Reasons to start your Mac in Safe Mode

It is recommended you boot in Safe Mode if you encounter the following problems: Your Mac froze during startup. An app is causing problems. Your Mac is running very slow. Booting in Safe Mode is considered troubleshooting because it clears the cache and essentially refreshes your system. How to Boot into Safe Mode. To enter Safe Mode, simply.

Mac's Safe Mode minimizes the applications you have available on your Mac to help identify where any issues might be coming from. Starting up your computer and making it run in Safe Mode is also known as a safe boot (safe boot is how your Mac starts, Safe Mode is how it runs).

Booting in Safe Mode doesn’t just restrict your applications: A safe boot also checks through your startup drive to make sure there are no problems there.

A fault in your system (like corrupted boot sector) might be preventing you from using your Mac at all. By booting in Safe Mode, your Mac can work with macOS core processes to get back into the system and identify problems, such as floating extensions or rogue applications, that you can then remove.

What happens in Safe Mode

When your computer is prompted to perform a safe boot, it will perform a number of tasks before you can use it, which include:

• A directory check of the startup drive;
• Running on only the bare minimum of necessary kernel extensions;
• Disabling all startup or login applications;
• Deleting the dynamic loader cache, which can help fix blue screen freeze on startup (OS X 10.5.6 or later);
• Disabling all fonts that are not supplied by Apple and moving all font caches to the Trash.

Troubleshooting in Safe Mode

Once your Mac is running in Safe Mode, some applications will no longer be available. If your Mac is working fine in Safe Mode, then it’s likely that one of the restricted applications is responsible for the issues. You can manage the list of startup applications manually, removing the potential buggy apps one at a time to see if it affects the performance.
Open Apple Menu > System Preferences
Click Users & Groups icon
Choose your username, then click Login items
Use [-] sign to remove startup items

There is still a problem though. Manually deleting problem applications still leaves their traces deep in the system, so it’s best to use a dedicated Mac cleanup software like CleanMyMac X to double check your Mac is clear of any problematic files.

If your Mac continues to run into difficulties even in Safe Mode, you may need to use Mac’s native recovery tool, Disk Utility.

Identifying the problem

Here is a list of most common system issues Mac users encounter when their Mac isn’t running at peak performance:

• Corrupted startup files or login applications
• Software conflicts
• Damaged hardware
• Too many apps running, or too much junk cluttering up your disk

To diagnose your Mac more precisely, we recommend performing a full scan with some dedicated Mac cleaning app. As described above, CleanMyMac is our favorite (you can download this app here for free). This app made by the guys from MacPaw sports a handy Dashboard, with hardware health monitors among others, which should give you a clue as to what’s wrong with your system.

How to start your Mac in Safe Mode

To restart your Mac in Safe Mode, begin with your Mac switched off or restart it.

1) As soon as your Mac switches on and lights up, press and hold the Shift key.

2) Release the Shift key as soon as the login window appears.

That’s it, your Mac has now been booted in safe mode. Note that it may take longer than usual to boot your computer: This is because there are several checks being performed before it’s ready to use.

If you don’t trust your Mac to turn off and on again without further complications, or for some other reason you would prefer not to safe boot from the startup screen, there is an alternative using the Terminal application.

1) Locate Terminal: Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

2) In the Terminal command line, type the following code and then press Enter:

sudo nvram boot –arg=”-x”

3) You will be asked to enter your password to authorize.

4) Your Mac will now reboot in safe mode. You will not have to hold the Shift key when the computer restarts, simply log in when prompted.

Running your Mac in Safe Mode

If you’re not sure whether your safe boot was successful, there are a couple of ways you can check.

• ‘Safe Mode’ will appear in red in the menu bar

• The boot mode will be listed as ‘Safe Mode’ (instead of ‘Normal’). To find your boot mode, click on the Apple logo in the menu (top left) and select This Mac. Choose System Report, then Software, and from there you will be able to see whether you are in normal or safe mode.

• Your performance speed will change. Typically macOS will run slower when it is in Safe Mode due to the reduced processes, but if you have noticed some serious lagging this may be improved by the faulty applications being restricted.

Working in Safe Mode

Running your macOS in Safe Mode is normally used to troubleshoot glitches that you have noticed, such as lag, crashing, or spontaneous closures of applications. You should try to use your Mac as you normally do so that you can see if the issues have disappeared in Safe Mode or are still there.

You will find that some features aren’t available, such as third-party fonts, the DVD player, and audio in/out devices, which may limit how productive you can be, so it’s best to identify the fault in Safe Mode, fix it, and return to normal mode to work as usual.

Exiting Safe Mode

Once you’re finished in Safe Mode, simply restart your Mac. It should then reboot as normal, hopefully with improved performance.

If you’re using Terminal commands to return to normal, type

sudo nvram boot-args='

It may take a little longer than usual to shut down from safe mode, but don’t become impatient and use the power button to force a hard shut down.

Booting in Safe Mode Unprompted

If your Mac automatically enters Safe Mode itself without you pressing shift or using the Terminal, don’t panic. Your Mac may have detected an issue that it thinks needs repairing in Safe Mode. If this happens only once, then great, your Mac did its job and cleaned up the issue before it could cause any more problems.

If your Mac is stuck restarting in a Safe Mode loop, try entering another startup configuration, the Recovery Mode, by pressing Command (?) + R upon startup. This will perform a Disk Utility scan to check for issues, and, if that doesn’t work and you have backed up your files, you can try a reinstalling a clean copy of macOS to start fresh.

Tip: Check your keyboard is clean and that there is no debris beneath the keys. If the shift key has become stuck, your Mac will think it’s being pressed during startup to initiate a safe boot.

Safe Mode limitations

Unfortunately, the responsibility to locate software issues still resides with the user in Safe Mode. A safe boot will check for disk problems, but if it fails to turn anything up you may be resigned to shifting through your applications list to see what might be causing the problem.

Luckily, some helpful maintenance utilities can be run while in Safe Mode. CleanMyMac X is one of those so check it out. It clears through your junk before it can impact on your system, but if your macOS is starting to lag it might be time to perform a full clean-out of those unused applications. With an average of 62GB of junk cleaned from an average Mac, it's maybe just the tool you need to put your Mac back on track.

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Booting into safe mode usually solves a lot of common Mac issues, including non-responding apps, sluggish system performance, installation or uninstallation failures, and a lot more. It is a special way for your operating system to load when there is an issue that interferes with the normal operation of your Mac. Once you boot into safe mode and you have fixed whatever needs to be fixed, you should then be able to reboot normally and use your computer the same way as before.

But what if Mac always boots into safe mode? Sometimes your Mac gets stuck in Safe Mode even if the problem has been fixed and you have restarted your computer. This is annoying because Safe Mode limits what you can do with your computer. You will only be able to do basic stuff because most of your device drivers won’t load. If your Mac keeps booting into Safe Mode, then there’s something wrong with it and you might want to fix it.

This article will show you how to stop Mac from booting into safe mode time and time again.

How to Stop Mac From Booting Into Safe Mode

There are a few reasons why your computer is always booting into Safe Mode. This guide will discuss each of these reasons and show you the best way to deal with them.

1. Fix Stuck Shift Keys and Clean Your Keyboard

The process of booting into Safe Mode requires you to hold down the Shift key when you hear the startup sound. But if your Shift key is stuck, your Mac will probably boot in Safe Mode forever—unless you fix it.

The first thing you have to do when you encounter this problem is to check your keyboard. Sometimes it is not visibly obvious that your Shift key is stuck, so you need to check it manually. Press the Shift key and check if something looks, feels, or sounds weird. You can also try pressing some key combinations and see if it works. If not, then your Shift key might be faulty.

Dirt is the main cause of a faulty keyboard because these small particles accumulate under and in-between the keys. You can use a can of compressed air to blast around the keys to make sure that there is no dirt, lint or dust underneath them. For more keyboard-cleaning tips, you can follow this step-by-step guide on how to fix stuck keys on your Mac.

If you own a Mac that belongs to the 2016-2018 MacBook Pro lineup or the 2015-2017 MacBook line, checking your keyboard regularly is a must. Macs belonging to these groups are equipped with butterfly keyboards, which are famous for being problematic. Butterfly keys are notorious for getting randomly jammed or stuck because of dirt or debris.

Apple has even launched a tutorial on how to properly clean your keyboard, which requires holding it in various tilted positions while blowing the keys with compressed air.

Apple has also initiated the Keyboard Service Program for MacBook and MacBook Pro released from 2015 to 2017. The program was designed to service MacBook and MacBook Pro computers that experience keyboard problems such as sticky or unresponsive keys, characters not appearing or repeating unexpectedly. Just bring or send your Mac with a defective keyboard to an Apple Authorized Service Provider, and they will fix it for free.

Cleaning your Mac’s keyboard does not only help fix stuck keys, it also prevents other future problems. So, whether you think your Shift is stuck or not, checking your keyboard should be the first thing you should do if you’re looking for ways on how to stop Mac from booting into Safe Mode.

2. Clean Up Your Software

If you’ve been using your Mac for quite some time, some files can get corrupted and cause rebooting issues or other problems for your computer. Try to empty your Trash and get rid of all unnecessary files on your computer. You can do this manually—which might take a while, or you can use an app such as Tweakbit MacRepair to get rid of all your junk files in one go.

3. Reset NVRAM/PRAM

If your Shift key is working just fine, the next thing you have to look at is your Mac’s NVRAM/PRAM. NVRAM or non-volatile random-access memory is a tiny amount of memory that retains information even when the computer’s power is turned off. It is where your computer stores some settings so they can be easily accessed. PRAM or parameter random access memory is the older version of NVRAM. The settings stored in NVRAM remain in place even after you reboot your Mac. Problems, such as continued booting in Safe Mode, happen when one of these settings gets corrupted or changed.

What you need to do is reset the NVRAM/PRAM on your Mac. To do this, follow these steps:

• Restart your Mac.
• Hold down this keyboard combination: Cmd + Option + R.
• Keep holding the keys until you hear the second boot chime, or until you see the Apple logo flicker twice.

How To Start Macbook In Safe Mode

That’s it! Your NVRAM/PRAM has been reset, and your Mac should boot up now in normal mode.

4. Reset SMC

If resetting the NVRAM/PRAM doesn’t work, you should also try resetting your Mac’s System Management Controller (SMC) to fix your reboot issue. Resetting your SMC helps restore some basic system functionality to your Mac, especially if you’re experiencing power or hardware-related issues.

To reset your SMC, do the following:

How To Boot Up Mac In Safe Mode

• Shut down your Mac and connect the power adapter.
• On your keyboard, hold down this combination (Shift + Control + Option) and the Power button at the same time.
• Release all the keys at the same time when you see the light on your adapter briefly change colors. This means that the SMC has been reset.
• Boot up your Mac as usual.

Conclusion:

Getting stuck in Safe Mode can be pretty annoying because there’s nothing you can do except for basic computer tasks. Hopefully, this guide has helped you in finding the perfect solution for your problem.

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