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Authored by: Support.com Tech Pro Team
Performing a factory reset on your Mac is a useful solution when you want to erase all your data, settings, and applications, returning it to its original state. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps to safely and effectively perform a factory reset on your Mac, whether you're selling it, giving it away, or starting fresh.
Before proceeding with a factory reset, ensure all your important data is backed up. Use Time Machine or a backup service like iCloud or an external hard drive to create a complete backup.
Go to the Apple menu > "System Preferences."
Click on your Apple ID.
Select "Overview" on the left sidebar.
Click "Sign Out" and follow the prompts to sign out of your Apple ID.
Open iTunes.
Go to "Account" > "Authorizations" > "Deauthorize This Computer."
Enter your Apple ID and password to deauthorize the computer.
If FileVault encryption is enabled, decrypt your drive by going to "System Preferences" > "Security & Privacy" > "FileVault" > "Turn Off FileVault."
Restart your Mac and hold down Command (⌘) + R until you see the Apple logo.
Release the keys when the macOS Utilities window appears.
Select "Disk Utility" from the macOS Utilities window.
Choose your Mac's internal drive and click "Erase."
Select "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" as the format and give it a name.
Click "Erase" to wipe the drive.
Quit Disk Utility to return to the macOS Utilities window.
Select "Reinstall macOS" and follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall the operating system.
Follow the macOS setup assistant to configure your Mac from scratch.
Sign in with your Apple ID and restore your data from your backup.
With this comprehensive guide, you should be able to perform a factory reset on your Mac safely and effectively. Remember to back up your data before starting the process, and follow the steps carefully to ensure a successful reset.
If you are still having trouble, refer to the Step-By-Step Guide below, or Contact Support.Com for Personalized Assistance.
In this guide, you will learn How to Factory Reset a Mac PC.
Certain Macs have a new option for erasing data. If you're running macOS Monterey on an Apple silicon-based Mac or an Intel-based Mac with the Apple T2 chip, you now have the Erase Assistant tool. Open System Preferences > Erase All Content and Settings in the menu bar.
Enter your admin password in Erase Assistant, then review the items that will be removed. Along with erasing all settings, media, apps, and data for all accounts and volumes on the drive, the tool will also sign you out of iCloud, delete Touch ID fingerprints, disable location services, unpair Bluetooth devices, and remove Apple Wallet items.
At this time, you have one final chance to create a Time Machine backup before continuing. Click Open Time Machine to create it, if you haven't already done so.
Enter your password to sign out of your Apple ID, then let the erase process finish. Once complete, your Mac will be returned to factory settings. If you don't plan on keeping this computer, you're done. Otherwise, you can go through the setup assistant as if you are setting up your Mac for the first time.
The other option for resetting your Mac is Disk Utility, which is available to all users. In order to access the options for wiping your data and reinstalling the operating system, you need to enter macOS Recovery. How you do this depends on the chip inside your computer.
If you have an M1 Mac or Intel-based Mac with the T2 chip, shut down your computer completely and hold down the power button until Loading startup options appears on the screen. Select Options to enter the recovery screen.
If your Mac has an Intel processor and doesn't have the T2 chip, restart your computer. From here, hold down Command + R until the Apple logo appears. Release the keys and allow the Mac to boot up and open into Recovery.
If your computer is frozen and the normal means of resetting aren't working, try the Control + Command + Eject (or power button) shortcut.
No matter how you get here, you must then select a user with administrator privileges and enter their account credentials before gaining access to the computer's startup options. Once fully in macOS Recovery, select Disk Utility and choose the volume you want to erase.
Did you previously create any additional volumes on your hard drive? If so, remove them first. Choose the partition and select the minus (-) button to remove the volume. You can then move on to your main drive. Select Macintosh HD and click Erase in the top toolbar.
A dialog box will pop up asking for the drive name and format. Keep the name as Macintosh HD and make sure the format is set to APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Click Erase Volume Group (or Erase if that button isn't shown) to wipe the drive.
You should also make sure any other internal drives are also erased in order to completely wipe the computer and avoid any errors during the reinstall process. Go to Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility to exit the Disk Utility window and go back to the Recovery screen.
If you plan to sell the computer, you can stop here and let the new owner install a clean version of macOS. For those who plan to keep their Mac, your next step should be to reinstall macOS onto the computer.
Your computer should be hooked up to a power source and connected to the internet. Back at the macOS Utilities screen, click Reinstall macOS and follow the instructions to download a new version of the operating system.
If you saved your files to an external storage device through a Time Machine backup, you can now restore those files through the Migration Assistant as part of the reinstall process. You will be asked if you want to transfer information from another Mac or a Time Machine backup. Select Time Machine and continue the process to restore your files.
If you decide not to restore your backup at this time, you can always go back into the macOS Recovery screen and choose the Restore From Time Machine Backup option. Select the appropriate backup from the list to reinstall your saved files.
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