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All the Debian-based distributions, including the Linux Mint, come with the “Recovery Mode”. The “Recovery Mode” allows the users to find and fix the issues preventing the system from booting. It also gives you a root shell, which is one way to reset a forgotten Linux Mint password.
The “Recovery Menu” contains the ready-to-run commands to fix the system issues such as fixing the file system or packages. To fix the file system or packages, the system must be mounted with the system state set to “read/write”. Initially, the file system state is set to read-only, but using the “root” option from the “Recovery Menu” users can change it.
This guide explores the process of getting Linux Mint into recovery mode and explains the process of fixing the system.
Quick answer
To open recovery mode in Linux Mint, restart the computer and hold Shift during boot to show the GRUB menu. On many UEFI systems, repeatedly press Esc instead. Then choose Advanced options for Linux Mint and select the entry that ends with (recovery mode).
Use recovery mode when Linux Mint will not boot normally, when packages need repair, when the file system needs checking, or when you need a root shell for recovery tasks. Be careful with root commands because they can change system files directly.
What each Recovery Menu option does
| Option | What it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| resume | Continues a normal boot | You finished repairs |
| clean | Removes unused packages to free space | The disk is full and login fails |
| dpkg | Repairs broken packages | An update was interrupted |
| fsck | Checks file systems for errors | You suspect disk errors (see the warning below) |
| grub | Updates the GRUB configuration | A kernel is missing from the boot menu |
| network | Enables networking | dpkg needs to download packages |
| root | Opens a root shell | You need to run commands manually |
| system-summary | Shows disk, memory and network information | You want a quick system check |
Outline
- How to Access the Recovery Mode in Linux Mint?
- How to Use the Recovery Mode in Linux Mint to Fix the Boot Issues?
Let’s begin!
How to Access the Recovery Mode in Linux Mint?
If anything goes wrong or the system is not working as expected, users can use the “GNU GRUB” menu to boot into the “Recovery Mode”. The “GRUB” primarily provides the users with a set of installed kernels to boot from.
First, press and keep a hold of the “Shift” key until the system’s boot logo appears. Doing this opens the “GNU GRUB” menu and from here, select the “Advanced options … Cinnamon”. It can differ according to the Linux Mint version you are using on your system:
Next, select the “Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon… (recovery mode)”. This option can be different according to the kernel version installed on your system:
It opens the Recovery Menu where users can fix the issues preventing the Linux Mint from booting and fixing other issues as well:
Note: To access the “GNU GRUB” in UEFI mode, press the “Escape” key multiple times.
How to Use the Recovery Mode in Linux Mint to Fix the Boot Issues?
After accessing the “Recovery Mode”, let’s understand its options and how users can use them to recover their system.
Make the File System Writable
In the “Recovery Mode”, the file system is mounted as “read-only”. So before making any changes to the system using the “Linux Mint Recovery Menu”, make the file system writable. To make the system writable, navigate to the “Drop to root shell prompt” option. It opens a terminal (as root) below the recovery menu and from here, press the “Enter” key to enter maintenance:
Now, use the “mount” command to remount the filesystem in read/write mode. Here, the “-o” stands for options. The “/” represents the file system in the “Home” directory:
mount -o remount,rw /
To exit the terminal, run the “exit” command and return to the “Recovery Menu”
It changes the “Recovery Menu (filesystem state: read)” to “Recovery Menu (filesystem state: read/write)”:
After entering the “Recovery Mode”, users can use the following options to execute commands to fix the system:
resume
The “resume” option boots the system normally. Use the “resume” option after fixing the issues in the recovery menu.
clean
The “clean” option removes the unnecessary packages and unused dependencies (uses the apt-get autoremove command). Use the “clean” option (or update the packages once you are back on the desktop) to free up the space on the system because if the system is full, users cannot log in. After the cleaning wizard completes the process, use the “Enter” key to return:
dpkg
The “dpkg” or “Debian Package” is a command-line tool to manage the packages on the Debian-based distributions. It is a part of Linux Mint’s recovery mode and aids in repairing broken packages. Before using it, select the “root Drop to root shell prompt” option and run the “NetworkManager” to enable the Network Services. Enabling the network services allows the users to install the required or missing packages from the internet:
NetworkManager
Users can also use the “network Enable networking” option to enable the networking services in the recovery mode in x Linux Mint.
Stuck at this step? Ask us, it is free and include the exact error.
After enabling the internet services, run the “exit” command and select the “dpkg Repair broken packages” option:
It automatically fixes the broken/corrupt packages on the system:
fsck
The “fsck” or “File System Consistency Check” is a command-line utility that finds and fixes the file system inconsistencies. To use it, the file system must be in the “read-only” mode in the recovery menu. To make the file system read-only, reboot the system otherwise, the following error message may appear:
After rebooting the system and entering the “Recovery Mode”, select the “fsck” option to check all file systems for errors:
While doing it, users may face the error that states “e3fsck: Cannot continue, aborting”. This error comes up because the file system is mounted and is in use:
To fix it, press the “Enter” key to exit to the recovery menu and select “root Drop to root shell prompt”:
Now run the “nano” editor to open the “/etc/fstab” file where users can manage (mount and unmount) the file systems. After opening the file, comment on the highlighted lines using the “#”. To save the changes, press the “CTRL + S” and then “CTRL + X” to close the file:
Reboot the system to apply the changes and upon retrying, it will work as expected and complete the process:
Note: After unmounting the file system, users cannot log in or use the system to the full extent. Uncomment the specified lines (by removing the #) and after rebooting, the system will boot into its normal state:
Warning: running fsck on a file system that is mounted can damage it, which is why the menu refuses. Commenting out /etc/fstab lines, as shown above, is a workaround that changes how the system mounts disks, so back the file up first with cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak and restore the lines afterwards. If you can, a safer route is to boot a Linux Mint live USB and run sudo fsck -f /dev/sdXN on the unmounted partition (check the device name with lsblk first). This advice is general guidance and was not re-tested for this update.
grub
The “grub” or “Grand Unified Bootloader” runs as the first application program when the system boots and loads the Linux kernel. The “Recovery Mode” of Linux Mint includes the “grub Update grub bootloader”. It refreshes the GRUB configuration to show all the installed kernels on the system. To use it, select the “grub Update grub bootloader” option and let it do the work:
Use the “Enter” key to close the “grub” updating wizard:
root
The “root Drop to root shell prompt” opens a new shell under the recovery menu. This shell allows the users to run commands and access the system:
system-summary
The “system-summary” refers to the general information about the system. It displays detailed information about the system’s disk, memory usage, network information, and much more.
That’s all for getting Linux Mint into recovery mode.
If the GRUB menu does not appear
If Linux Mint boots too quickly and the GRUB menu does not appear, restart and try pressing Esc repeatedly right after the manufacturer logo. If that does not work, try holding Shift earlier in the boot process. Systems with fast boot, UEFI firmware, or a single operating system may hide GRUB by default.
After you regain access to the system, you can review GRUB behavior with a tool such as Grub Customizer. This is useful if you want the menu to stay visible longer during startup.
Final Words
To enter the recovery mode in Linux Mint, press and hold the “Shift” key when the system’s boot screen appears. If it does not bring the recovery mode, repeatedly press the “Escape” key (works for the UEFI). After the “GNU GRUB” menu opens, select the “Advanced options … Cinnamon” and then the “Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon… (recovery mode)”.
The recovery mode contains different options that enable the users to fix issues preventing the system from booting. This guide has discussed the complete process of getting into and using the recovery mode in Linux Mint.