MacBook Pro A1278 will only boot in safe mode, UNLESS I hold down the “command” button while it’s booting up

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Level 1

4 points

MacBook Pro A1278 will only boot in safe mode, UNLESS I hold down the “command” button while it’s booting up

Ok, I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to figure out what is going on with this thing and so I’m just going to post this and cross my fingers.

Stats:

MacBook Pro 13” Mid 2012

2.5GHz i5

8GB DDR3 Ram

Catalina OS 10.15.7

Issue:

The issue started when I went to log in to the MBP and my password has capital letters and it wasn’t accepting it.

So I went through the process of changing the log-in password and even after changing it, it wouldn’t work. I ended up being able to reset everything and do a clean install of Catalina OS from my M1 Mac Mini and got everything working with a fresh install. I did not restore from any kind of backup and started completely new.

I’ve looked up all the different key combinations for starting up an Intel-Based Mac and none of them work, the MBP will only boot into safe mode. Even if I do nothing and just let it boot on its own, it boots into safe mode.

I can log in to the MBP but ONLY if I’m holding down the “command” key while it is booting up. Once I am logged in, everything works fine EXCEPT for the left “shift” key. It will not register when I try to type with it and it doesn’t register when I have the digital keyboard on screen showing which keys I’m hitting.

*Note* It never occurred to me that the issue could’ve been the left “shift” button all along because I primarily use the right “shift” button.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Dec 13, 2022 1:14 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

bruno75

Community Specialist

Dec 15, 2022 8:10 AM in response to brianc5687

Hey there brianc5687,

Taking into account the age of your Mac, along with the left Shift key having issues responding when you start your Mac normally, it's possible that this is the reason why your Mac starts in safe mode when you do not press any keys upon powering it on.

We also wanted to point out that holding one of the Shift keys does result in starting in safe mode per the steps listed here: Start up your Mac in safe mode This would explain why your Mac starts up in safe mode when you hold no keys but starts up normally when you press Command.

With the above in mind, we want to focus on getting the Shift key working as expected, but this may be something for which you'll need to have a tech take a closer look at. Regarding the age of your Mac model, it is considered obsolete by Apple as it's listed in this link, which means service has been discontinued for it: Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty

This link shows what to do If your Mac doesn’t respond to key presses. If the issue remains, then the next step would be to have your Mac looked at by a tech at the nearest Apple Authorized Service Provider, but as it's an obsolete model, there's no guarantee that they'll have the parts needed to service it: Find Locations

Cheers!

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Answer 2

brianc5687 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 16, 2023 4:37 PM in response to bruno75

Thank you for your help! I’m going to run the trouble shooting on it and if it doesn’t work, I’m just going to call it a good run and look at getting one of the new M1 or M2 MacBooks. Right now I’m using my Mac mini with the M1 and it’s vastly superior anyways.

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Answer 3

Jeff_W.

Community Specialist

Jan 16, 2023 5:25 PM in response to brianc5687

Hi brianc5687,

You’re welcome! Please reach out again if you need further help.

Cheers!

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MacBook Pro A1278 will only boot in safe mode, UNLESS I hold down the “command” button while it’s booting up

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