How to Erase and Factory Reset Your Mac – Step by Step Guide

Are you the one who is looking for the answer to how to Erase and Factory Reset Your Mac? If yes, this guide is the elixir for you. After a period of regular use, your Mac will have accumulated a lot of files and folders that you likely don’t need anymore, and it may be time for you to factory reset your computer.

Every day, you send and receive countless emails. The good news is you can wipe all of that data from a Mac in just a few hours. The bad news is this process wipes all of your data, which may be a little scary. But the upside is that doing a factory reset will clear your Mac so it can start fresh. But before you go ahead with this, it’s essential to know why you want to erase your hard drive and the pros and cons of this process.

Here’s how to do it.

Note: First and foremost, Backup your data

However, it is vital to keep your data safe before you do any reset to clean and optimize your Mac device. Yet, it is essential to know why you do so. There are numerous reasons to reset your Mac, and there are two primary reasons you would want to reset your Mac to factory settings. To begin, if you’re having issues with your Mac, a reset may be able to help. It’s risky, but it frequently works.

Second, if you’re selling or giving away your Mac, it is important to reset it to keep your data secure. Now let us know how to factory reset Macbook with some crucial steps below.

A Step by Step Guide before you Erase and Factory Reset your Mac:

1. Reset the NVRAM on your Mac

The NVRAM on your Mac holds various information, including your audio volume, time zone, and more. When erasing a Mac, it’s also a good idea to reset it, and here is how to do that.

2. Disconnect your Apps

Before you say farewell to your Mac, several apps will need to be explicitly unbound. Consider any licences you may have acquired, as some third-party software require licensing that only works on a restricted number of Machines.

Deauthorize your iTunes account on the Mac as well, as this will prevent it from accessing material purchased from the iBooks Store, iTunes Store, or App Store, such as movies, music, apps, TV shows, and books.

3. Sign out of your Apple Account on the Mac

In MacOS, you should also disable Find My Mac and sign out of iCloud. By doing so, you’ll be sure there’s nothing on your Mac that connects your Apple ID. The steps below will show you how to unlink.

• Tap the Apple symbol in the top left corner of your Mac.
•  Select the System Preferences option.
• Select iCloud in the preference pane.
  
• Deselect all the boxes in the list to remove data on your Mac.
  
• Select Sign Out.

4. Detach your Bluetooth Devices

Your Mac might recall Bluetooth devices even after being reset to factory settings. So, before you sell your Mac, check the Bluetooth settings in System Preferences and make sure they’re turned off.

Remember that your Bluetooth should be unlinked with your Mac before approaching a resetting program.

Also Read: Guide on How to Clear Space on Mac- Free up Disk Space on Mac

5. Reinstall MacOS After Wiping your Starting Drive

You won’t see your typical login screen when in Recovery mode. Instead, the MacOS utility window will appear.

• Select Disk Utility from the drop-down menu.
• Press Continue.
  
• From the list on the left, choose the Macintosh HD disc.
• Choose the Erase option.
• You must now select a disc format.
• Choose APFS if you’re using MacOS High Sierra or later.
• Select MacOS Extended if you’re using an earlier version of MacOS.
• Select the GUID Partition Map option.
• Select Erase.
  
• Pause till the procedure is complete.
• Click on Done.
• When it’s finished, click the red cross to exit Disk Utility.

6. Switch your Mac to Recovery Mode

Using Recovery mode, you may wipe your Mac and remove its complex disc data. If you’re going to do a factory reset on a MacBook, make sure it’s hooked into the power source first.

• Go to the Apple logo in the top left of your screen.
• Choose Shut Down.
• When it’s turned off, press and hold the Power button.
• Your Mac will switch on; Loading startup options will appear.
• Select options to turn on Recovery.

7. How to Erase and Factory Reset Your Mac

Finally, to clean and optimize your Mac, it is crucial to erase, and factory reset it. Let us understand how you can factory reset your Mac.

• Tap on the Apple icon in the top left corner of your Mac
• Select Restart…
• Click Restart.
• Press the Command and R keys until you hear the Mac tone indicating a restart.
• Hold back for the MacOS utility screen to display.
• Tap on Disk Utility.
  
• Select your Mac’s system drive, also called Macintosh HD.
• Click Erase.
• Choose the Format option Mac Extended or APFS.
• Click Erase, see if the action has been performed, and pause until formatting is complete.
  
• Now, close Disk Utility.
• Click Reinstall MacOS.
• Follow the installation process and allow the procedure to continue until you see the Setup Assistant.
• Press’ Command+Q” to Turn off your Mac.

It’s all done. Your Mac is ready to sell or give to anyone to use now.

Also Read: How to Flush your DNS Cache on Mac to Fix Websites Not Loading

Conclusion: You have wondered how to factory reset Mac before pondering into this guide. You see, At one point, your brand new MacBook was cared for with love and took pride in the life I’d it’d had before you bought it. You kept carrying it with you to shows, meetings, and special occasions. At a certain point, your MacBook started slowing down and eventually failed. But after all, you know that it needs to be reset.

You learnt about a few essential functions before you erase and factory reset your Mac. We hope we have been a helpful saviour if you were in a dilemma of how to wipe Macbook pro. Do write us your review if you still have any questions in your mind. We love to listen to you!