How to fix it when Mac won’t boot in safe mode

Read any troubleshooting guide about what to do when your Mac is giving you problems, and you’ll be directed to turn off your computer and boot it up in safe mode. You follow the instructions, but safe mode won’t boot up. What do you do now? 

Start with three quick checks: the keyboard, firmware password, and FileVault. Here are the steps to work through when your Mac won’t boot in safe mode.

How safe mode works

When your Mac is running in safe mode, it is only using files and apps that are essential to day-to-day functions. Safe mode eliminates any extraneous programs and system caches so that you can better diagnose issues and optimize performance. 

If your Mac is slower than normal, freezing up without warning, crashing without reason, or failing to start up using normal procedures, then safe mode is the next step toward better performance.

If your Mac won’t boot in safe mode, you may need to take additional steps to get things back on track. We’re going to go over a few different things you can try when your Mac won’t start in safe mode. 

How to boot your Mac in safe mode

Under normal working conditions, you can easily restart your Mac and enter safe mode to troubleshoot other problems. The steps differ for Apple silicon and Intel-based Mac, though.

Apple silicon

1. Press and hold the power button while restarting your Mac. 

2. Release it when you see the startup options screen.

3. Now, select your startup disk.

4. Press and hold the Shift key and click ‘Continue in Safe Mode.’

5. Log in. You may need to do it several times. You should now see ‘Safe Boot’ in the menu bar.

Intel-based Macs

1. Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold the Shift button until the login screen appears.

2. Log in to your Mac as normal. ‘Safe Boot’ should appear in the menu bar.

If ‘Safe Boot’ doesn’t appear, you can check the status by going to System Information. Click ‘Software’ and scan the System Software Overview for ‘Boot Mode.’ It should say ‘safe mode’ next to it. 

To exit safe mode, chosse shut down from the main Apple menu. Do not interrupt the process by pressing any buttons. Once it shut down (all lights went off), turn it on by pressing the power button.

Why won’t my Mac start in safe mode?

First, a little background information as to why your Mac might be refusing to start in safe mode, from the most common issues to the more complex ones:

• You didn’t completely shut down your Mac before trying to boot it up in safe mode.

• You didn’t hold down the Shift shortcut key long enough when trying to start safe mode.

• macOS has a bug. Did you recently update to a new macOS?

• Your security settings are keeping you from accessing safe mode. Be sure you have the correct password.

• The System Management Controller is having issues.

• NVRAM/PRAM has a bug causing errors.

• The startup disk is damaged.

Before anything else, check the keyboard. On an Intel-based Mac, a wireless keyboard can connect too late for the Shift key to register, so use the built-in keyboard or a wired one and try again. Two other basic errors cause the same symptom: restarting instead of shutting down first, and leaving USB and other peripherals connected.

8 things to try when your Mac won’t start in safe mode

Usually, when your Mac won’t start in safe mode, there is a logical solution, but if none of these steps work, you may need to contact Apple Support. 

1. Check that your startup disk is selectable (Intel-based Macs)

The Option key does not start safe mode, but on an Intel-based Mac, it opens Startup Manager, which shows the disks your Mac can start from. If your startup disk is missing or cannot be selected there, that is the problem to solve first. Here’s how to check:

1. Shut down your Mac completely. 

2. Press the power button, then immediately press and hold the Option key until Startup Manager appears.

3. Choose the Startup drive and press Return.

4. If your Mac starts normally from that disk, the disk is fine — shut down again and retry safe mode with the Shift key as described above.

2. Run maintenance tasks

Maintaining your Mac regularly is a key to helping it work flawlessly. macOS comes with built-in maintenance, but if your Mac is shut down at night, they won’t run automatically. So, you may need to do it manually. It involves using Terminal, which is complicated, or digging deep into System Settings, which is boring. Luckily, there’s an alternative — using a specialist Mac optimization software.

We recommend CleanMyMac — an app that allows you to run various maintenance tasks without the hassle of using Mac’s Terminal app. Use it to tune up your Mac and fix various problems that could be causing your Mac to run inefficiently or keep safe mode from booting up on your computer.

Here’s how to keep your Mac in top shape with one click:

1. Get your free CleanMyMac trial — you can test it for 7 days. 

2. Click Performance and run a scan.

3. Click Run Tasks.

Why use CleanMyMac

• Not only maintains but also protects your Mac and helps you get rid of safe-to-delete junk (caches, logs, etc.): according to internal reports, on average, users find 1 malware and 10.5 GB of junk after the first scan
• Trusted by users in 185+ countries and downloaded over 29 million times
• Cleans 50K Macs every day

Try CleanMyMac for free — see it in action on your MacBook.

3. Assess your security settings on your Mac: Turn off the firmware password

You can disable your Firmware password if it is preventing you from starting your Mac in safe mode.

First, you’ll need to boot into recovery mode. Just like with safe mode, the steps for Apple silicon and Intel-based Macs are different.

• Apple silicon: Shut down your Mac. Press and hold the power button until you see the startup options screen. Click ‘Options’ > ‘Continue.’ 

• Intel: Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold Command and R until the macOS Recovery window appears.

Once you booted your Mac into recovery mode, follow these steps:

1. Type in your Firmware password when prompted.

2. Click ‘Utilities’ from the menu bar.

3. Click ‘Startup Security Utility.’

4. Click ‘Turn Off Firmware Password.’ 

5. Enter your password again to confirm.

Do not forget to enable it back on later. 

4. Disable FileVault

FileVault could be causing your Mac not to start in safe mode, so disable it for a test. Follow these steps:

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner and choose ‘System Settings.’

2. Click ‘Privacy & Security’

3. Locate ‘FileVault’ and click it.

4. Click ‘Turn Off’ > ‘Turn Off Encryption.’

Just like with the firmware password, turn FileVault on if it is not the cause of the issue.

5. Reset your System Management Controller (SMC)

The SMC system controls several hardware functions on your Mac, including system performance, the power supply, cooling fans, and status lights. Resetting the SMC will often fix certain problems related to booting up your Mac. 

Here’s how to reset the SMC on an Intel-based Mac:

1. Shut down your computer completely.

2. Press and hold the Option, Control, and Shift keys on the left side of your keyboard at the same time. 

3. Wait for 10 seconds, then hold down the Power button until the system powers up. 

4. This will automatically reset the SMC on your Mac.

There are no steps for a Mac with Apple silicon, but a simple restart may work for your purposes. So, head over to the Apple menu and click Restart. 

And if you have an Intel-based Mac with a T2 security chip, follow the steps outlined in this article on SMC reset.

6. Reset NVRAM/PRAM

After resetting the SMC, consider resetting NVRAM (non-volatile random-access memory). It is responsible for storing vital system information like display settings, speaker volume, time zone settings, etc. On older Macs, it was PRAM (parameter random-access memory), but it did the same thing.

Like with the SMC reset, if you have a Mac with Apple silicon, simply restart it from the main Apple menu.

For an Intel-based Mac, follow these steps: 

1. Turn off your Mac.
2. Press the power button and the Command+Option+P+R keys.
3. Do not release them until your Mac restarts and you hear the startup sound.

7. Force a shutdown before rebooting your Mac to safe mode

Sometimes, the Mac might freeze while trying to go to safe mode. In that case, the only option is to force the system to shut down. Simply hold your finger on the Power button until the screen goes dark. Wait for at least a minute before trying safe mode again.

Did you know? Sometimes, Mac not booting into safe mode can be a sign of hardware failure. If the power button is unresponsive, you see a flashing question mark on the display when rebooting your Mac, or your Mac restarts unexpectedly with a message that your computer restarted because of a problem (and it happens too often), contact Apple Support immediately. 

8. Reinstall macOS

If nothing has helped, consider reinstalling macOS. It re-writes the operating system and fixes any glitches. It should not wipe your data, but back up your Mac using Time Machine — just in case. 

Next, boot into recovery mode following the steps above and choose Reinstall macOS. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process. 

There are lots of different reasons why your Mac won’t boot in safe mode. Before you hit the panic button, work through all the steps outlined in this article. If you still can’t access safe mode on your Mac, contact Apple Support.