How to restore a Mac with Apple silicon (IPSW)

Before you start

• You need a second Mac with the free Apple Configurator app from the App Store, and a USB-C cable that supports data (a charge-only cable won’t work).
• Download the IPSW for your Mac model and check it shows Signed.
• Back up the Mac if it still starts. A restore erases the internal disk.
• On Mac laptops use the USB-C port Apple names as the DFU port (usually the left-rear port).

Steps

1. On the working Mac, open Apple Configurator and connect the two Macs with the USB-C cable.
2. Put the Mac you want to restore into DFU mode:
   • Mac laptops: shut it down. Press the power button, then immediately hold left Control + left Option + right Shift for about 10 seconds. Keep holding the power button after releasing the three keys, until the Mac appears in Apple Configurator.
   • Mac mini, Mac Studio, iMac, Mac Pro: unplug power, hold the power button, plug power back in while still holding, and keep holding about 10 seconds.
3. In Apple Configurator the Mac appears as a DFU tile. Drag the IPSW file onto that tile.
4. Click Restore and wait. The progress bar can pause for several minutes. When it finishes, the Mac restarts to the setup assistant.

If something goes wrong

• Mac doesn’t appear in Apple Configurator: try the other USB-C port and a different data cable, then repeat the DFU key sequence.
• Restore fails right away: the IPSW is not signed or not for this model. Choose a signed version for your exact model.
• Apple’s own instructions are in the support article “Revive or restore a Mac with Apple silicon using Apple Configurator”.