Mac mini M1 Guides

These short guides document recovery and DFU workflows for the first Apple silicon Mac mini. Use the recovery menu first when macOS can be reinstalled from the device; use DFU mode with a host Mac when a restore or revive through Apple Configurator is required.

Recovery and DFU mode

Restart a Mac mini M1 in recovery mode — reach the recovery menu, Disk Utility, and macOS reinstall options by holding the power button.
Boot a Mac mini M1 in DFU mode — connect the cable to the USB-C port next to Ethernet and use the power-button sequence to show the DFU logo.

Full restore

After entering DFU mode, follow the full Mac mini M1 restore walkthrough for Apple Configurator 2 and the correct port connection. These articles were written for macOS Big Sur and Apple Configurator 2.13.2; confirm the current Apple procedure and software requirements before using them on newer releases.

Booting Mac mini M1 in DFU mode

Disconnect the power cord from the Mac Mini. Plug USB-C/Thunderbolt cable into the USB-C port next to the ethernet port. Plug the other end into the Host Mac. While holding down the power button, connect the Mac Mini to power and continue to hold the power button for about 3-5 seconds You should now see the DFU logo on the Host Mac. Once the Mac mini is in DFU mode, you can do a full restore of the Mac mini M1.

Recovery mode options for a Mac, including Time Machine restore, macOS reinstall, Safari for support, and Disk Utility.

How to restart the new Mac mini M1 in recovery mode?

I recently purchased one of the newer Mac mini devices with the new M1 chipset. Unfortunately I went with the lower edition that had 256 GB and I wanted to send it back to purchase the bigger 512 GB edition, but I wanted to clean my installation. In order to to boot in the recovery mode to reinstall the os I had to perform the following steps: Make sure the Mac mini is off, if its not off just shut it off Hold the power button until the options appear, it might seem like a long time but keep holding it. It took about 15 seconds for me. A menu should appear that shows the hard drive and Options. Select options and continue You will see the apple logo and then a new menu should appear with additional options. It would look like this: ...

Recovery and DFU mode#

Full restore#

Recovery and DFU mode

Full restore