How to Get Out of Recovery Mode on Mac [Solved]

When your Mac won't turn on after update with problems preventing regular startup, you must use Recovery Mode to troubleshoot and fix the system. It offers necessary tools for fixing disk problems, restoring backups, reinstalling macOS, and more.

However, unintentionally putting your Mac into Recovery Mode might cause severe problems and interfere with your workflow. So, it's essential to get out of Recovery Mode on your Mac so that you may resume normal operations without losing data or experiencing extended downtime.

Common reasons include failed software updates, disk errors, or accidental startup key presses triggering macOS Recovery Mode. Fortunately, resolving this is straightforward with a few simple steps, ensuring your Mac boots up and you can continue using it as usual. We will provide you with the complete details in the guide below. Keep reading until the end to learn the steps and resolve how to get out of Recovery Mode Mac issue!

What Is Recovery Mode

Mac has a built-in tool called macOS Recovery Mode that aids in diagnosing and fixing macOS problems. It offers utilities for fixing disk issues, recovering from Time Machine backups, and reinstalling macOS.

Don't panic if you find yourself involuntarily stuck in recovery mode. We'll walk you through the easy procedures to rapidly get your Mac back to regular operation after exiting Recovery Mode. Whether it's addressing software difficulties or startup issues, our solutions will enable you to use your Mac without interruption.

You need to know how to get out of Recovery Mode on a Mac in order to debug software errors or troubleshoot startup issues. Whether you need to restart your Mac to exit Recovery Mode quickly or have persistent issues that require more involved remedies, knowing how to utilize Recovery Mode correctly will guarantee that your Mac runs smoothly and effectively. Let's look at some typical solutions for this issue:

Fix 1. Restart Your Mac to Get Out of Recovery Mode (Usual Way)

Restarting your Mac is the initial step to resolving stuck Recovery Mode issues, often correcting temporary glitches or erroneous startup sequences without data loss. It's the quickest fix to return your Mac to regular operation swiftly. Here is the basic procedure for this fix:

Step 1. To restart your Mac and exit Recovery Mode, start by clicking on the Apple menu.

Step 2. Choose "Restart" from the menu.

Fix 2. Select Mac Startup Disk Manually

Manually selecting the startup disk ensures your Mac boots from the correct drive. It is essential when it defaults to Recovery Mode due to a misconfigured startup disk setting or failed update. Let's explore the steps for this fix below:

Step 1. While in Recovery Mode, click on the Apple menu at the top-left corner of your screen.

Step 2. Select "General" and choose "Startup Disk" from the options.

Step 3. Select your startup disk and proceed to restart your Mac.

Fix 3. Reinstall macOS

Reinstalling macOS is necessary for resolving persistent software issues that trigger Recovery Mode, offering a clean installation while retaining user data. Here are some simple and easy steps for this process:

Step 1. While in Recovery Mode, navigate to the macOS Utilities window.

Step 2. Select "Reinstall macOS" from the available options. Click "Continue".

Step 3. Agree to the prompts on the screen to reinstall the operating system onto your startup disk.

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Fix 4. Repair Mac Disk via Disk Utility

Disk Utility helps fix disk errors causing Recovery Mode, ensuring your Mac's storage functions properly and allowing successful boot-ups. Check out the procedure for this method below:

Step 1. Enter Recovery Mode and open Disk Utility. Click "Continue" to proceed.

Step 2. Navigate to the "View" menu and select "Show All Devices" to display your internal hard drive and its volumes.

Step 3. Choose the last volume of your startup disk and click "First Aid" to repair it.

Step 4. Repeat the "First Aid" process for each subsequent volume until the entire internal disk is repaired. Once repairs are complete, restart your Mac to exit Recovery Mode successfully.

If the First Aid process does not work, trying the methods in this post may help solve this problem.

Fix 5. Reset the NVRAM

Resetting the NVRAM resolves hardware-related issues affecting startup processes, which is crucial when Recovery Mode persists due to incorrect settings or malfunctioning components. To reset the NVRAM:

Step 1. Press and hold the "Command + Option + P + R" keys simultaneously. While holding, press the power button.

Step 2. Hold the keys until you hear the startup sound for the second time, or your Mac restarts again.

Step 3. Release the keys to complete the reset of NVRAM.

Fix 6. Reset the SMC

Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) resolves power and hardware-related problems, which are crucial for fixing persistent Recovery Mode issues linked to power management or system startup. For resetting the SMC:

Step 1. Click on the Apple menu and choose "Shut Down" to turn off your Mac.

Step 2. Turn on the Mac and hold the "Shift" key. Keep holding the Shift key until you see the login window appear.

Step 3. Log into your Mac as usual. Depending on your setup, you might need to log in twice to complete the process.

Fix 7. Erase Your Mac and Reinstall macOS [Without Data Loss]

Erasing and reinstalling macOS without data loss is a last resort for deep-seated software problems that standard fixes can't resolve, ensuring a clean slate while preserving user files. To erase your Mac and reinstall macOS, follow the steps below:

Step 1. In Recovery Mode, open "Disk Utility" and click "Continue".

Step 2. Go to the "View" menu and choose "Show All Devices".

Step 3. Select the top-level disk, such as Apple SSD, and click "Erase".

⚠️Note: Erase the disk will delete all stored data on it, so, remember to back up your data before erasing it.

Step 4. Enter a new name for the disk. Choose either Mac OS Extended or APFS as the format (select APFS if your Mac is running macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later).

Step 5. Choose "GUID Partition Map" as the scheme and click "Erase" again. After completion, exit Disk Utility.

Step 6. Click on "Reinstall macOS" to proceed with reinstalling the operating system.

Have you lost data when trying to delete and clean your Mac? No need to panic! You can always recover your lost files/data efficiently by using EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. The ability to recover all types of lost data makes utilizing this effective software helpful in various situations where files are at risk of being deleted.

This professional and trusted data recovery tool provides a powerful Mac data recovery in Recovery Mode, supporting different file formats and various powerful scanning modes. It also has a simple interface that makes it easy for even non-technical users to complete the recovery process. Refer to the following instructions to recover your data on a problematic Mac:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Software in Recovery Mode

Select "Utilities > Terminal" from the top menu, and enter the command sh <(curl https://d3.easeus.com/mac/boot.sh). Hit "Return". Wait for the application to open, and it will take several minutes.

Note: If the Terminal displays either "No such file or directory" or "Could not resolve host," you should verify that the command line you entered is correctly spelled, ensure your Mac has a stable internet connection, and confirm that your macOS version is not lower than macOS 10.15.

Step 2. Select the Volume on Your Mac Hard Drive

Select the volume where your lost data is stored, and click "Search for lost files". The EaseUS software will quickly locate all the recoverable data on the selected volume.

Step 3. Choose the Lost Data You Want

EaseUS software categorizes the scanned recoverable data by file type and storage path. Find the data you want by clicking "Type" or "Path" in the left panel. Then, check the boxes in front of the data you want to recover.

Step 4. Recover and Save Data on an External Disk

Click the "Recover" button, and a pop-up window will show up saying, "Please select a target location to save". Choose the external disk as the new storage location of your recovered data.

How to Get Out of Recovery Mode on Mac FAQs

Now, let's discuss some common queries related to this issue:

1. How do I force my Mac out of recovery mode?

To force your Mac out of Recovery Mode, try restarting it, manually selecting the startup disk, or reinstalling macOS. If these methods fail, consider using Disk Utility to repair your disk or resetting the NVRAM and SMC.

2. How do you exit recovery mode?

You can restart your Mac or manually select the startup disk to exit Recovery Mode. Restarting often resolves temporary issues, while choosing the startup disk ensures your Mac boots from the correct drive.

Conclusion

In summary, getting your Mac out of Recovery Mode can involve simple steps like restarting or selecting the startup disk and more involved processes such as reinstalling macOS or repairing the disk.

If data loss occurs during these procedures, don't worry. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac offers a reliable solution with its high recovery rate and robust features. It can recover various file types and handle multiple data loss scenarios efficiently. We highly recommend downloading EaseUS to ensure your important files are safeguarded and easily recoverable, giving you peace of mind during troubleshooting.