Startup key combinations for Intel-based Macs
Summary
Learn about the startup key combinations you can use with Intel-based Macs.
Products Affected
MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro
| Press C during startup | Start up from a bootable CD or DVD, such as the Mac OS X Install disc that came with the computer. |
| Press D during startup | Start up in Apple Hardware Test (AHT). |
| Press Option-Command-P-R until you hear two beeps. | Reset NVRAM |
| Press Option during startup | Starts into Startup Manager, where you can select a Mac OS X volume to start from. Note: Press N to make the the first bootable Network volume appear as well. |
| Press Eject, F12, or hold the mouse or trackpad button | Ejects any removable media, such as an optical disc. |
| Press N during startup | Attempt to start up from a compatible network server (NetBoot). |
| Press T during startup | Start up in Target Disk Mode. |
| Press Shift during startup | Start up in Safe Boot mode and temporarily disable login items. |
| Press Command-V during startup | Start up in Verbose mode. |
| Press Command-S during startup | Start up in Single-User mode. |
| Press Option-N during startup | Start from a NetBoot server using the default boot image. |
| Press Command-R during startup |
Start from Lion Recovery1 |
1 Available on Macs that ship with OS