If your Mac says that it encountered an issue while starting
The recovery system in macOS Tahoe 26 or later includes Recovery Assistant, a utility designed to open automatically when your Mac has an issue that prevents startup. Recovery Assistant attempts to identify the issue and resolve it.
Use Recovery Assistant
Requires macOS Tahoe 26 or later
If your Mac experiences certain behaviors during startup, it might automatically restart and open Recovery Assistant:
Recovery Assistant shows a first-aid symbol and says that this Mac encountered an issue while starting. Click Continue.
Read the information about collection of diagnostic data, which is treated in accordance with Apple’s privacy policy. Then choose whether to send this data to Apple. Your choice doesn't affect the outcome.
If asked to enter a password to unlock the disk, enter the administrator password used to log in to your Mac. Click Unlock.
Recovery Assistant needs an internet connection to download the latest information about software issues that could be affecting your Mac. If asked, choose a Wi-Fi network. Captive networks and networks that require 802.1X authentication aren’t supported.
When the recovery process is complete, Recovery Assistant reports that it recovered your device successfully, that it was unable to recover your device, or that no known issues were found. Click Restart Mac.
If your Mac starts up successfully, you might get a notification to recover your iCloud data. Click the notification to open System Settings, or choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Recover iCloud Data in the sidebar. You’re then asked to sign in with your Apple Account.
If your Mac doesn’t start up successfully, it has an issue that Recovery Assistant can’t resolve. In that case, learn what else you can do if your Mac doesn’t start up all the way. For example, you might need to repair your startup disk or reinstall macOS.
Learn more
Recovery Assistant is also available from the Utilities menu in macOS Recovery. You shouldn’t need to open Recovery Assistant manually, unless recommended by Apple Support or another support article.
If you need to quit Recovery Assistant to return to macOS Recovery, press Command-Q or choose Device Recovery Assistant > Quit from the menu bar.