this is how you can reset your Mac or MacBook in case of problems
Do you want to sell your Mac or MacBook or do you have problems that seem unsolvable? Then it can be useful to reset your Mac. In this tip, we’ll show you how to factory reset your Mac.
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How to reset your Mac or MacBook
Factory resetting your Mac may be the only solution to problems in some cases. But even if you get rid of your old Mac and trade it in for a new MacBook Air, for example, this is an important step.
Before you reset your Mac, make sure your files are stored in a safe place. It is best to use a USB stick or a cloud service for this. Examples of this are Dropbox or Google Drive, but you can also store your files in iCloud.
In addition, it is possible to save the entire contents of your disk. You do need an external drive for this, which also has enough storage to store all your data. Then open ‘Time Machine’ via ‘System Preferences’, and save your data safely on your external hard drive. You can also set your Mac to make backups automatically when you connect this drive.
Clear all content and settings
Have a recent Mac with macOS Monterey 12.0 or later? Then resetting your Mac can be very quick and easy. There is in fact a new option ‘Erase all content and settings’, which you may already know from the iPhone. Here’s how to reset your Mac to factory settings:
- Open the System Preferences app;
- Click on ‘System Preferences’ at the top of the menu;
- Choose ‘Erase all content and settings’.
- Enter your user account password.
Mac to factory settings
Once your files are safe, you can reset your Mac using the step-by-step plan below. After the reset, the device is completely empty, as if you were turning it on for the first time. So always do this before you sell an iMac or MacBook. You can be sure that no sensitive data is left behind for the buyer.
- Restart your Mac via the Apple menu, and hold down the key combination ‘Command + R’;
- Choose ‘Disk Utility’ and then click on your startup disk on the left side of the screen;
- Go to the ‘Clear’ tab. In the new window that appears, give the drive a name, such as “Apple SSD” or “Macintosh HD”;
- Select “APFS” (or macOS Extended (Journaled) for older Macs) as the file system in “Structure” and make sure it says “GUID Partition Layout” in “Format”. Then click on ‘Clear’;
- After erasing, close the Disk Utility, and choose ‘reinstall macOS’ in the menu that appears;
- After following the installation process, your Mac will boot up as if it were the first time.
During this process, there are a number of details that you should pay attention to. For example, it is important to hold down ‘Command + R’ immediately during the reboot, otherwise your Mac will not start up in the so-called macOS Recovery mode in which the window appears.
For example, are there multiple drives in the ‘Disk Utility’ menu? Then make sure that you choose the SSD drive, which can be read from the drive name by default. Before erasing, you will be prompted to enter a name for the disk. It makes no difference to the process what exactly you enter here.
