Rubber Way is a stripped down version of the Mac operating system that tin be useful if yous are trying to troubleshoot issues with your Mac: peradventure it is running slowly, maybe an app is causing problems, y'all might exist having problems with crashes or application freezes, or, worse, your Mac might not be booting upward at all.

In this tutorial nosotros volition explain how to start up in Prophylactic Fashion, why y'all would want to utilise Safety Mode, including what it does, and doesn't do, how you know you are in Safe Mode, and what to exercise if your Mac automaticaly starts up in Rubber Mode.

Notation: the manner that yous enter Safe Mode if different on the M1 Macs - the kickoff Macs to apply Apple silicon that Apple tree introduced in November 2020. It'southward likely that all future Macs powered by Apple's chips volition adopt the new method. Nosotros explain how to access Safe style on an M1 Mac below.

Why apply Safe Mode

Using Condom Mode can help you resolve bug that are stopping your Mac from starting up, or any issues related to your startup disk.

Within the power user community in that location'south a sure mythology attached to booting into rubber mode on the Mac. Some people recommend information technology as a first step should your Mac encounter admittedly whatever kind of trouble. This is probably effective because the caches are cleared past safe fashion, and these tin can become corrupted.

Here are some of the reasons why you might desire to employ Safe Mode:

  • If your Mac stalled during start up
  • If you think an app is causing problems
  • If your Mac is running very slowly (starting in Safety Manner will articulate the cache and could speed things up)

Do comport in mind that cleaning the caches using either method may brand for a slower Mac in the first few reboots after it's undertaken - later on all, the whole purpose of caches is to make your Mac faster.

Some people use safe mode to uninstall apps that otherwise evidence "sticky" - that is to say, they're impossible to go rid of in normal operating style because they're tied to a system service that won't stop. In safe way all non-essential services aren't loaded, overcoming this hurdle.

If the issue doesn't happen when y'all start in Condom Manner it may indicate one of the following:

  • You may have incompatible login items.
  • If after using Rubber Way yous reboot and the outcome doesn't echo it is probable that the trouble was related to a cache or directory issue that has been stock-still when you ran Condom Way.

Don't try and do bodily work in safe style. Some apps merely won't work and the whole system will be slow and unresponsive. However, for trouble solving there's little doubt that safe mode has its uses.

How do I kickoff a Mac in Safe Mode

Follow these steps to Condom Boot your Intel Mac:

  1. Get-go your Mac
  2. Printing and concord the Shift central
  3. The Apple logo should announced
  4. When the login window appears release the shift key and log in
  5. You may be required to log in twice if you have FileVault turned on

Follow these steps to Prophylactic Boot your M1 Mac or newer:

  1. Press and keep to concord the power button until you lot encounter the startup options announced.
  2. Cull your startup disk.
  3. Press and hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Way.
  4. Release the Shift primal.

What Condom Mode does/doesn't do

Safe Mode performs certain checks and prevents some software from automatically loading or opening when you start up your Mac. When you lot kicking in Safe Style:

  • Just essential kernel extensions are loaded (a.k.a. ketxs, or hardware and software drivers)
  • Startup apps and login apps/services are non loaded
  • Fonts you've manually installed are not loaded

Additionally, organization and font caches are automatically cleaned, and equally part of the boot procedure the hd is verified and attempts made to repair issues with directories - a little like Windows' FDISK command-line app, although what happens is identical to what would happen if you click the Repair Deejay button found in of macOS'due south Disk Utility.

So, what can you practice in safe mode? Not much! Aside from the repairs mentioned above, safe mode is designed to allow yous test your Mac. If a trouble you've been having doesn't occur when y'all kick to rubber mode so it's a safe bet information technology's related to a problematic kernel extension (mayhap faulty hardware that kernel extension accesses), or – and this is more than likely – it's related to a third-party app or service configured to outset with macOS.

How to prune your startup app list

  1. Open System Preferences and click the Users & Groups icon.
  2. Select your username at the left.
  3. Click the Login Items tab.
  4. Select an detail so click the minus (-) button beneath to remove it.

Some apps and services hibernate away in arrangement folders, however, and pruning them is only for avant-garde users. Removing kernel modules is over again just for experts, although on modern releases of macOS it's pretty hard for developers and hardware vendors to install third-party modules cheers to the requirement for them to be digitally signed, then this is much less likely to exist the cause of whatever issues.

How do you know y'all are in Rubber Mode

In one case you are in Safe Mode you will run into the words Prophylactic Fashion in menu at the top right of your screen, at least in recent versions of macOS.

Other clues volition as well bespeak that you are in Rubber Style. For case, the system might seem tiresome to respond and animations might appear jerky.

To cheque if you lot are in Prophylactic Mode follow these steps:

  1. Click on the Apple logo in the menu (meridian left).
  2. Click in Nigh This Mac.
  3. Click on System Report.
  4. Click on Software and check what the Boot Way is listed as - it will say Safety if you are in Safety Mode, otherwise it will say Normal.

Other ways you tin tell you are in Safe Mode:

  • You might encounter your screen blink when the login screen appears during startup.
  • Depending on the version of the Mac operating organization you are using the screen may be gray and a progress bar may announced under the Apple tree logo during outset upward. In newer versions of macOS the start upward will appear as normal other than potentially having to log in twice.
  • Your Mac will be slow.

When you are in Safe Mode y'all won't be able to:

  • Capture video in some video apps.
  • Audio devices might not work.
  • Some USB or Thunderbolt devices might non be bachelor.
  • WiFi networking may not exist available.
  • File sharing will be disabled.
  • Some graphical elements will not appear, for example the dock (shown below) may await grey rather than transparent.

What to exercise if your Mac automatically starts in Safe Manner

If it detects an effect which could exist fixed by Prophylactic Mode your Mac might automatically boot in Safe Way and attempt to repair it. Hopefully this will gear up the issue, just if it doesn't and your Mac keeps restarting in Safe Mode and then you should contact Apple Support, an Apple Authorised Service Provider or visit an Apple Shop for assistance.

Another possibility is that the Shift key is stuck and that is causing Safety Mode to be implemented when you start up the Mac.

How to I turn off safe boot on Mac? How do I go out of safe boot on my Mac?

To exit Safe Manner only shut down your Mac and restart information technology (this time without pressing Shift).

Shutting downward in Rubber Mode may have a little longer than information technology would normally take to shut down. Be patient and don't interrupt the process or employ the Power button to switch off your Mac.

Here's how to shut down your Mac.

Problems with Mac Condom Way, Safe Manner not working

You may be concerned if your Mac may take longer to boot up in Safe Style. There is probably no cause for business organization. It will have longer as the Mac will be performing a directory cheque of your startup disk.

If your Mac restarts or shuts down when you lot use Rubber Style this may be because your Mac has already repaired an upshot with the startup disk, in which case your Mac has automatically restarted.

However, if your Mac repeatedly restarts or shuts down while in safe way, Apple advises that you contact Apple Support or consult with an Apple Authorised Service Provider or visit an Apple Shop for help.

If Safe Fashion doesn't solve you problem you could attempt one of these tutorials: How to set up a Mac that won't plow on or showtime up, and How to fix a Mac, or How to set up a frozen Mac.