Once the Startup Manager screen appears, release the Option key.

Holding that key gives you access to OS X’s Startup Manager. When you hear the startup chime, press and hold the Option key. Start up from an OS X startup volume when the Mac would otherwise start up from a non-OS X startup volume.Įject (⏏), F12, mouse button, or trackpad buttonĮject removable media, such as an optical disc. How do I open the boot menu on a Mac Press the Power button to turn on your Mac (or Restart your Mac if it’s already on). Reset NVRAM. Release the keys after you hear the startup sound again. Start up from OS X Recovery over the Internet. Start up from a NetBoot server using the default boot image. Start up from a compatible NetBoot server. Start up to either Apple Hardware Test or Apple Diagnostics over the Internet. Start up to either Apple Hardware Test or Apple Diagnostics, depending on which Mac you're using. Start up from a bootable CD, DVD, or USB thumb drive (such as OS X install media). The links below point to other support documents on Apple's website. I'm betting many of you don't know them all, either, so here they are. I was personally familiar with these and several others, but it turns out there are 15 total combinations, thanks to a KnowledgeBase article Apple posted. Command-S is for 'single-user mode,' which essentially means booting to the command line. To boot your Intel-based Mac into any of the macOS built-in startup modes, you must press and hold one or more keys detailed below after turning on the computer. Power on the system, or restart it if it’s already on, and immediately press and hold the Option key when it starts booting.

Simply plug your created USB drive into an open USB port on your Mac. Shift key, for instance, starts your Mac in Safe mode, and C (or c) starts up from a bootable CD, DVD, or thumb drive. There are two different methods to boot your Mac from a bootable USB, depending on which processor your Mac has. Your Mac and OS X have a variety of startup keys and key combinations you can use to affect how the device starts up.

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