Place your MacBook Air/Pro, iMac, or Mac mini to a place where you have robust Wi-Fi network connectivity or use a wired ethernet connection to start the Internet recovery process. Hopefully, this time if you use a fast internet connection, you could perform the Internet recovery successfully. If the issue persists, then read on. Basically on an Intel Mac that is compatible with (and otherwise running) macOS Big Sur, when one uses Command+Option+R to boot to the latest supported OS's Recovery OS via Internet Recovery, macOS. Unless you’re planning to use the Mac’s Internet Recovery options to reinstall the original version of the Mac OS that shipped with your Mac, or you’re planning on restoring from a Time Machine backup or a clone you made before you upgraded to macOS Catalina, you’re going to need a bootable version of the Mac OS you wish to install. Insert your flash drive into a USB port. Start the computer like so: Restart the computer. Immediately after the chime press and hold down the ' OPTION ' key. Release the key when the Boot Manager screen appears. Select the disk icon for the USB flash drive. Click on the arrow button under the disk icon. If that doesn’t help, because you’re trying to erase the entire drive, you can shift to internet-based macOS Recovery, which downloads the recovery software temporarily from the internet.

• Does My Mac Have Internet Recovery
• Macos Catalina Internet Recovery Tool
• Macos Catalina Internet Recovery Software
• Macos Catalina Internet Recovery

Mac recovery mode is a lifesaver during crises. Depending on the type of crisis, you can choose among four options available in Mac recovery mode. there might be some complications that can be resolved by normal recovery mode but it has its own set of limitations. If there is one option that could come in handy regardless of the severity of the problem, it is Mac Internet recovery mode. Learn why Mac internet recovery mode is crucial and let’s discuss how to use internet recovery mode on Mac.

What is Internet Recovery on Mac?

Internet recovery mode is completely different when compared to the Mac recovery mode. Every Mac has a designated recovery partition of 650 MB which is completely independent of the other drives.

Hence in case of corruption or inaccessibility of Mac, we can make use of Mac recovery mode and reinstall macOS or restore from the Time Machine Backup to fix any problem in the operating system. To enter the recovery mode press the “command+R” buttons while Mac is restarting. You will see the following options:

• Restore from Time Machine Backup
• Reinstall macOS
• Get online help
• Disk utility

When you select “Reinstall macOS” the recovery partition (650 MB) is accessed where a fresh copy of macOS exists to begin the reinstallation process from scratch. Please note that this process will completely erase your Mac or MacBook volumes, so be cautious while using Mac recovery mode.

Even though the recovery partition is independent, there might be complications that might damage your entire Mac hard drive. In such a situation, normal recovery mode will not work and you will be stuck in a Mac grey screen.

The best part about Mac internet recovery is it can work even if your Mac is not booting. And since internet recovery directly accesses Apple servers, it also works when the recovery partition is damaged.

How to Access Internet Recovery Mode on Mac?

Generally, when normal recovery mode is not working, Mac automatically takes you to internet recovery mode. You will also see a spinning globe that signifies you are being sent to internet recovery mode.

If you want to manually launch the internet recovery mode, you need to hold Option+Command+R keys while restarting the Mac. Wait till the spinning globe appears and leave the keys. Later a progressive bar appears below the spinning globe icon. After the progressive bar is completely loaded you will see the macOS utility window with the same options as normal recovery mode on Mac or MacBook.

• Restore from Time Machine Backup
• Reinstall macOS
• Get online help
• Disk utility

Internet recovery mode will access the Apple server to fix any issue, so when in internet recovery mode, you need to connect it to any Wi-Fi or ethernet port.

How do I connect my Mac to WIFI in recovery mode?

Once in internet recovery mode, on the top right corner, you will see the Wi-Fi icon. Click on the Wi-Fi icon, select your network to enter the password, and click on connect.

What can You do with Internet Recovery Mac?

Mac internet recovery mode has the exact same options as normal recovery mode but there is a difference in the functionality. For example, when you select “Reinstall macOS” on internet recovery mode, your Mac will download the older version or the macOS that came with the Mac during the time of purchase.

For example, if you bought a Mac with Mojave and later updated it to Catalina, reinstalling macOS using internet recovery mode will completely erase everything on the storage drive and install Mojave. This is why you need to recover Mac hard drive before reinstalling the macOS. You can take a sigh of relief as you can upgrade it to Catalina after the installation is completed.

Pro Tip:

You can create a Mac bootable drive, later you can use the same bootable drive and log into Mac and recover crucial files. Here is how to create a bootable drive using the internet recovery mode.

Does My Mac Have Internet Recovery

How to Create a Bootable Drive Using Mac internet Recovery Mode

To create a bootable drive, you need a 12GB or larger flash drive and connect it to your Mac. Now launch internet recovery mode, select the “Reinstall macOS” option, and click on continue. Accept all the terms and conditions and follow general steps until your installation setup asks you to select a storage drive.

You will see the notification “Select the disk where you want to install macOS”. Be cautious and select the pen drive or the external storage drive you connected. After selecting the USB flash drive click on next and wait for the installation to complete.

After creating the bootable drive, restart your Mac, while booting into the operating system Mac will ask you to select from which drive you want to boot into macOS. Select the Bootable drive to log into your Mac. And now you can try to access the data.

Macos Catalina Internet Recovery Tool

Internet Recovery Mac Not Working? This can be the reason why?

Generally, internet recovery mode needs a certified internet connection that accepts WAP, WEP, and 802.1 IP or internet protocols. Typically, any home internet connection accepts all the aforementioned protocols. However, if you are using any proxy or PPPoE connection, internet recovery will not work. Hence, if the internet recovery mode on Mac is not working once verify the connection or try to connect to a different network.

How Long does Internet Recovery Take?

It depends on your internet connection; internet recovery mode demands a high-speed broadband connection.

How to access and use the Internet Recovery mode on Mac computers?

Apple computers are well-known as stable devices with good performance and hardware specifications. The Mac operating system also includes various self-diagnosis and repair tools. Bear in mind, however, that these features might be susceptible to failure. When built-in tools or software-based solutions do not work, the last and most efficient solution is to reinstall the operating system. All modern Mac computers contain two separate methods to reinstall the operating system (by 'reinstall', we mean installation of a fresh OS X version). You can choose to install the operating system from a startup disk or via Internet Recovery.

In this article, we describe the second method: Internet Recovery to install the operating system version that came with the version of your computer. If your computer was released with OS X Mavericks, using Internet Recovery will install this particular version, while reinstallation from the recovery partition will result in a fresh version of the current operating system. Therefore, if you perform the reinstallation process via the Recovery utility, you will receive the same operating system version that existed prior to reinstallation. The Internet Recovery method is useful if you wish to downgrade the operating system. A big advantage of this method is the ability to bring back the computer to full functionality when software is corrupted. Note, however, that stable internet access is required to perform the reinstallation process via Internet Recovery. An unstable Internet connection can lead to the process crashing and no access to the computer. Therefore, you are advised to use an Ethernet network, rather than Wi-Fi. In this article, we walk through the entire Internet Recovery method.

Table of Contents:

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Requirements to access Internet Recovery Mode

Ensure that the Mac meets the minimum requirements to access Internet Recovery mode. All compatible computers are listed below. Bear in mind that some earlier versions of Apple devices might also use this feature. Apple state that Firmware updates grant access to Internet Recovery mode. If your device is older than the machines listed below, check the Apple firmware updates list here.

• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)
• iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)
• iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)
• MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2010)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010)
• Mac mini (Mid 2010)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch and 17-inch, Mid 2010)
• iMac (21.5-inch and 27-inch, Mid 2010)
• MacBook Air (11-inch and 13-inch, Late 2010)

If you wish to reinstall the Mac operating system, your network must use DHCP and WPA/WPA security methods. All authentication methods listed below are incompatible with macOS installation via Internet Recovery. If your network uses one of the methods listed, change the setting to a compatible configuration (at least for the purpose of the installation process).

• WEP
• WPA-Enterprise
• Certificate-based authentication / 802.1x
• Proxies (where specific proxy servers must be configured in network preferences)
• Captive Wi-Fi networks (where you click an “Agree” button to access the Internet)
• PPPoE (where there is no router handling the PPPoE connection)

Reinstall operating system by using Internet Recovery mode

When you are sure that the Mac is able to access Internet Recovery mode, there is another important task before installing the fresh operating system version. After a successful reinstallation process, the computer will contain only the default software (which is delivered with macOS). All personal data and applications that you have manually applied to the hard disk will be erased. To protect your personal data, create a backup with Time Machine or similar software. Finally, when you are ready to reinstall the operating system, click the Apple logo in the menu bar at top of the screen and select Restart or Shut Down. Once the system starts booting and you hear the startup chime, hold down the combination of Command, Option (Alt), and R.

Keep holding these keys until the animated globe appears with the message below stating 'Starting Internet Recovery' and 'This may take a while'. Note: If you are using a Mac laptop, use the built-in keyboard to access Internet Recovery Mode, since keystrokes might not register properly on external keyboards.

Next, select the Wi-Fi network. If you are not using an Ethernet network, click the drop-down menu and select the desired network. You must confirm access to a Wi-Fi network by entering the password. Then press Return on the keyboard or click the checkmark symbol on the screen to continue.

Macos Catalina Internet Recovery Software

After successful authentication to achieve the network connection, the Mac will begin to download a recovery system image from Apple's servers. You will see a progress bar monitoring the status of the download. Depending on your internet connection, this process may take some time. Ensure that the computer is connected to the power adapter.

Macos Catalina Internet Recovery

When the image is downloaded, the OS Utilities window will pop-up, giving access to the usual features, such as Restore from Time Machine Backup, Reinstall OS X, Get help online, and Disk Utility. From this point, the process will be similar to the reinstallation via recovery partition. Detailed information about how to install the macOS can be found in this article.