Apple Silicon M1 Macs: Step-By-Step Guide on How to Boot in Safe Mode

Did you know the first-ever Apple silicon powered Macs were released in November 2020? You probably even got a brand-new M1 Mac mini, M1 MacBook Pro, or an M1 MacBook Air for yourself! These beautiful technological pieces feature a new system that you can use to access security and recovery options at startup. If you’re clueless about the new boot and recovery interface, read on to discover the easy process of starting up your Mac in safe mode.

Why Should You Start Up Your Computer In Safe Mode?

Should you experience an issue, you’d want to know if this is caused by the software that loads each time you start up your Mac. When you start up your computer in safe mode, you prevent it from loading stuff such as non-system fonts, login items, and system extensions.

Additionally, this method also allows your computer to perform a First Aid check on the startup disk and delete caches that include the kernel cache. You won’t have to worry about a thing because these caches can be quickly recreated when they’re needed.

M1 Apple Silicon Macs: How to Boot in Safe Mode

Booting your Mac in safe mode is extremely easy. To get started, shut your Mac down if it’s powered on. Go to Menu and tap Shut Down.

The next step is to turn it on. Be sure to press and hold the power button while you wait to see the startup options window.

Select your startup disk before you press and hold your Shift key. Next, make sure that you click Continue in Safe Mode.

The next step is to release the Shift key. You’ll know that your Mac has been booted in safe mode if you see “Safe Boot” in red in the upper right portion of your screen.

Finally, you can now use your account credentials to log in.

You may have to reinstall macOS if you still experience the same issue while your computer is in safe mode or if it restarts a couple of times before shutting down. While you’re at it, don’t forget to check if your system software and third-party apps are up-to-date.