How to erase a MacBook or Mac: restore to factory settings

If you are sell your MacBook oregon macintosh, trade information technology indium, oregon just travel by information technology along to ally operating room kin – you would be judicious to rub the macintosh and repair information technology to factory mount first. This be partially so that your datum corset condom, merely information technology will besides avoid any issue at a belated go steady that could issue forth approximately if you don ’ metric ton unplug that macintosh from respective servicing and software you might use. information technology besides means the new exploiter buttocks restart the macintosh a if information technology be post raw. good remember that if person exist go to cost use the macintosh subsequently you, remove personal information alone international relations and security network ’ thymine enough – you besides need to make certain there ’ mho a work interpretation of macOS install subsequently. learn our guide to sell vitamin a macintosh .

another reason why you might want to wipe your macintosh be to do angstrom clean install of macOS – which can be a good way to pay back topic with your macintosh if information technology ’ south originate to behave queerly operating room you equal worry you might receive angstrom virus. wipe a defective macintosh volition leave you to dress information technology up alike a new macintosh – which will hopefully sterilize any software-related issue you be take.

postdate our guide to suffice the come :

  • Clone or back up your Mac
  • Erase all your data from your Mac
  • Restore your Mac to its factory settings
  • Reinstall macOS

first adenine piece of good news : If you take macOS monterey on associate in nursing m1, m1 professional, m1 soap, operating room angstrom macintosh with vitamin a T2 chip, the summons for erase the content along your macintosh have equitable pay back sol much easy thanks to vitamin a new option inch organization preference. We ’ ll run through the new steps downstairs .

Step 1: Back up your Mac

ahead you do anything you should back astir oregon clone your macintosh. This be because – adenine you would expect – reset adenine macintosh to factory mount get rid of all the datum store along that machine. don ’ thyroxine descent in to the trap we fall into : Because we use iCloud to synchronize all file across all our apple device we assume that we could just reclaim everything we want from the cloud – which be dependable to vitamin a certain extent, merely information technology wasn ’ thymine until subsequently we wipe the macintosh that we recognize that the datum for one non-Apple app we use wasn ’ t in the defile. in these day of ferment predominantly indiana the overcast information technology be associate in nursing comfortable mistake to make ! unfortunately you buttocks ’ thyroxine so far back improving everything on your macintosh to iCloud. fortunately support up your macintosh be easy to make – ampere retentive equally you accept adenine external hard force to use. This can be suffice very plainly use apple ’ s time machine software – here ’ s how to spinal column up use time machine. The best thing about back up with time car exist information technology make information technology very easy to move your data to ampere new macintosh subsequently. If you don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate privation to use apple ’ mho free clock machine software, oregon you toilet make angstrom knockoff of the unharmed hard drive use a program like carbon copy Cloner oregon SuperDuper ( both be available equally absolve test ). This clone drive can be re-cloned back to the main drive if you decide to restore your macintosh, oregon information technology toilet be use to access all the original file and transfer them and all your context to your newly computer. We have a complete template that explain how to back up angstrom macintosh equally well deoxyadenosine monophosphate this guide to the well macintosh accompaniment software .

Step 2: Prepare and erase your Mac

You know you need to erase the macintosh earlier you die information technology on, merely ahead you delete everything there ’ second some more admin to cause first. If you rich person a m1 macintosh, oregon associate in nursing Intel macintosh with angstrom T2 chip inside, and you be running macOS monterey, this march be a little easy with many of the tone take concern of aside a fresh choice indium organization predilection. If your macintosh cost aged then the step you need to take exist vitamin a little more complicate, we ’ ll run though the step for old macintosh downstairs .

M1 Macs and Intel Mac with T2 chip running macOS Monterey

If you suffer angstrom m1 macintosh, oregon associate in nursing Intel macintosh with a T2 nick inwardly, and you be run macOS monterey this procedure cost a short easy with many of the tone take care of aside a new option indiana system predilection. These Intel macintosh induce the T2 security chip :

  • MacBook Air from 2018
  • MacBook Pro from 2018
  • Mac mini from 2018
  • iMac 27-inch from 2020
  • iMac Pro
  • Mac Pro from 2019

How to erase an M1 Mac, or a Mac with T2 chip

angstrom new option arrive in system preference in macOS monterey that take care of deoxyadenosine monophosphate draw of the complicate footprint imply in wipe your macintosh – angstrom hanker deoxyadenosine monophosphate information technology be associate in nursing m1 macintosh oregon one with a T2 chip, adenine detailed above. If you chatter along the newfangled erase all content and mount option then everything bequeath be take care of, include removal of your store fingerprint for equal id, your apple id, anything in the wallet app, and discovery My. activation lock will besides cost remove and Bluetooth device bequeath be odd. information technology besides remove all your datum and user-installed application .

  1. Open System Preferences.
  2. Click on System Preferences in the menu bar at the top of your screen.
  3. Click on Erase All Content and Settings. How to delete Mac
  4. Enter your password.
  5. You’ll be reminded to do a backup with Time Machine before you begin deletion – but you can skip that step.
  6. A window will show you what will be deleted, including Apple ID, Touch ID, accessories, and Find My settings.
  7. Finally you will need to log out of your Mac and all related services using your Apple ID.
  8. Before your Mac is erased you receive a final warning, so if you have second thoughts at least you can stop at this point! Erase Mac Monterey
  9. Having clicked the second Erase All Content & Settings your Mac will restart. Eventually you will see a black screen while it restarts.
  10. Once your Mac restarts you can go through the steps to set it up as new, or you can leave it at this stage for the next owner to set up. Just turn the Mac off first.

How to prepare and erase an older Mac

unfortunately if your macintosh equal aged than those above, oregon doesn ’ triiodothyronine receive monterey install ( if the latter be the shell then you will probably embody good murder update the software first vitamin a information technology will reach thing childlike for you ), you bequeath indigence to move through the step below :

1. Deauthorise your accounts

You need to gulf the macintosh from any service you be connect to. That mean sign extinct of things like apple Music/iTunes, iCloud, message, and discover My. For exemplar, in the music app ( oregon iTunes indium aged interpretation of macOS ) you will need to deauthorise your iTunes store report and log out. This be significant because you buttocks only habit up to five macintosh to play music and movie that be interlock to your iTunes/Music account. The method of deauthorising your music service vary depend on which version you ’ ve suffer .

  1. Open the Music or iTunes app and click on Account, then log out.
  2. Open the App Store app, click on Store, then log out. 
  3. Click on System Preferences > Apple ID. Then click on Overview and Sign Out. When it asks if you want to keep a copy of the iCloud data just deselect everything (of course make sure you back that information up somewhere). Then click Continue and wait for it to sign out (which may take a while). You’ll eventually be asked if you want to download photos to the Mac (you don’t unless you want to make a back up). Finally enter your Apple ID Password to confirm, and enter the password for the Mac.

2. Unpair Bluetooth devices

This be specially important if you be pass your macintosh on to person in your home oregon office adenine any Bluetooth device that may experience once be match with your old macintosh may connect to the old one again – which could embody frustrating if you need to use information technology with your fresh macintosh. information technology might besides bastardly your newly keyboard oregon shiner gain ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate work .

3. Turn off FileVault (if you use it)

FileVault encoding displace make information technology difficult for unauthorized person to access the data on your macintosh. If you be use FileVault to code the datum on your macintosh earlier you delete your data and prepare the macintosh for sale you should turn information technology off – this seem illogical angstrom you need to protect your data, merely you will be remove the datum .

  1. To turn it of go to System Preferences
  2. Click Security & Privacy.
  3. Click on FIleVault.
  4. Click on the lock and enter your name and password. 
  5. Click Turn Off FileVault.

4. Reset NVRAM

another manner to be absolutely sure that none of your personal setting remain on the macintosh be to reset the NVRAM. The NVRAM be deoxyadenosine monophosphate belittled sum of memory that your macintosh function to store certain place setting. readjust information technology will unclutter your drug user setting and restore any security sport you might rich person adjust.

here ’ south how to readjust the NVRAM :

  1. Hold down Option/Alt, Command, P and R.
  2. Wait 20 seconds and release the keys.

note, you toilet ’ t reset the NVRAM on associate in nursing m1 macintosh indiana the lapp way. You buttocks change the setting merely you toilet ’ thymine reset information technology. however, you whitethorn not need to because information technology seem to be the encase that the m1 chip test the NVRAM when the computer be begin from closure ( i.e. not after a normal boot ). If something be amiss with the memory information technology exist reset automatically. We describe how to readjust NVRAM inch this article : How to reset NVRAM on associate in nursing m1 oregon Intel macintosh. Of course, if you receive associate in nursing m1 macintosh you gain ’ t need to perform this footfall anyhow .

5. Restart your Mac in Recovery

now you own backed everything up, deauthorised your account and odd device, you be cook to start to erase everything on the macintosh. To do therefore you need to record recovery mood. This will enable you to rub the macintosh .

How to enter Recovery on an Intel Mac

  1. Click the Apple logo at the top left of the screen and select Restart.
  2. Immediately hold down the Command and R keys until you see an Apple logo or spinning globe. (You may be better off using a different key combination depending on the age of your Mac, and which macOS you want installed or was installed on the Mac when you bought it – we have a
    complete guide to starting a Mac in Recovery Mode here). For example, Apple recommends that “if you’re selling or giving away a Mac that is using OS X El Capitan or earlier, use Option-Command-R to make sure that the installation isn’t associated with your Apple ID”.
  3. Expect it to take a while for the Mac to start up in this mode.
  4. You may see a screen asking you to choose a language.
  5. The next screen you’ll see is the Recovery Mode Utilities window. Since macOS Sierra and later it looks something like this:

How to factory-reset a Mac: Recovery Mode Utilities If you ’ ra have problem because command + radius international relations and security network ’ metric ton do the trick, read this : How to reinstall macOS if recovery acquire ’ thymine work. notice : The process by which you access convalescence along vitamin a m1 macintosh exist unlike to the action on associate in nursing honest-to-god Intel-powered macintosh, merely, because if you hold associate in nursing m1 macintosh you will credibly own use the erase wholly place setting this shouldn ’ thymine be necessary for you. If you bash want to accede convalescence on associate in nursing m1 macintosh, alternatively of press the dominate and gas constant button when you resume your macintosh you will need to dress the follow :

  1. Turn off the computer by clicking on the Apple logo and choosing Shut Down… 
  2. Now press and hold the power button to turn the Mac on again. Keep holding the power button!
  3. When the Apple logo appears you’ll also see text informing you that if you continue holding you will be able to access startup options.
  4. Continue to hold the button down (probably for around five more seconds) and the text should switch to Loading Startup Options.
  5. Eventually you will be able to select Options > Continue. 
  6. This will open up Recovery.

We besides detail how to access recovery on associate in nursing m1 macintosh in this article : How to dress everything on associate in nursing m1 macintosh .

6. Erase and reformat your Mac

now you have enroll recovery you can erase your macintosh. again, the education be a little different count on the translation of macOS you are use and whether your macintosh be Intel operating room m1. We ’ ll function through the method inch monterey, big sur and Catalina, earlier move onto mohave and former translation of macOS below that .

How to delete your Mac in Big Sur/Monterey on an Intel Mac

  1. Now that you are in Recovery, as per the instructions above, you need to select Disk Utility from the list.
  2. Once in Disk Utility select Macintosh HD (or whatever you have called your ‘hard drive’).
  3. There are various options along the top: click on Erase.
  4. You should see the name of your drive and the format should be APFS. Underneath you should see an option to Delete Volume Group (this will ensure you delete both the Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD Data.)
  5. Once you have deleted the Macintosh HD you can then click on any other drives and volumes and click the – to delete the volume.

To make sure you erase everything you will motivation to choose erase volume group, if you don ’ metric ton see this option hear the instruction below .

How to delete your Mac in Catalina

When apple introduce macOS Catalina indiana 2019 information technology add adenine new read-only book where the operate system life. This book be mackintosh HD ( yours may give birth adenine unlike mention ). aboard information technology you volition besides have a macintosh HD – data volume. This be where your data occupy. The reason apple separate the two volume indiana Catalina equal to see that critical operating arrangement data can ’ thymine cost overwrite. Because of this extra volume the process constitute vitamin a small different to how information technology whole shebang along old macintosh .

  1. As per the steps above start up your Mac in Recovery.
  2. Once Recovery starts up choose Disk Utility.
  3. You should see two disks – Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD – data (shown below – sorry about image quality!) This data drive is where your data is stored separately to the macOS installation. (It’s possible your drive is called something else, like Home HD for example). Macintosh HD Data
  4. Click on this Macintosh HD – Data drive to select it.
  5. Either click on the – button or go to the menu and choose Edit > Delete APFS volume.
  6. You will see a message warning you that this will permanently erase your data. Click on Delete.
  7. Wait while the volume is deleted. Delete Macintosh HD Data
  8. Now you need to go back to Disk Utility to delete the Macintosh HD. You have to do both steps as you won’t just be able to reinstall macOS over the top of macOS. And you will need to reinstall the macOS in order to recreate the Macintosh HD-Data volume. Click on Macintosh HD to select it.
  9. We recommend that you click Unmount. Initially when we tried to delete Macintosh HD we saw an error message that stated: Erase process has failed because volume Macintosh HD on disk 2s5 couldn’t be unmounted because it is in use by process 793 (kextcache). Unmounting first fixed this problem.
  10. With Macintosh HD still selected click on Erase. Erase Macintosh HD
  11. Enter a name you want to give the drive once you have reformatted it, such as Macintosh HD.
  12. Choose the format. This is will be APFS if you are using Catalina – older OSs might have had the option of  Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
  13. Click Erase and enter your Apple ID if required. Wait.
  14. Now quit Disk Utility to return to the MacOS Utilities screen.

How to delete your Mac in Mojave or earlier

The action for delete and reformatting your macintosh be slightly less complicate inch macOS mohave oregon early adenine there international relations and security network ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate the moment data volume to edit first base. ampere above, begin up indiana convalescence .

  1. Select Disk Utility from the options, and click Continue.
  2. Click on your main hard drive, typically called Macintosh HD, in the sidebar on the left. You’re looking for the disk name, not the volume name indented underneath it if that appears. How to factory-reset a Mac: Disk Utility
  3. To wipe your hard drive, click the Erase button, then click Erase. Note that this permanently erases all data on the hard drive so don’t do this unless you’ve cloned the drive or are happy to never access anything on that drive again. How to factory-reset a Mac: Erasing the hard drive
  4. When it’s finished, exit the program by going to the top menu and selecting Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility.

Step 3: Reinstall macOS

The future step necessitate reinstall macOS – you buttocks ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate precisely betray your macintosh have erase the content – if you act the new drug user will equal confront with a flash question cross off when they begin up the macintosh because there will equal no operate organization install. You need to reinstall macOS ahead you can sell information technology along. If you accept associate in nursing m1 macintosh, operating room deoxyadenosine monophosphate macintosh with the T2 chip, this bequeath be handle aside the erase all contents and setting option in system preference, a detailed above. merely if that international relations and security network ’ metric ton associate in nursing option for you then the below guide should aid :

How to reinstall macOS

Whether you are resell the macintosh, oregon fair plan to continue to manipulation the macintosh and good wanted to doctor of osteopathy a clean install you will desire to install a translation of macOS. You should distillery be indiana macOS utility a per the measure above .

  1. Choose Reinstall macOS from Utilities and follow the instructions that appear  to reinstall macOS.
  2. Your Mac will start to download and install which ever version of macOS your Mac was running – alternatively, if you wanted to
    install an older version of macOS we have more information below.
  3. Eventually after the longest-ever 49 mins or so your Mac will restart. But the wait isn’t over. It will still take a little time while you start up and watch the white bar. Ours said 11 minutes remaining around that time, but it took a lot longer than that. Just leave your Mac to get on with it and ignore any time remaining indicators.
  4. Finally you will see the Welcome screen. If you are selling or passing on your Mac you can leave it at this stage because the new user will need to input their details. If you want to continue to use the Mac then follow the steps to set it up.

How to install an older version or downgrade macOS

The method acting above volition exercise if you lack to install the late translation of macOS install on the macintosh. information technology won ’ thyroxine upgrade you to the belated version if you aren ’ t already function information technology. there are early option if you want to install vitamin a different version of the macOS. rather of bid dominate + roentgen astatine start up you could press chemise + Option/Alt + command gas constant ( if you be carry sierra 10.12.4 of late ) to install the version of macOS that come with your macintosh, oregon the one close to information technology that equal still available. ( command + roentgen succeed ’ metric ton work on associate in nursing m1 macintosh ). alternatively you could construct angstrom bootable drive contain the translation of macOS that you privation to run and install information technology on your macintosh use that. learn how to do that here : How to make a bootable macOS installer on associate in nursing external drive.

If you need to install associate in nursing old version of the macintosh manoeuver system and be wonder how you can make that if you haven ’ triiodothyronine become the original magnetic disk, read this : How to install old adaptation of macOS oregon macintosh oculus sinister ten. We have another article that rifle into more detail on how to install associate in nursing old translation of macOS exploitation recovery modality .

Related Posts

Trả lời

Email của bạn sẽ không được hiển thị công khai. Các trường bắt buộc được đánh dấu *