Start your Mac in Safe Mode, and leave it again

Why it happens

Safe Mode starts the Mac with only what macOS needs. Apps that open at login, extra system add-ons and some fonts stay off, and the Mac checks your startup disk and clears some caches on the way in. If a problem goes away in Safe Mode, something you installed is the likely cause, not macOS itself.

How to fix it

1. Save your work and choose Apple menu > Shut Down. Wait until the screen is fully dark.

2. On a Mac with Apple silicon: press and hold the power button (the Touch ID button on a MacBook) until you see Loading startup options, then let go.

3. Click your startup disk, usually called Macintosh HD. Then press and hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Mode. Let go of Shift once the Mac starts up.

4. On an Intel Mac, turn it on and straight away press and hold Shift. Let go when the login window appears.

5. Log in. You may be asked twice, which is normal. The words Safe Mode or Safe Boot appear at the top right of the login screen, so you know it worked.

6. Use the Mac for a while and see if the problem still happens. Startup is slower than usual and some things, like smooth graphics, may not work fully in Safe Mode.

7. To leave Safe Mode, choose Apple menu > Restart and don't hold any keys. Your Mac starts normally again.

Still not fixed?

1. If the problem disappears in Safe Mode, restart normally and switch off the apps that open at login one by one in Login Items & Extensions, until you find the one causing it.

   General›Login Items & Extensions›Open at Login

2. Check App Background Activity on the same page too, and turn off helpers from apps you no longer use. On macOS 27 this list is called Background App Activity.

   macOS 26 Tahoe General›Login Items & Extensions›App Background Activity

   macOS 27 Golden Gate General›Login Items & Extensions›Background App Activity

3. If your Mac won't reach Safe Mode, or the problem happens there too, start up in Recovery. On Apple silicon, hold the power button, click Options, then Continue. On an Intel Mac, hold Command-R as it starts. Then run First Aid in Disk Utility.

4. If the Mac keeps freezing or restarting even in Safe Mode, contact Apple Support or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. A problem that survives Safe Mode can point to hardware.