden container on the internal SSD.Īpple’s only documentation of fallback Recovery is in its Platform Security Guide, where it explains how to boot into it.

In Big Sur, the primary Recovery system is stored in a hidden container on the internal SSD, and a fallback Recovery system in a volume alongside the boot volume group. Recovery modes on Apple silicon Macs have also changed. They’re also more secure as they require your physical presence and direct contact with the Mac, pressing its Power button for 1 True Recovery. Apple silicon Macs normally have two local Recovery modes, though.

Intel Macs have but one local Recovery mode: when that doesn’t work, the only alternative is remote or internet Recovery.

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