Turn Off MacOS Recovery? Kids Use, Parental Controls Reasons, Etc

[NewToAMBP]

I was wondering if anyone knows if there is a way to turn off Mac OS Recovery?

My friends has kids that learned about it and now they just boot it into recovery mode and use Safari that way. My friend is not only worried because they are getting more computer screen time then they allow for but also because there does not seem to be parental controls on it either so they can do whatever they want and then it seems to all disappear after a shut down.

Does anyone have any ideas on what can be done to prevent them from taking advantage of this or is there a way to turn it off or set up another type of lock where it cant boot into this mode?

 

[iStorm]

Is it an Intel or Apple Silicon Mac? For Intel, you can set a firmware password; and for Apple Silicon, just turn on File Vault.

If using a firmware password (for Intel), be sure to write it down somewhere safe so you don't forget it. If you do end up forgetting it, you'll need to take it to Apple or an authorized service provider with proof of purchase in order for them to remove it.

Set a firmware password on your Mac - Apple Support

When you set a firmware password on your Intel-based Mac, users who don't have the password can't start up from macOS Recovery or any disk other than the designated startup disk.

support.apple.com

 

[NewToAMBP]

Is it an Intel or Apple Silicon Mac? For Intel, you can set a firmware password; and for Apple Silicon, just turn on File Vault.

If using a firmware password (for Intel), be sure to write it down somewhere safe so you don't forget it. If you do end up forgetting it, you'll need to take it to Apple or an authorized service provider with proof of purchase in order for them to remove it.

Set a firmware password on your Mac - Apple Support

When you set a firmware password on your Intel-based Mac, users who don't have the password can't start up from macOS Recovery or any disk other than the designated startup disk.

support.apple.com

Thank you very much! They have a 2019 MacBook Pro so a Intel chip I'm pretty sure. I just sent them that article!

 

[kitKAC]

Is it an Intel or Apple Silicon Mac? For Intel, you can set a firmware password; and for Apple Silicon, just turn on File Vault.

If using a firmware password (for Intel), be sure to write it down somewhere safe so you don't forget it. If you do end up forgetting it, you'll need to take it to Apple or an authorized service provider with proof of purchase in order for them to remove it.

Set a firmware password on your Mac - Apple Support

When you set a firmware password on your Intel-based Mac, users who don't have the password can't start up from macOS Recovery or any disk other than the designated startup disk.

support.apple.com

No need to use a firmware password, FileVault works the same way on Intel Macs, you either need the password of an admin account or the Recovery key to get into Recovery.

 

[benwiggy]

Does anyone have any ideas on what can be done to prevent them from taking advantage of this

Hmm. How to stop children from doing things without using technology to prevent them ... No, it's impossible.