You installed a macOS update, the Mac restarted, and now it will not stop asking you to choose your country, sign in, or "Get Started" — over and over. Each time you finish, it reboots and drops you right back on the Welcome screen. This is the Setup Assistant loop, and it almost never means your Mac is broken. Below is what causes it and how to break out, easiest fix first.
Why the Setup Assistant keeps looping
After a major update, macOS runs the Setup Assistant to finish configuring the new version. The loop happens when the Mac cannot save the "setup is complete" flag or cannot finish one required step. The three common causes:
- The update did not fully finish. A power blip, a forced restart, or a low battery mid-install leaves the setup half-written, so it starts over on every boot.
- A step is silently failing. Apple ID sign-in, Migration Assistant, or the network step hangs or errors, so Setup Assistant never records completion.
- The startup disk is out of free space or has a permissions hiccup, so the completion flag cannot be written.
Fixes, in order
1. Force a clean restart first
Hold the power button for about 10 seconds until the Mac shuts off completely, wait 10 seconds, then press it once to turn it on. A genuinely stuck setup process sometimes clears on the next clean boot. If it loops again, keep going.
2. Skip every optional step
Go through Setup Assistant once more, but this time skip everything you are allowed to skip — do not sign in to your Apple ID, choose "Set Up Later" for anything optional, decline Migration Assistant, and skip Screen Time and Siri. A single failing step (usually Apple ID or migration) is often what breaks the loop; getting to the desktop without it, then signing in later from System Settings, sidesteps the problem.
3. Connect a different network
If the network or Apple ID step hangs, join a different Wi-Fi network (a phone hotspot works well) or plug in Ethernet with an adapter. A blocked or captive network (hotel, campus, guest Wi-Fi) can stall the sign-in step forever. If you can reach the network screen, you can also try skipping it entirely.
4. Check the keyboard and mouse are actually working
On a desktop Mac or a MacBook with an external keyboard, a dead Bluetooth pairing can make it look like the loop will not accept input. Plug in a wired USB keyboard and mouse, or on a laptop use the built-in trackpad and keyboard, so Setup Assistant can register that you completed each screen.
5. Boot into Recovery and check the disk
If it still loops, restart into macOS Recovery. On Apple silicon, hold the power button until "Loading startup options" appears, then choose Options. On Intel, hold Command-R at the chime. In Recovery, open Disk Utility and run First Aid on Macintosh HD. This repairs the permission or free-space problem that can stop the completion flag from saving. Restart afterward.
6. Reinstall macOS (your files stay)
Still looping? From that same Recovery screen choose Reinstall macOS. This lays the operating system back down cleanly over the top — it does not erase your personal files, and it finishes the setup steps the interrupted update never completed. This resolves the large majority of stubborn Setup Assistant loops.
If none of that works
A loop that survives a clean reinstall usually points at a hardware issue — a failing SSD or logic-board fault that keeps the completion flag from ever saving. If the Mac also gets warm and shuts off, will not stay on, or shows other odd behavior, walk through our MacBook won’t turn on troubleshooting guide to confirm it is not a deeper boot problem. For the update process itself, our step-by-step macOS update guide covers doing it the safe way so the loop does not come back.
If your Mac is old enough that a repair is not worth it, that is a fine time to upgrade. We keep refurbished MacBooks fully tested and set up correctly, and our Apple clearance section starts around $450 — often less than a logic-board repair on an aging machine.
Frequently asked questions
Will reinstalling macOS from Recovery erase my files?
No. "Reinstall macOS" keeps your files, apps, and settings — it only replaces the operating system. It is different from "Erase All Content and Settings," which does wipe the Mac.
Why does it keep going back to the country or region screen?
The region screen is the very first Setup Assistant step, so if setup restarts for any reason, that is where you land. It means setup is not being recorded as complete, not that you picked the wrong country.
Can I skip the Apple ID sign-in to get past the loop?
Yes. Choose "Set Up Later" on the Apple ID screen. Once you reach the desktop, sign in from System Settings. Skipping it there is often the single step that breaks the loop.
Is the Setup Assistant loop a sign my Mac is dying?
Usually not — it is almost always an interrupted or half-finished update, and a reinstall fixes it. Only if the loop survives a clean Recovery reinstall should you suspect the SSD or logic board.