Boot Camp: Restarting into Mac OS X using the command line

Summary

When running Windows on a Mac using Boot Camp, the startup disk can be changed using a command line, in addition to the Startup Disk Control Panel.

Products Affected

Boot Camp, Windows XP, Windows Vista

Note: This command requires Boot Camp 3.0 or later (beginning with Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard).

  1. Boot the Mac using Windows.
  2. Click on Start.
  3. Click on All Programs.
  4. Click on Accessories. 
  5. Click on Command Prompt.
  6. Type in the following command:
    c:\progra~1\Bootca~1\bootcamp.exe -StartupDisk "Mac OS"
    Shutdown /r /t 0
  7. The computer will restart into Mac OS X.

Note: BootCamp.exe -StartupDisk <VolumeName> - Bootcamp.exe has a command line option ‘-StartupDisk <VolumeName>’ to set the Startup Disk.  When the Mac is rebooted, it will boot to the volume specified by <VolumeName>.  If <VolumeName> is omitted, then the system will boot into the first Mac OS X volume located by BootCamp.exe.  Bootcamp.exe is located at “c:\Program Files\Boot Camp\BootCamp.exe.”

Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute Apple’s recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.
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