On this page Start the system in Safe Boot mode Restore the system to its normal mode Applies to: All Apps Start the system in Safe Boot mode Restart the Macintosh. Press and hold the Shift key immediately after you hear the startup tone. Release the Shift key when the Apple logo appears. Safe Boot appears on the Mac OS X startup screen. Note: Safe Boot only appears on the startup screen; it does not appear in the corners of the desktop the way it does in Windows. Restore the system to its normal mode Restart the Macintosh without holding any keys down. Twitter™ and Facebook posts are not covered under the terms of Creative Commons. Legal Notices | Online Privacy Policy