Booting a Mac using the Safe Boot option is a troubleshooting process that helps diagnose and fix some of the common system problems encountered on the Mac system. It is the first step to fix any issues on Mac. Mac Safe Boot comparatively functions the same as Safe Mode in Windows, which boots OS with minimum drivers and diagnoses the cause for the error. Similarly, when you Safe Boot on Mac, a complete system check will be performed to locate and fix the errors causing problems on Mac.
What happens when you run Safe Boot on Mac?
Actually, when you safe boot your Mac OS X some of the features will be disabled, cache data will be removed and some third-party kernel extensions will be prevented from loading into OS X while booting. Some of the other actions include the following:
- Performs complete directory and disk check on booting
- Disables all startup items and login items from loading
- Loads only essential kernel extensions and ignores the rest
- Disables all third-party fonts, wireless devices, and unwanted drivers
- Deletes font caches and dynamic loader cache
- Disables network file sharing, SuperDrive, DVD players, external USB modems, and external USB hardware
- Disables audio input and output devices
How to use or boot your Mac into Safe Boot?
NOTE: You need to have thorough knowledge about the operating system and its functioning to Safe Boot your Mac successfully. Also, make sure you have backup copy of your complete Mac data to avoid data loss situations.
- Initially, Shut down your Mac
- Unplug all USB devices, external hard drives and even the Ethernet cable, if connected
- Turn on the Mac by pressing the Power button
- As soon as you hear the startup chime, immediately press and hold the Shift key
- Keep holding the Shift key until you see the gray Apple logo and a progress indicator on your Mac screen, which indicates the disk check process
- Once it completes release the Shift key
After this, your Mac may take a few minutes to display the login screen as a complete directory check has to be done as part of the Safe Mode process. Once the login screen appears provide the login details and your Mac will work as usual. However, the process would take several minutes, and wait until the process completes. Never try to interrupt, as this can lead to severe issues like Mac crashes making your data inaccessible. Nevertheless, using Remo Recover software you can easily recover data after system crash easily from all available versions of Mac OS including the latest Yosemite.
