5

Our team administrates several Macs. To save costs (flights, etc.) in events where we have to remotely restore a system at our client location, we are trying to understand how to enter recovery mode without being physically present at the keyboard to enter recovery mode by pressing Cmd + R.

Can I pass a flag to sudo reboot or something similar, to initiate a reboot into recovery mode?

(All of the internet searches I've done have turned up "Press this series of keys on the keyboard" to enter various flavors of recovery.)

Improve this question
8
  • 4
    Even if you could issue a command to restart to the Recovery HD, what are you going to do next, you'll not have any connectivity to proceed further.
    – user3439894
    Commented Aug 16, 2019 at 13:12
  • Networking isn't up by default? I'll have a hardwired connection...
    – user3.1415927
    Commented Aug 16, 2019 at 13:14
  • Networking is up but how do you intend to retake control?
    – user3439894
    Commented Aug 16, 2019 at 13:16
  • 1
    When booting to the Recovery HD it is coming from a read-only image to a GUI interface in which one chooses what to do next from the dialog box presented or from the menu. I do not believe there is anything running that one can initiate connectivity remotely, but I've not tried.
    – user3439894
    Commented Aug 16, 2019 at 13:30
  • 1
    Are you not using a MDM (mobile device management) solution for the Macs, such as JAMF Pro? An MDM can provide anything you would need for this.
    – SamAndrew81
    Commented Aug 16, 2019 at 13:37

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
10

You can set NVRAM options from command line to boot into recovery:

sudo nvram "recovery-boot-mode=unused"
sudo reboot

This will put your system into recovery mode.

NVRAM (nonvolatile random-access memory) is a small amount of memory that holds certain settings and can be accessed at boot by the Mac's firmware.

Improve this answer
3
  • Great info, thanks - where would I have found this if I were searching the docs on my own? (Teach a man to fish ....)
    – user3.1415927
    Commented Aug 16, 2019 at 13:57
  • (And I'll test this once I'm in front of a mac that I can reset "remotely" (from the next desk over) and locally observe the results.)
    – user3.1415927
    Commented Aug 16, 2019 at 13:58
  • 1
    @user3.1415927, Those commands will take you to a screen like this one which then on a standard install of macOS you'll not have any remote control over. Also, trying to ssh returned ssh: connect to host nnn.nnn.n.n port 22: Connection refused. You'll need to use third-party software as suggested in the comment by SamAndrew81.
    – user3439894
    Commented Aug 16, 2019 at 14:17

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .