Use macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon
macOS Recovery is the built-in recovery system on your Mac.
You can use the apps in macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon to repair your computer’s internal storage, reinstall macOS, restore your files from a Time Machine backup, set the security policy for different volumes, transfer files between two Mac computers, start up in safe mode, and more.
Reinstalling macOS requires an internet connection. To connect to the internet, you can use a wireless or wired network connection. If you’re trying to connect to Wi-Fi through a captive portal (for example, at a coffee shop, library, or hotel) or an enterprise network, you might not be able to access the internet in macOS Recovery. See Connect to the internet using Wi-Fi.
Apps available in macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon
The following apps are available in macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon:
Recovery: The Recovery app provides access to additional apps in macOS Recovery. See Start up your computer in macOS Recovery, Start up your computer in macOS Recovery and pair Bluetooth input devices, and Quit macOS Recovery.
Time Machine System Restore: Restore your data from a Time Machine backup. In the Recovery app, select “Restore from Time Machine,” then click Continue. To return to the Recovery app, choose Time Machine System Restore > Quit Time Machine System Restore. See Use Time Machine to restore your files.
Install macOS: Reinstall macOS on your computer. In the Recovery app, select Reinstall macOS [name], then click Continue. To return to the Recovery app, choose Install macOS [name] > Quit Install macOS. See Reinstall macOS.
Web Browser: In the Recovery app, select Web Browser, then click Continue. When you go to the browser, this page is displayed. If you’re connected to the internet, you can use the browser to search the web. To set the search engine the browser uses, choose Web Browser > Search Engine, then choose a search engine. To return to the Recovery app, choose Web Browser > Quit Web Browser.
Disk Utility: Repair or erase your computer’s internal storage. In the Recovery app, select Disk Utility, then click Continue. To return to the Recovery app, choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility. See Erase and reinstall macOS and Repair your computer’s internal storage.
Startup Security Utility: Set the security policies for your Mac. In the Recovery app, choose Utilities > Startup Security Utility. To return to the Recovery app, choose Startup Security Utility > Quit Startup Security Utility. See Change the security policy.
Terminal: Change settings via the command line. In the Recovery app, choose Utilities > Terminal. To return to the Recovery app, choose Terminal > Quit Terminal.
Share Disk: Share the disk of a Mac that’s started up in macOS Recovery. In the Recovery app, choose Utilities > Share Disk. See Use Share Disk to transfer files between two Mac computers.
Startup Disk: Set the startup disk for the Mac. Choose Apple menu > Startup Disk. To quit the app, choose Startup Disk > Quit Startup Disk.
You can also use macOS Recovery to perform the following tasks:
Start up your computer in macOS Recovery
On your Mac, choose Apple menu > Shut Down.
Wait for your Mac to shut down completely. A Mac is completely shut down when the screen is black and any lights (including in the Touch Bar and keyboard) are off.
Press and hold the power button on your Mac until the system volume and the Options button appear.
Click the Options button, then click Continue.
If asked, select a volume to recover, then click Next.
Select an administrator account, then click Next.
Enter the password for the administrator account, then click Continue.
When the Recovery app appears in the menu bar, you can choose any of the available options in the window or the menu bar.
