Is Monterey Recovery installation local or does it require internet access?

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Is Monterey Recovery installation local or does it require internet access?

I am reinstalling Monterey on an Intel iMac. My first attempt involved booting into Recovery Mode using Command-R which, as I understand things, uses the built-in Recovery System to reinstall macOS. But it sure looks like it is downloading macOS Monterey from Apple via the internet, not reinstalling from a local installer.

Do all the recovery modes download a fresh copy of the installer?

Here's the reference doc I have already gone over -> Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Dec 8, 2022 7:02 AM

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Phil0124

Community+ 2024

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Dec 8, 2022 7:13 AM in response to MartinR

Command+R should boot into the local Recovery and not need an internet connection to reinstall the OS.

Other options to boot form will require an internet connection to install macOS.

From the document you linked to:

Command-R: Start up from the built-in macOS Recovery
System. Use this key combination to reinstall the latest macOS that was
installed on your system, or to use the other apps in macOS Recovery.
Option-Command-R: Start up from macOS Recovery over the internet. Use this key combination to reinstall macOS and upgrade to the latest version of macOS that’s compatible with your Mac.
Option-Shift-Command-R: Start up from macOS Recovery over the internet. Use this key combination to reinstall the version of macOS that came with your Mac or the closest version that’s still available.