Best Mac Keyboard start up Shortcuts you must know

keyboard shortcuts you can use when starting up your Mac

1) How to Start your MAC in safe mode/ safe boot:  Shift key

What is safe mode on macOS ?

​a- Safe mode on your Mac disables the loading of specific software during startup, such as login items, non-essential system extensions, and fonts not installed by macOS.
b- It conducts a basic assessment of your startup disk, similar to examination done by Disk Utility’s First Aid feature.
c- Safe mode clears system caches, including font caches and the kernel cache.

For MACs with Apple silicon:

1. Begin by shutting down your Mac.
2. Press and hold the power button until you see startup options.
3. Release the power button when ‘Options’ appears.
4. Choose your startup disk, typically named Macintosh HD.
5. While holding the Shift key, click ‘Continue in Safe Mode’ under your startup disk.
6. Log in to your Mac, and you may need to log in again.

For Intel-based MACs:

1. Start or restart your Mac and immediately hold down the Shift key.
2. Release the Shift key when the login window appears, then log in.
3. You might be prompted to log in again, and you should see ‘Safe Boot’ in the upper-right corner of the window. If safe mode doesn’t initiate, ensure your Mac doesn’t have a firmware password set.”

2) How to run Apple hardware diagnosis / test:  D key

Why you may need to run MAC hardware diagnosis?

If you suspect hardware-related problems with your Mac, you can utilize the Apple Hardware Test. Once you’ve narrowed down the issue to potentially being hardware-related, you can then proceed to run Apple Diagnostics for further assessment.

For Macs with Apple silicon:

1. Press and hold the power button on your Mac. (For laptops with Touch ID, press and hold Touch ID.)
2. Keep holding the power button until your Mac starts up and displays startup options. Release the power button when you see “Options.”
3. While on the startup options screen, press and hold the Command (⌘)-D keys on your keyboard.

For Intel-based MACs:

1. Turn on your Mac.
2. Immediately press and hold the D key on your keyboard as your Mac starts up.
3. Release the D key when you see a progress bar or when prompted to choose a language.

3) How to start your Mac in recovery mode:  Command-R keys

Why you may need to run MAC in recovery mode?

– In recovery mode you can repair hard drive.
– In recovery mode you can re-install macOS.
– In recovery mode you can  restore from time machine.

For Macs with Apple silicon:

1. Start by selecting “Apple menu > Shut Down” on your Mac.
2. Allow your Mac to shut down completely. It’s fully shut down when the screen is black and all lights, including those in the Touch Bar and keyboard, are off.
3. Press and hold the power button on your Mac until the system volume and the Options button appear.
4. Click on the Options button, then select Continue.
5. If prompted, choose a volume to recover and click Next.
6. Next, select an administrator account and click Next.
7. Enter the password for the administrator account and click Continue.
8. Once the Recovery app appears in the menu bar, you can choose any available options from the window or the menu bar.

     The process described in Apple website.

For Intel-based MACs:

1. Restart your Mac.
2. Immediately press and hold one of the following key combinations until you see the startup screen: –
   • Command-R: Start up from the built-in macOS Recovery System. This option allows you to reinstall the latest macOS version installed on your system or access other apps in macOS Recovery.
   • Option-Command-R: Start up from macOS Recovery over the internet. This allows you to reinstall macOS and upgrade to the latest compatible version.
   • Option-Shift-Command-R: Start up from macOS Recovery over the internet. This option reinstalls the version of macOS that originally came with your Mac or the closest available version.
3. If prompted, enter the password for your Mac.
4. If your disk has multiple volumes, select the one you want to recover and click Next.
5. If required, choose an administrator account, click Next, enter the account’s password, and click Continue.
6. Once the Recovery app appears in the menu bar, you can select any available options from the window or the menu bar to proceed with the recovery process.

    The process described in Apple website.