How to Start Up a Mac in Internet Recovery Mode

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Introduction

If your Mac isn't connected to a storage drive with macOS installed, or your boot drive is corrupted, the computer will flash a question mark folder icon on startup, and then shut down.

Follow this guide to boot your Mac to Internet Recovery mode and access recovery tools like Disk Utility, Time Machine, and the macOS installer.

Internet Recovery is only available on Apple computers made after 2009. If your computer was released in 2010 or 2011, you may need to update to the latest version of macOS and/or perform an EFI and SMC firmware upgrade to enable Internet Recovery.

Step 1 How to Start Up a Mac in Internet Recovery Mode

How to Start Up a Mac in Internet Recovery Mode, How to Start Up a Mac in Internet Recovery Mode: step 1, image 1 of 1

Shut down the computer.
If you're installing MacOS to a new drive with Internet Recovery, you can skip this step.

Step 2

Once the computer is completely shut down, press the power button, then immediately press and hold the key combination cmd + option + R.

Step 3

When the spinning globe animation appears, you can release the keys.
The globe will spin while Internet Recovery starts up. If you are not using a wired internet connection, a choose network prompt will appear. Use this menu to connect the computer to a WiFi network.

Step 4

Once a network connection has been established, a progress bar will appear underneath the spinning globe.
This process is prone to timing out. If you receive an error, try again using a cable connection to reach the internet rather than WiFi. Depending on your model, you may need an adapter to accomplish this.