How does one fix an M1 MacBook Pro being unable to show the boot picker menu?

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How does one fix an M1 MacBook Pro being unable to show the boot picker menu?

Currently, my MacBook shows a screen with a circled exclamation point, with a link pointing me to "support.apple.com/mac/restore". I have visited the link, although I am unsure if a Mac Mini from late 2014 would work, since it doesn't have a Thunderbolt-3 port on it. I'm not sure if a Thunderbolt-2 adapted to Thunderbolt-3 would suffice to revive the MacBook.

I do know this was caused by me deleting all partitions but the (assumed) boot partition, thinking I could format it as I would a Windows/Linux PC, but this is not the case. I've made a bootable USB for OS X Monterey to try to install that, and I've used a USB type-A to USB-C cord in attempt to fix it, but neither have worked.

Any help would be appreciated!

MacBook Pro Apple Silicon

Posted on Oct 29, 2022 05:08 PM

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Answer 1

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HWTech

Level 9

66,740 points

Oct 29, 2022 06:13 PM in response to Khartyko

If you deleted the hidden system areas on the M1 Mac, then I don't believe you can boot into the special startup menu by holding the Power Button. You should only delete the volumes ("Macintosh HD" and "Macintosh HD - Data") on the hidden Container (it should trigger a pop-up asking if you want to delete the volume group - select yes).

Use macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon - Apple Support

I believe you will need to "Restore" the firmware on this M1 Mac by using another Mac running macOS 10.15+. You will need to use a USB-C to USB-A Cable if you are attempting to connect to a 2014 Mac Mini.

mophie USB-A Cable with USB-C Connector (1 m) - Apple

Here is the Apple article with instructions on how to perform the firmware "Restore" procedure:

Revive or restore a Mac with Apple silicon using Apple Configurator - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Khartyko Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 30, 2022 05:21 PM in response to HWTech

That did seem to be the case, since the only thing that would show was the circled exclamation mark. Although, following the guide you posted did resolve the issue. I'm not sure why it worked this time, whether it was a different port that I had to try (the guide specifically mentions the back left port). Nonetheless, thank you!

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Answer 3

HWTech

Level 9

66,740 points

Oct 30, 2022 05:37 PM in response to Khartyko

You need to use a USB cable (only the USB protocol is supported for this process), and you also must use the proper USB-C port on the Mac being "Restored". A Thunderbolt cable is not supported. Most Thunderbolt cables will have a lightning bolt icon on the connector. And while a USB-C Thunderbolt 3/4 cable does support the USB protocol as well as the Thunderbolt protocol, the USB-C Thunderbolt cable will not work for this specific procedure. It can be very confusing since it is easy to mistake the various cables.

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How does one fix an M1 MacBook Pro being unable to show the boot picker menu?

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