Starting a Mac in Safe Mode is different on Apple silicon and Intel-based Macs. On a Mac with an M-series chip, you shut it down, hold the power button until startup options appear, select the startup disk, then hold Shift while choosing Continue in Safe Mode. On an Intel Mac, you turn it on and immediately hold Shift until the login screen appears.
Safe Mode is useful when a Mac freezes during startup, behaves normally only after a restart, crashes because of login software, or has another problem that might be caused by software loaded during a normal startup.
The first step is identifying which type of Mac you have because using the Intel method on an Apple silicon Mac will not start Safe Mode. Apple documents both procedures in its Mac Safe Mode instructions.
Apple Silicon or Intel: Which Safe Mode Method Do You Need?
| Your Mac | Safe Mode method |
| Mac with Apple M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 or later Apple silicon | Hold the power button to open startup options, select the disk, hold Shift, then choose Continue in Safe Mode |
| Intel-based Mac | Turn it on or restart it and immediately hold Shift |
If macOS is working, open Apple menu > About This Mac.
A Mac with Apple silicon shows an Apple Chip, such as Apple M4. An Intel Mac shows an Intel processor.
When the Mac cannot reach the desktop, its age and model can help identify the processor, but you can also safely try the Apple silicon startup-options method first. Apple says that if the Mac is not using Apple silicon, it is Intel-based.
How to Start an Apple Silicon Mac in Safe Mode
Use these steps for Macs with Apple silicon, including M-series MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro models.
1. Shut Down the Mac
Choose:
Apple menu > Shut Down
Wait until the screen is completely black and the Mac is off.
If the Mac is frozen and will not shut down normally, press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds until it turns off.
On a MacBook with Touch ID, the Touch ID button is also the power button.
2. Press and Hold the Power Button
Press and keep holding the power button.
Do not release it as soon as the Apple logo appears.
Continue holding until you see Loading startup options or the startup options screen.
Apple’s startup options screen displays the available startup disk and an Options gear. Safe Mode is started from this screen rather than by opening the Options gear.
3. Select Your Startup Disk
Click the disk containing macOS.
For most Macs, this is:
Macintosh HD
Do not click the gear labelled Options. That opens macOS Recovery.
4. Hold Shift and Choose Continue in Safe Mode
With the startup disk selected:
- Press and hold the Shift key.
- Keep holding Shift until the button below the disk changes to Continue in Safe Mode.
- Click Continue in Safe Mode while still holding Shift.
The Mac restarts and begins loading macOS in Safe Mode.
You may be asked to log in. Depending on your configuration, macOS can ask you to log in more than once.
How to Start an Intel Mac in Safe Mode
Intel Macs use the older Shift-key startup method.
1. Shut Down or Restart the Mac
If the Mac is already running, choose:
Apple menu > Restart
You can also start from a fully powered-off Mac.
2. Immediately Hold Shift
Turn on or restart the Mac and immediately press and hold the Shift key.
Keep holding Shift while the Mac starts.
3. Release Shift at the Login Screen
Release the key when the login window appears.
Log in normally.
You may be asked to log in a second time.
If holding Shift does nothing, shut down the Mac completely and try again. Apple recommends using the built-in keyboard or a wired keyboard when startup key combinations are not being recognized reliably.
How to Check Whether Your Mac Is Actually in Safe Mode
The most reliable check is System Information.
- Hold the Option key.
- Open the Apple menu.
- Choose System Information.
- Select Software in the sidebar.
- Find Boot Mode.
When Safe Mode is active, Boot Mode should show:
Safe
This verification is more useful than relying on visual differences because macOS can look almost normal after a Safe Mode startup.
What Safe Mode Does on a Mac
Safe Mode is primarily a diagnostic environment.
Apple says Safe Mode can help determine whether a problem is caused by software that loads as the Mac starts.
A Safe Mode startup also performs certain system checks and prevents some software from loading normally.
That makes it useful when troubleshooting symptoms such as:
- the Mac freezes after login;
- an app opens automatically and immediately causes problems;
- the Mac behaves badly after installing background software;
- startup takes unusually long;
- the problem occurs during a normal boot but disappears in Safe Mode.
Safe Mode is not intended to be the Mac’s permanent operating mode. It is also unnecessary for every isolated app problem. If a transfer is simply stuck, try canceling AirDrop on iPhone or Mac before interrupting the whole Mac session.
What to Test After the Mac Starts in Safe Mode
Do not start changing unrelated settings immediately.
First reproduce the exact problem that made you enter Safe Mode.
For example, if the Mac normally freezes shortly after login, use it for a few minutes in Safe Mode and see whether the freeze returns.
If an app crashes during normal startup, try opening the same app. For a remote-support problem such as ScreenConnect clipboard not working on Mac, check the app’s permissions and clipboard controls first. A remote-support service may not load in Safe Mode, so losing that connection is not a useful comparison by itself.
The comparison is what makes Safe Mode valuable:
Problem disappears in Safe Mode: software that loads during normal startup becomes more likely.
Problem still happens in Safe Mode: the cause may be deeper than a normal login item or third-party startup component.
Safe Mode by itself does not identify the faulty app.
When the problem disappears, inspect System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions and pay particular attention to software installed shortly before the problem began.
Remove or disable suspected startup software one item at a time, restart normally, and test again.
Mac Won’t Start in Safe Mode
The next step depends on which Mac you have.
Apple Silicon: Startup Options Never Appear
Shut the Mac down completely.
Then press and hold the power button again. Continue holding it even after the Apple logo appears, and release it only when Loading startup options or the startup options screen appears.
A quick press starts macOS normally. Safe Mode requires the longer hold.
Continue in Safe Mode Does Not Appear
Make sure you selected the startup disk, not the Options gear.
Then press and hold Shift.
The Continue button should change to Continue in Safe Mode.
Intel Mac Ignores the Shift Key
Apple recommends shutting down first when a startup key combination does not work.
Turn the Mac on and immediately hold Shift.
If you are using a wireless external keyboard, try:
- the MacBook’s built-in keyboard;
- a wired keyboard; or
- connecting the wireless keyboard with a cable when supported.
Startup key combinations can fail when the keyboard is not recognized early enough in the boot process.
FileVault or a Login Password Appears
A login request is normal.
Enter the password for your macOS user account. Safe Mode does not bypass authentication or FileVault protection.
The Mac Cannot Reach the Login Screen Even in Safe Mode
Safe Mode is no longer the right endpoint when the Mac still cannot complete startup.
Use macOS Recovery instead.
On Apple silicon, shut down and hold the power button until startup options appear, then select Options > Continue.
On Intel, start the Mac and immediately hold Command-R.
From Recovery, you can use Disk Utility to check the startup disk and access other recovery tools.
How to Exit Safe Mode on Mac
There is no special exit command.
Choose:
Apple menu > Restart
Do not hold Shift or any other startup key.
The Mac should start normally.
After logging in, you can check System Information > Software > Boot Mode again. It should show Normal.
If an Intel Mac repeatedly starts in Safe Mode even when you are not pressing Shift, check whether the Shift key is physically stuck, especially on an external keyboard.
Safe Mode vs macOS Recovery
Safe Mode and Recovery solve different problems.
Safe Mode starts your installed copy of macOS with restrictions so you can compare its behavior with a normal startup.
macOS Recovery starts a separate recovery environment used for tasks such as Disk Utility, reinstalling macOS, restoring from Time Machine, and other repair operations.
On Apple silicon, both begin from the startup options screen, which is why they are easy to confuse.
For Safe Mode, select Macintosh HD, hold Shift, and click Continue in Safe Mode.
For Recovery, select the Options gear and click Continue.
That distinction is especially important when following screenshots: the Options gear is visible during the Safe Mode process, but you do not need to open it to start macOS in Safe Mode.
