How to Boot into Safe Mode on Mac OS X or Windows

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Restart your Mac.

   You can only enter Safe mode from the boot sequence, so you'll need to either restart or power on your Mac.
   
   If your Mac is on and responding, click the Apple menu and select Restart.
   
   If your Mac is not responding, press and hold the Power button to turn it off, then press the Power button again to turn it on.
2. 2

   Step 2: Press and hold .⇧ Shift.

   Starting holding this key as soon as you restart or turn on your Mac., Hold the ⇧ Shift key the entire time that the Apple logo is on the screen., Look for the Safe Boot text in the upper-right corner of the Login screen.
   
   This indicates that you are in safe mode., Restarting your computer without holding any keys down will return you to the regular Mac desktop.
3. 3

   Step 3: Hold .⇧ Shift until the Login screen appears.

4. 4

   Step 4: Verify that you're in safe mode.

5. 5

   Step 5: Reboot your computer normally to exit safe mode.

Detailed Guide

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