Hold the power button on Apple Silicon Macs.

Hold the power button (or Touch ID button) as soon as you hear the startup chime—actually, you won’t hear a chime on Apple Silicon. Just press and hold it until you see “Loading startup options.” That’s your recovery mode.

On Intel Macs you used Command+R. That does nothing on the M1/M2/M3 MacBook Air. You need the physical button hold. Let go when you see the startup options screen, then click Options > Continue. You’re in.

If you’re used to the old way, this feels wrong. It’s not. The power button is now your recovery key. Took me two botched attempts to believe it.