To pick a disk to start your Mac from while it’s booting, follow these simple steps for using macOS’ built-in feature called Startup Manager, which can be invoked via a simple keystroke. How to choose a startup disk at boot time

Startup Manager is a built-in application that you can invoke during the startup process to pick a volume to boot your Mac from. It can also boot into Ubuntu or any other operating system supported by your Mac’s hardware.Īs mentioned before, you can, one, set your computer to automatically use a startup disk using System Preferences, and two, temporarily override this choice at boot time using Startup Manager. Your startup disk doesn’t have to contain macOS.įor example, your Mac can boot directly into Windows if you’re using Boot Camp. What’s a startup disk?Ī startup disk is a partition of a drive or a volume that contains a usable operating system. This tutorial will educate you on choosing a boot disk during the startup process using a feature of macOS called Startup Manager and explain why and when to use Startup Manager over selecting a startup disk in System Preferences. One involves choosing a boot disk via a System Preferences pane called Startup Disk, which my colleague Jeff recently covered. This tutorial deals with the other method which involves picking a boot disk as your Mac is starting up. There are two ways to choosing a startup disk. Well, if you like trying out new things out before they’re available to everyone, chances are you keep the latest beta of macOS installed on a separate partition.īesides, some people like yours truly prefer to keep a bootable USB thumb drive in a safe place for times when something terribly wrong goes with their Mac.

But why would anyone in their right mind have multiple operating systems on their computer, you ask? Most people are content with booting their Mac straight into macOS, but certain multi-boot situations warrant choosing a different startup disk.

Malware bytes mac disk image wont open