And of course another way to clear NVRAM is to reset NVRAM / PRAM on an Intel Mac. If you executed this command at some point and aren’t sure if it’s enabled or not, you can always view and clear the nvram contents via command line too. Then it’s just a matter of restarting the Mac, or turning an off Mac back on again, where you’ll go directly to the boot manager. Sudo nvram manufacturing-enter-picker=trueīecause the command is prefixed with sudo you’ll have to enter the admin password. But perhaps the Option/alt key isn’t working for some reason on a Mac, or you want to explore the boot options, or you can’t hold down the key on boot for some reason.īooting Intel Mac Directly to Startup Disk ManagerĪs with all command line activity, start by opening the Terminal application, then issue the following command: See other general Mac keyboard shortcuts.Whether or not this is easier or faster than booting an Intel Mac from an external drive by holding down the Option key on system start and choosing the external volume to boot the Mac from is entirely up to you and your use case. Eject (⏏), F12, mouse button, or trackpad button = Eject removable media, such as an optical disc.X = start from an OS X startup volume when the Mac would otherwise start from a non-OS X startup volume.Command-S = Start up in single-user mode.Release the keys after you hear the startup sound again. Command-Option-R = start from OS X Recovery over the Internet.Command (⌘)-R = start from OS X Recovery.Option-N = start from a NetBoot server using the default boot image.N = start from a compatible NetBoot server.Option-D = start to either Apple Hardware Test or Apple Diagnostics over the Internet.D = start to either Apple Hardware Test or Apple Diagnostics, depending on which Mac you're using.C = start from a bootable CD, DVD, or USB thumb drive (such as OS X install media).Option ⌥ = start to Startup Manager ( allows booting from any connected bootable volume).These combinations work with Intel-based Mac computers. Press and hold the keys immediately after powering on, and keep holding down until the described behavior occurs. SEND FEEDBACK Related: Apple, Apple macOSĪ nice summary I found at Apple.

All mac startup commands