Now power on the system and check if you can boot into the recovery mode using the Command & R keys.Wait for the system to power on completely and then power it off.

Now connect the wired keyboard and power on Mac.

Power off the Mac and disconnect the wireless keyboard from it.

In this case, switching to a wired keyboard may solve the problem.

But sometimes wireless/Bluetooth keyboard light shows on very late during the boot process and thus the keys are not pressed in-time which may result in the error under discussion. Mac users usually use Bluetooth or a wireless keyboard with macOS. If you are trying to factory reset the Mac by using a Windows keyboard, then try different keys to perform the recovery if the usual Windows + R keys are not working. Also, make sure the keyboard of your system is working fine. Moreover, power off your system and then power it on (not a simple restart) to check if the issue is of a temporary nature. Moreover, the recovery options are only available to the Lion macOS or above, so, make sure your system is at least Lino macOS, otherwise, perform a clean install of the macOS by using a DVD or USB drive.Īdditionally, it will be better to use a Mac keyboard during the troubleshooting process. Command + R Not Workingīefore starting the troubleshooting process to force Mac into the recovery mode, make sure there is no firmware password in place, if so, then remove the password as you will not be able to use the recovery options if the firmware password is in place. The issue is not limited to a particular model and year of Mac. The issue arises when the user tries to use the recovery mode of his Mac but the system starts in the normal mode. Moreover, the corrupt NVRAM may also cause the error under discussion. Command and R keys may fail to bring out the recovery mode of the Mac due to the wireless keyboard issues or wrong combinations of keys/power buttons used.

Alt r mac os not working