What Is Safe Mode, and When Should You Use It?

ByMichael Tilleman

Although Macs are highly reliable, unusual problems can still rear their ugly heads. Often, these issues are caused by software you’ve installed or accessories you’ve connected. If you’re experiencing Mac misbehavior that isn’t easily fixed by restarting, updating software, or unplugging a dodgy device, try safe mode. (Seriously, before checking if safe mode will help with a problem, you should always restart, ensure you’re running the latest version of macOS and any involved apps, and unplug non-essential peripherals.)

Safe mode is one of macOS’s key troubleshooting tools, though many users don’t know when or how to use it. By starting up your Mac with minimal required software and services, safe mode can help identify and resolve various system issues.

How to Enter Safe Mode

The process for entering Safe Mode varies depending on whether you have a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel-based Mac.

For Macs with Apple silicon:

  1. Shut down your Mac.
  2. Press and hold the power button until the startup options appear.
  3. Select your startup disk.
  4. Hold the Shift key and click Continue in Safe Mode.
  5. Log in (you may need to do this twice). You’ll see “Safe Boot” in red in the menu bar on the login screen.

For Intel-based Macs:

  1. Restart your Mac.
  2. Press and hold the Shift key until you see the login window.

(If you have a firmware password, you must remove it in Recovery before starting up in safe mode.)

To verify that you’re in safe mode, click the Apple menu while holding the Option key, select System Information, and look for “Boot Mode: Safe” under Software. To exit safe mode, just restart your Mac normally.

What Safe Mode Does

When your Mac boots in safe mode, it performs several important functions designed to eliminate troubleshooting variables:

  • Prevents non-essential software from loading, including third-party login items, kernel extensions, system extensions (the modern replacement for kernel extensions), and fonts not installed by macOS
  • Clears some system caches, including font caches and the kernel cache

Apple also says that safe mode performs a basic check of your startup disk, but research from the community suggests that this check is no different from the one performed during a normal boot. If you suspect disk-related problems, use the First Aid feature of Disk Utility to conduct a more comprehensive (and much slower) test.

This minimal environment helps identify whether the problems are caused by software that loads during startup or by core system components. Safe mode also prevents many customizations and modifications from taking effect, making it easier to determine if third-party software is the cause of the issues.

However, the downside of using safe mode is that some macOS features may not work. According to Apple, these include “video capture, graphics performance, file sharing, Wi-Fi, accessibility, audio devices, and devices connected via USB, Thunderbolt, or FireWire.” In practice, some of these will work fine, but the main point is that you might not be able to do everything you want while in safe mode. It’s designed for troubleshooting, not regular use.

When to Use Safe Mode

Safe Mode is beneficial in several common scenarios:

  • Identifying extension conflicts: If your Mac is misbehaving, booting in safe mode can help determine if third-party kernel or system extensions are the cause.
  • Troubleshooting startup problems: If your Mac doesn’t start normally, safe mode might help you get in and address the issue.
  • Installing updates: Although this is less necessary in recent versions of macOS, if a macOS update fails to install properly, trying again in safe mode often resolves the issue.
  • Fixing update issues: Problems that appear after a macOS update—likely caused by outdated third-party software incompatible with the new version of macOS—can often be resolved by starting in safe mode.
  • Performance problems: If your Mac is running slowly, safe mode can help identify whether login items or extensions are causing the issue.
  • General diagnostics: Safe mode is a worthwhile initial step for diagnosing issues before attempting more complex solutions.

What Comes After Safe Mode

Once you’re in safe mode, it’s up to you to reproduce the problem you experienced earlier. Then, there are two possibilities:

  • The problem persists in safe mode: While this result is not ideal, safe mode has still provided you with more troubleshooting information by eliminating third-party login items, extensions, and fonts from consideration, along with clearing certain caches. Since those aren’t the cause, try testing in a clean user account, disconnecting remaining peripherals, and reinstalling macOS.
  • The problem goes away in safe mode: Great! First, restart your Mac to see if the problem has disappeared, as would be the case if it were related to corrupt caches. If the problem returns after restarting, you can narrow down the cause to third-party login items, extensions, or fonts. Remove third-party log-in items in System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. (We recommend taking a screenshot with Command-Shift-5 first, so you can remember how you were set up.) You can also disable extensions in System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions by toggling their switches. Restart and test again. If that still doesn’t fix it, try testing in a clean user account to rule out any software issues tied to your main account.

The beauty of safe mode is that it’s easy to enter and entirely non-destructive. It may not help identify all possible problems, but it’s always worth trying after the simple steps of restarting your Mac, updating associated software, and unplugging non-essential peripherals.

(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/Armastas)

Social Media: Having Mac problems? Before trying more complex solutions, restart in safe mode—your Mac’s stripped-down troubleshooting environment. It disables non-essential software and clears system caches to help identify and resolve common issues.

Similar Posts

  • Back up for the Holidays

    The Holidays are here and I am sure many of your are busy making memories, thinking about others and capturing as many picture-perfect moments that you can. While you’re busy bustling around, are you taking the time to think about these memories? What would happen if you couldn’t go back and look up those moments? Perhaps now is the time to think about a gift for yourself and taking the time to ensure that all of the perfect moments you are capturing on video and in pictures are being safely stored on your computer.

    I know we talk about this all the time, but it’s surprising how many of us out there keep putting this important step of backing up to the side! The Holidays are the time with some of the best memories, and so many of us are capturing once in a lifetime moments. The last thing anyone wants is to have something happen to those photos. There are so many options for backing up your computer and your important files it can be a little overwhelming. There is iCloud, cloud-based storage solutions from countless companies, traditional external hard drives for back up and more! My preferred backup solutions are a combination of cloud backup and physical hard drives. It might seem a little redundant, but better to be safe than sorry when it comes to important documents and memories.

    For me, iCloud and an external hard drive are my preferred options for backing up. I use my iCloud account to keep my daily life in order, contacts and calendars most importantly. I also use iCloud for storing some of my most important memories and files, select baby photos of my kids and some important documents. The kind of things that should the worst case happen and I lost my computer or drives due to theft or fire I still have copies in the cloud. My preference for my backups is using Time Machine and my “**Seagate**”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85305/seagate-backup-plus-slim-portable-drive-usb-3-0-2tb-blue hard drives. I keep a different drive for each of my computers and perform fairly regular backups, I am not perfect, so sometimes they are not as regular as I would like. But utilizing these drives allows me to ensure that I have entire backups of my files and data readily available. Before I started to use iCloud I would also have back ups drives of my Time Machine back up, yes, I was and am that paranoid about loosing photos of my kids. I still have a small 20gb drive that contains my oldest daughter’s first year of photos, even though I know all the photos are on my computer and backed up I still won’t delete that drive.

    In the last year we have seen a rise in alternative cloud storage and mobile storage solutions. Many companies like “*Seagate*”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/?mmfg%5B0%5D=Seagate and “*LaCie*”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/?mmfg%5B0%5D=LaCie have portable drives that allow users to access information wirelessly while on the go. This is a great solution for families with large media libraries for movies. The “**Lacie Fuel**”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/85520/lacie-fuel-wireless-battery-powered-mobile-hd-wifi-usb-3-0-1tb is great for just this. Have a long road trip? Load up the drive and the family can access the files from their iPhones or iPads quickly and easily without taking up storage on their devices. Another and perhaps more practical solution is the “**Seagate Personal Cloud**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002041/mac-the-halls-save-20-on-seagate-personal-cloud-home-media-storage-3tb. This drive allows you to back up everything on your computer and access it from anywhere! No need to carry that back up drive along with you, and with tons of storage options little worry about not having enough space. So this holiday season remember, backing up is just as important as capturing those memories.

  • Medgar Evers

    Medgar Evers (1925-1963) was an African-American civil rights activist whose murder drew national attention. Born in Mississippi, he served in World War II before going to work for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). After applying to the segregated University of Mississippi Law School in 1954, he became the NAACP field secretary in Mississippi.

    As early as 1955, Evers activism made him the most visible civil rights leader in the state of Mississippi. As a result, he and his family were subjected to numerous threats and violent actions over the years, including a firebombing of their house in May 1963. At 12:40 a.m. on June 12, 1963, Evers was shot in the back in the driveway of his home in Jackson. He died less than a hour later at a nearby hospital. The accused killer Byron De La Beckwith initially escaped conviction.

    In December 1990, Beckwith was again indicted for the murder of Medgar Evers. After a number of appeals, the Mississippi Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of a third trial in April 1993. Ten months later, testimony began before a racially mixed jury of eight blacks and four whites. In February 1994, nearly 31 years after Evers’ death, Beckwith was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.