Safe mode not working

iMac mid 2011. Was in safe mode and erasing the system and it timed out at the end. System won’t start up in safe mode. Plugged in a keyboard as well. Stuck on Apple screen with loading circle. What do I do?

Posted on Aug 24, 2019 8:43 AM

Top-ranking reply

Old Toad

Level 10

215,334 points

Posted on Aug 24, 2019 4:10 PM

You can't erase the system in Safe Mode. You must be booted into the Recovery volume (boot with the Command + R keys held down) in order to erase the drive and reinstall the system. Safe Mode only disables all 3rd party software, unnecessary Apple software and some fonts.

View in context

Similar questions

2 replies

Top-ranking reply

Old Toad

Level 10

215,334 points

Aug 24, 2019 4:10 PM in response to Poppyrosejessie

HWTech

Level 9

68,636 points

Aug 24, 2019 12:34 PM in response to Poppyrosejessie

I'm not actually sure what you were doing, but it seems like you need to reinstall macOS using Recovery Mode (Command + R). If you system supports it, then Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R is another option to install the latest supported macOS.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Safe mode not working