How to Switch Back to macOS from Windows on a Mac with Boot Camp

If you’re using a Mac with Boot Camp to run Windows, you may need to switch back to macOS at some point. Whether you need to access macOS-specific applications or simply prefer using Apple’s operating system, the process of returning to macOS is straightforward. In this article, we’ll guide you through the steps to start up your Mac in macOS from Windows using the Startup Manager.

Restarting Your Mac in Startup Manager

To start up your Mac in macOS from Windows using the Startup Manager, follow these steps:

In Windows on your Mac, click the Boot Camp icon in the right side of the taskbar, then choose “Restart in macOS”.
Alternatively, you can restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Option key.
When the Startup Manager window appears, release the Option key.
Select your macOS startup disk from the list of available drives.
Press Return to confirm your selection and start up in macOS.

If you’re using a Mac laptop with an external keyboard, make sure to press and hold the Option key on the built-in keyboard.

Setting the Default Operating System

After restarting in macOS, you can set it as the default operating system to avoid repeating the Startup Manager process each time you turn on your Mac. Here’s how:

In macOS, open the Boot Camp Control Panel by clicking the Boot Camp icon in the menu bar and selecting “Boot Camp Control Panel”.
Select the startup disk that has the default operating system you want to use (macOS or Windows).
Click “Restart” if you want to start up using the default operating system immediately, or click “OK” to save the setting for the next restart.

Keep in mind that you can’t change your startup volume to an external drive while using Windows.

Using macOS Recovery

If you need to reinstall macOS or restore from a Time Machine backup, you can access the macOS Recovery mode. Here’s how:

From the Startup Manager screen, select “Options” and click “Continue” underneath it.
After choosing a language, an initial macOS Recovery screen will appear.
Select a user for which you know the login password, click “Next,” and enter the password when prompted.
In the Recovery app, you can restore from Time Machine, reinstall macOS, launch Safari for online help, or open Disk Utility to manage drives.

Note that once you’re in macOS Recovery, there’s no direct way to return to the Startup Manager.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter issues with the Boot Camp partition or the Startup Manager not recognizing your Windows installation, try the following:

Check if the Boot Camp partition is still intact in macOS Disk Utility.
Ensure that the Boot Camp partition is properly formatted and has a valid Windows installation.
If the Boot Camp option in the Startup Manager is not working, try reinstalling the Boot Camp drivers in Windows.

If you’ve installed Ubuntu alongside macOS and Windows, the Ubuntu installer may have modified the Startup Manager settings, causing the Boot Camp option to boot into macOS instead of Windows. In such cases, you may need to edit the Startup Manager settings to reconnect the Boot Camp option to the Windows partition.