Getting started
What to do when you’re struggling to do anything at all
> System folder
Don’t start to panic: chances are it’s a minor and easily fixed issue that you can sort out yourself. Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds to ensure your Mac is turned off and then restart it while holding down Cmd+Opt+p+r. This resets the non–volatile RAM (NVRAM) that your Mac uses to store basic settings. Keep the keys pressed until you’ve heard the startup chime twice. No luck? Restart again but this time hold down Cmd+r. This will launch the Recovery console from which you can run Disk Utility’s First Aid feature.
> My Mac crashes on startup. Why?
It’s likely to be a software problem. If your Mac contains Apple’s M1 chip, turn on your Mac and keep pressing the power button until Startup Options appears; select your startup disk, press and hold Shift and click "Continue In Safe Mode". On an Intel Mac, just restart or start your Mac with the Shift key held down until you see the login window. If the problem persists in Safe Mode, reinstall macOS entirely; if it doesn’t, unplug external hardware and remove login items from System Preferences > Users & Groups.