Restore Or Revive A Mac Using DFU Mode

Owned by Neil Love
Last updated: Nov 21, 2024
2 min read

Apple Silicon and T2 equipped Macs introduced a new startup mode called ‘Device Firmware Update,’ or DFU mode for short. This mode enables you to quickly restore another Mac’s firmware (revive) or erase and reinstall a fresh copy of macOS (restore) using a second Mac.


This article will help you install the required software, connect the proper cables, put a Mac in DFU mode, and perform the revive or restore

Please note: DFU mode is only available on Intel based systems with the T2 security chip and Apple Silicon equipped Macs. Please check compatibility before proceeding.

Mac computers with Apple silicon - Apple Support

Mac computers with the Apple T2 Security Chip - Apple Support

What you need:

  1. A Mac you would like to restore or revive

  2. A second Mac that will be used to revive or restore the target Mac (macOS 14 Sonoma or higher)

  3. DFU application installed on the Mac that will be doing the restore/revive - Available in Managed Software Center

  4. Xcode Command Line Tools installed on the Mac that will be doing the restore/revive - Open Terminal.app and type: xcode-select --install and follow the prompts to install.

  5. USB-C to USB-C cable that supports data and charging, such as the charging cable that is included with some Apple products

Connect the two Macs:

  1. Make sure both systems are connected to power

  2. Identify the DFU port on the target Mac:How to identify the DFU port on Mac - Apple Support

  3. Connect one end of the USB-C cable to the DFU port on the target

  4. Connect the other end of the USB-C cable to any USB-C port on the other Mac

Put the target Mac in DFU mode:

  1. Launch DFU.app on the Mac that will be doing the restore/revive

  2. Enter your admin credentials in the DFU prompt click ‘OK’

    image-20241101-194700.png

  3. The target Mac should restart to a black screen, appearing to be unresponsive.

  4. On the other Mac, switch to the Finder, and locate the DFU Mac in the sidebar

image.png

Revive or Restore the DFU mode Mac:

  1. click ‘Revive Mac…’ if you would like reinstall firmware and retain all user and application data

  2. click ‘Restore Mac…’ to erase and reinstall the latest supported version of macOS, which does not preserve user or application data.

  3. Finder will download the required files and perform a revive or restore.