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Booting into safe mode on an Intel Mac is accomplished by turning on the Mac and immediately pressing and holding the shift key. This action initiates a special boot mode that disables certain features and runs checks on the system, aimed at troubleshooting issues that may be affecting the Mac's normal operations.

When you boot in safe mode, the operating system clears caches and only loads essential system files and necessary drivers. This can help diagnose problems related to system performance or misbehaving applications, as it provides a minimized environment to work in.

Other options do not trigger safe mode. For instance, pressing the option key would bring up the startup manager, allowing you to choose different startup disks. Holding the command key during restart does not engage any safe mode functions but is typically used for other Mac operating system commands. Similarly, holding down the power button to perform a reset during startup does not invoke safe mode either. Thus, using the shift key during startup is the designated method for accessing safe mode on an Intel Mac.