I have the new M1 Mac Mini.
I need to boot into recovery mode in order to disable secure boot security so that I can get softraid working,
but when I restart holding down “command + R” the Mac mini just does a normal restart. Tried many times....
any idea how to restart in recovery mode on the new M1 Mac Mini?
Mac mini 2018 or later
Does press & hold the power button work?
One option might be to make a bootable Big Sur flash drive and Option-boot to it to access the Recovery security options.
Had the same issue with the M1 Mac Mini 2020.
As mentioned hold the on-off button, and THEN "Cmd and R" to get into Recovery Mode.
zachumm wrote:
Unsure why they had to change it.
To make it easier to use.
Too many people were getting the key commands wrong.
This way it's very easy to remember what to do.
You can still do some key commands, but you do them after you hold the power button down.
In addition, it removed any reliance on a keyboard to get
into recovery which could be problematic for wireless keyboards
and generic wired keyboards that don't implement the Apple
"Command" key properly.
woodmeister50 wrote:
In addition, it removed any reliance on a keyboard to get
into recovery which could be problematic for wireless keyboards
and generic wired keyboards that don't implement the Apple
"Command" key properly.
Excellant Point!
There have always been lots of posts over the years of people
not being able to get into recovery and it was because of a
generic keyboard or people with wireless keyboards not being able
to get the keypress timing just right.
Followup problem: once you're in the recovery mode, you're asked about your users password. But it won't work.
No, really, the user password you usually use for starting up your Mac won't work and there is nothing to be done.
Im using a wired keyboard! And it just keeps restarting normally, even when I am holding down "Command + R". I've never had this issue before...
Sorry, it is a standard apple wired keyboard, plugged into the back of the M1 Mac Mini using USB.
Unsure why they had to change it. Took me forever to find out how on my New Air.
Press and hold the power button on your Mac until you see the startup option page and then select Options.
LSA034 wrote:
As mentioned hold the on-off button, and THEN "Cmd and R" to get into Recovery Mode.
Clicking on "Options" also works.
If you are using wireless keyboard with the Mac Mini, then the key input timing is critical.
see > About macOS Recovery on Intel-based Mac computers - Apple Support
If that doesn't work, then you need to get and use a USB keyboard.
(most all USB generic or pc keyboards work with Mac's)
Hmm.. what keyboard?
(Apple, Generic, PC)
If generic or pc, then you may need to try Alt (option) + R or Control + R.
Go to the Flag on the right side of your menu bar and select Show Keyboard Viewer.
Then test some keys to confirm which keys are giving you the Command + R key combination.
Yes!!! Pressing and holding the power button did work. Thank you.
Secure boot looks quote different.
M1 Mac Mini - recovery mode
