Restore Mac

You are installing a new program or upgrading to a new version of the operating system. Normally it never gives problems, but suddenly your iMac or MacBook stops working and the system is completely stuck. It is good to be prepared for this.

Always have a backup. It is best to do this with an external hard drive and the Time-Machine program. This is because not only your documents, but also all settings are saved with it. Read all about this in the article ‘Backing up with Time Machine (Mac)’.

As of OS X 10.7 Lion, the operating system includes a recovery feature: macOS Recovery. Previously, this option was called OS X Recovery. You can deploy this if the Mac is frozen. For example, what you can do through macOS Recovery is:

• restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup;
• establish an Internet connection so that you can access online help;
• reinstall the operating system.

It is preferable to try restoring the Mac from a Time Machine backup first. The ability to reinstall the operating system is a last resort. You will then have to put all your data on the computer again. This can be done again via the backup that you have made with Time Machine.

Activate the restore function like this:

• Start up the computer and hold down the keyboard shortcut Cmd+R during startup (press and hold the Cmd key while also pressing and holding the letter R).
• Release the keys when the Apple logo appears.
• After booting, you will see the “macOS Recovery” or “macOS Utilities” window with options to restore your system. As of macOS Catalina 10.15, you must first click on the user and enter the corresponding password.

Since this tip is mainly intended to point out the possibility of system recovery and having a good backup, we refer you for all the details about macOS Recovery to Apple’s website. You can request support here if you wish. For example, if you choose the option to access the internet in the recovery function.