How to fix "Error code 5010F" on Mac?

Error -5010F appears on an Intel-based Mac when Internet Recovery cannot load: you see a globe with a warning sign, apple.com/support and the code. Apple says most numbered errors on that screen come from the network or internet connection. Connect with an Ethernet cable or another network first, then try all three Recovery key combinations.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Intel-based Mac, read against Apple's macOS Recovery steps of June 2026.

What error -5010F on a Mac means

When you hold Option-Command-R or Shift-Option-Command-R at startup, an Intel-based Mac skips its built-in Recovery and loads macOS Recovery from Apple's servers. A spinning globe shows that download. If the globe gets a warning symbol (an exclamation point), Apple says startup from Internet Recovery was unsuccessful. The code under apple.com/support says where it stopped, and -5010F is one of those codes.

Apple has not published a separate meaning for -5010F. Its article on macOS Recovery says that the warning screen and most numbered errors you might see there, such as -2001F, -2002F and -2003F, are related to issues with your network or internet connection. The fixes Apple gives for them are the ones that work for -5010F too.

Why Internet Recovery stops with error 5010F

Most often the connection is the problem: a slow or unstable Wi-Fi, a network that needs a login page, or a short outage on Apple's side. Less often the Mac does not receive the key combination you meant, or the version of macOS that combination asks for cannot be loaded. Rarely the Mac itself has a fault.

If you erased the disk before the error appeared

This is the situation in the reader's question above, and users report it more than any other. On an Intel-based Mac the built-in Recovery normally sits on the internal disk. If the whole disk was erased, Command-R has nothing to start, and the Mac falls back to the internet. Apple says such a Mac should automatically show a spinning globe as it tries Recovery over the internet.

• Your files are gone because of the erase step, not because of -5010F. If you have a Time Machine backup, Recovery can restore it once it starts.
• The Mac is not broken. It only needs one successful download of Recovery, or a USB installer, to reinstall macOS.
• Do not keep erasing the disk in different formats while you wait. Nothing about the disk format causes this error.

How to fix error -5010F on Mac

Fixes 1 and 2 follow Apple's own advice for numbered Recovery errors and solve most cases. Fixes 3 and 4 make sure the Mac starts the way you meant. Fix 5 avoids Internet Recovery altogether, and Fix 6 checks the hardware.

Fix 1. Connect the Mac another way and start Internet Recovery again

10 to 30 minutesNo riskEveryone with -5010F, and first of all readers who joined a Wi-Fi network in Recovery.

Internet Recovery downloads a recovery system from Apple before anything else happens. Apple names the network as the cause of most numbered errors on this screen and lists another connection type, another network and a later try as the fixes.

1. Press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds, until the Mac turns off.
2. Plug an Ethernet cable from your router into the Mac, with an adapter if the Mac has no Ethernet port. If you cannot, plan to use a different Wi-Fi network, such as a phone hotspot.
3. Press and release the power button, then immediately press and hold Option-Command-R.
4. Keep holding the keys until you see the spinning globe.
5. If you are asked to select a network, choose it from the Wi-Fi menu and type its password, or skip this when the cable is connected.
6. Wait for the progress bar. A slow connection can take a long time, so do not switch the Mac off while the globe spins without a warning sign.
7. If the error comes back, wait an hour and try once more. Apple lists trying again later, in case the issue is temporary.

Fix 2. Try each of the three macOS Recovery key combinations

15 minutesNo riskYour connection is good, but you have tried only one key combination so far.

Apple lists trying each combination as a fix for these errors. Each combination asks for a different version of macOS, so one can load when another fails.

1. Turn the Mac off completely.
2. Press the power button and immediately hold Command-R. On an erased disk the Mac should move on to the internet version by itself.
3. If the error appears, turn the Mac off, then start it while holding Option-Command-R.
4. If the error appears again, turn the Mac off, then start it while holding Shift-Option-Command-R.
5. Each time, hold the keys until you see an Apple logo or the spinning globe, then let go.

Fix 3. Make sure the Mac receives the startup keys

10 minutesNo riskYou use a wireless or PC keyboard, set a firmware password, or used Boot Camp for Windows.

A key combination that the Mac does not register can start the wrong mode or fail at once. Apple gives these checks for both Recovery and the other startup key combinations.

1. On a MacBook, use its built-in keyboard instead of an external one.
2. With an external keyboard, plug it in with a cable if possible, or use a wired keyboard made for Mac instead of one with a Windows logo.
3. Press and hold all keys of the combination together, not one at a time.
4. If the Mac does not react, wait a few seconds after pressing the power button before you press the keys. Some keyboards flash a light when they are ready.
5. If you set a firmware password, turn it off first. Apple says some key combinations do not work while it is on.
6. If the Mac was set to start from Windows with Boot Camp, set the startup disk back to macOS, shut down and try Fix 2 again.

Fix 4. Reset NVRAM and start Internet Recovery again

5 minutesLow riskThe disk was erased just before the error, and Fixes 1 to 3 did not help.

NVRAM holds settings such as the chosen startup disk. After an erase it can still point to a disk that no longer has a system on it. Apple does not name NVRAM as a cause of -5010F, so this is a cheap test, not a sure fix.

1. Shut down the Mac.
2. Press the power button, then immediately press and hold Option-Command-P-R together.
3. Keep holding the keys for about 20 seconds, then release them. The Mac restarts by itself.
4. Shut the Mac down again.
5. Start it with Option-Command-R on a wired or other working connection, as in Fix 1.

Fix 5. Install macOS from a bootable USB installer made on another Mac

45 to 90 minutesRead the warningYou can borrow another working Mac and a USB flash drive, and Internet Recovery keeps failing.

A bootable installer carries the whole macOS installer on the drive, so your Mac does not need Internet Recovery at all. That goes around the network step where -5010F appears.

1. On the other Mac, download a macOS version that your Mac supports, as Apple's article Create a bootable installer for macOS describes.
2. Connect the USB flash drive and run the createinstallmedia command exactly as that article gives it for your macOS version.
3. When Terminal says the install media is ready, eject the drive and plug it into your Mac.
4. Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold Option to open Startup Manager.
5. Select the USB installer, then select Reinstall macOS (or Install macOS) and follow the steps.
6. If the disk shows as missing in the installer, open Disk Utility in the same window and erase it first, then return and install.

Fix 6. Check the hardware with Apple Diagnostics

5 to 10 minutesNo riskEvery fix above failed, or the Mac had other faults before the error appeared.

If the Wi-Fi card, memory or storage is failing, Recovery can break on every network and every method. Apple Diagnostics is built into the Mac and also starts over the internet, so it runs even on an empty disk.

1. Disconnect everything except the keyboard, mouse, display, power and Ethernet cable.
2. Turn on the Mac and immediately press and hold D.
3. If nothing happens, restart and hold Option-D to load Apple Diagnostics over the internet.
4. Wait for the test to finish and write down any reference code it shows.
5. Take the code to Apple Support or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

If error -5010F is still there: what to try and what to send to Apple

There is no log you can open on this screen, because macOS has not loaded yet. What helps Apple Support is a clear record of what you tried. Before you contact them, write down these details.

• The Mac model and year, from the label under the Mac or the box, and that it is an Intel-based Mac.
• The exact code under apple.com/support on each attempt, and which key combination showed it.
• Every network you tried: Ethernet, home Wi-Fi, phone hotspot.
• Whether the disk was erased before, whether NVRAM was reset, and whether a USB installer was tried.
• The Apple Diagnostics reference code from Fix 6, if it gave one.

How to avoid error 5010F next time you reinstall macOS

We could not confirm which Mac models offer Erase All Content and Settings. If it is not in System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset on your Mac, follow Apple's erase steps from Recovery and have the USB installer ready first.

Frequently asked questions

What does 5010F mean on a Mac?

It means the Mac tried to start macOS Recovery over the internet and could not. You see a globe with a warning symbol, the text apple.com/support and the code -5010F. Apple does not explain this one number on its own, but it says most numbered errors on that screen come from the network or internet connection. So treat it as a failed download: connect another way, try each key combination and try again later. The error does not erase anything on the Mac.

Is 5010F an Apple error or a sign of a virus?

It is Apple's own startup screen, shown by the Mac's firmware before any operating system loads. Malware cannot show it, and a malware scan cannot run at this stage because there is no working macOS yet. The code apple.com/support -5010F points to Apple's support site in general, not to a page about this number. The old advice to scan for malware first does not apply to this screen.

Is error -5010F the same as error -2003F?

They appear on the same screen, the globe with a warning symbol, and they have the same fixes. Apple names -2001F, -2002F and -2003F as examples of numbered errors related to the network or internet connection, and lists Ethernet, another network, each key combination and a later attempt as the solutions. If you saw -2003F, follow Fix 1 and Fix 2 of this guide. Error -1008F is different, and Apple has a separate article for it.

Did I ruin my MacBook by erasing the disk?

No. Erasing the internal disk removes your files and the built-in Recovery, but the Mac can still start Recovery from the internet or from a USB installer. The -5010F error only means that one internet attempt failed. Once Recovery loads, Reinstall macOS puts the system back. Your files come back only from a backup such as Time Machine, because the erase step removed them before the error appeared.

How long should Internet Recovery take before I give up?

There is no fixed time, because it depends on your connection and on Apple's servers. A spinning globe with a progress bar means it is still working, so leave it. Only a globe with a warning symbol and a code means it failed. If the progress bar stops moving for a very long time, turn the Mac off, connect with an Ethernet cable or another network and start again with Option-Command-R.

Which key combination should I use for Internet Recovery?

Use Option-Command-R first, then Shift-Option-Command-R, then Command-R. Apple says each combination affects the version of macOS offered when you reinstall from Recovery, and it lists trying each one as a fix for numbered errors. Hold the keys together right after you press the power button and keep holding until you see an Apple logo or a spinning globe. On a Mac with an Apple chip none of these combinations is used.

Does error 5010F appear on a Mac with Apple silicon?

The steps in this guide are for Intel-based Mac computers. On a Mac with an Apple chip you start Recovery by holding the power button until Loading startup options appears, then you click Options and Continue. If that Mac starts to a blank screen, an exclamation point in a circle or another screen instead, Apple has a separate article for a Mac that does not start up all the way.

Is error code -50 on a Mac the same problem?

No. Error code -50 is a different message that appears in Finder, usually while you copy or move files, often to an external drive. It has nothing to do with Internet Recovery and the globe screen. This page covers only the startup error -5010F and its sister codes such as -2003F. If you see -50 while copying, the fix starts with the drive and its format, not with your network.

I see the same screen and my language is not English. Does this guide apply?

Yes. The globe with a warning symbol, the text apple.com/support and the code look the same in every language, because this screen shows no words. If your screen shows a code such as -5010F or -2003F under apple.com/support, the six fixes on this page apply to you. Apple's support pages linked in the sources are also available in other languages from the region link at the bottom of each page.