macOS Sonoma will make it easier to rescue bricked Macs stuck in DFU mode

Mac Studio M2 on a wooden desk in an office

(Image credit: Gerald Lynch / Future)

If you've ever tried to get a modern Mac out of DFU mode you probably already know that it isn't a fun time. But that could be about to change, although there will still be a big catch.

Macs can sometimes find themselves in DFU mode when they experience an issue during things like software updates and become unable to restart properly. Currently, getting those Macs back into a fully operational state requires that people install Apple Configurator and follow a process in that app. But that's all changing with macOS Sonoma.

That's thanks to a change in the latest macOS Sonoma beta which adds the option to recover a Mac in DFU mode right from within the Finder. But that doesn't quite tell the whole story, unfortunately.

The catch

While this move means that Mac owners will no longer have to download a new tool to restore the DFU-locked Mac, they will still need to have a second machine handy. That second Mac still needs to be connected to the bricked machine in order to carry out the restoration process which will no doubt be an issue for single-Mac households.

Connecting the two Macs is as easy as using a USB-C cable, so no special hardware is required, at least.

New in macOS Sonoma: You can now use one Mac to revive or restore another Mac that's in DFU mode right from Finder. Previously you needed to install Apple Configurator to do this but now it's built in!Accidentally stumbled upon this while playing around with some stuff. pic.twitter.com/NaUdGuTFZlAugust 15, 2023

Those who don't have a second Mac running macOS Sonoma will have to reach out to Apple or a friend to get the DFU situation fixed regardless of this change, but it's undoubtedly a step in the right direction.

The macOS Sonoma update is now available in developer and public beta of course, and it's likely to be fully released to the public in September or October. September is also expected to see the arrival of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, and watchOS 10 with new iPhone and Apple Watch devices arriving around the same time.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro will likely be joined by the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 next month.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

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