In this article , we ’re belong to show you how to perform a fresh install of macOS , but before we get in to how to wipe your Mac and reinstall macOS we will talk over the conflict between a neat install and a unpatterned reinstall of macOS , and why you might desire to do a clean install of macOS . Is a clean install advantageously than a reinstall , or is it actually completely unneeded to wipe your Mac first ?
We will then discuss the different ways to do a clean installation of macOS . Traditionally , the means was tomake a bootable copy of the macOS installeron a USB stick and then reformat your thrust before installing the bootable copy onto your Mac , however , this is unnecessary for mod Macs . There is now a bare method acting to pass over a Mac and it is potential to employ macOS Recovery to reinstall the Mac operating system over the entanglement ( we have a separate tutorial abouthow to reinstall macOS using Recovery ) .
However , because on modern Macs macOS is installed on your Mac on a freestanding bulk that ca n’t be touched by other apps and software on your Mac , reinstalling macOS as a mean value to fix trouble is less likely to be the result it once was .
Should you do a clean install of macOS?
There are a number of reasons why you might need to do a clean install :
However , changes in recent yr may stand for that a clean install is not necessary . Since macOS Big Sur ( which arrived in 2020 ) macOS has its own volume which is completely sealed and can not be switch by any software system you instal . In add-on , if you want to do a sporty install so that no leftovers that belong to an one-time macOS are carry along , this no longer put on because none of this information is carry over .
CleanMyMac
Another ground to keep off a clean install is that it could result in the red of information and circumstance you rely on . You may feel that you have a wad spare data and files on your Mac and that wipe your drive could be utilitarian , just be set up that it can be a risky business and you may cease up deleting something important . mind that a uninfected install can cause more job than it fixes . You might prefer to use an software likeCleanMyMac X from MacPaw , or one of theBest Mac Cleaner softwarewe have test .
If you are glad to take the hazard and still want to wipe your Mac and reinstall macOS – which you should in spades do if you are selling or perish on your Mac – read on !
How to clean install macOS
As we explained above , there is more than one way of life to pass over your Mac and reinstall macOS :
We ’ll start off with the simple option that make for on advanced Macs ( all M - series Macs and the T2 Intel - power Macs ) .
Before you begin: Back up your Mac
Before you begin we recommend that you make a support , just in case something goes untimely . Full instructions here : How to back up a Mac . It ’s entirely possible that there will be something on your Mac that you thought was in the swarm but was actually on your Mac ( we talk from experience ! )
mention that with respect to backup , you probably wo n’t want to recuperate a Time Machine backup if you do n’t want to copy over all the preferences and preferences associated with your old system . You could alternatively synchronise all your Documents and Desktop with iCloud rather than work a full backup , but check that that everything you need is in the swarm and be aware that you may lose your configurations and applications . We have reviewed some alternativeMac Backup solutionsso check them out for one that suits you .
How to wipe your Mac and reinstall macOS the easy way
Foundry
With this method you will score out all content and preferences using a mount in macOS and then install macOS .
What you need : A Mac with Apple Silicon ( M1 chip or subsequently ) or an Intel - powered Mac with aT2 fleck . macOS Monterey or afterwards .
In macOS Monterey the appendage was slimly different but the result was the same . Erase All Content and preferences was access from the System Preferences menu at the top of the screen .
We excuse how to reinstall macOS via Recovery in more detail here : How to reinstall macOS .
How to clean install macOS using a bootable USB
Now for the even tricky patronage of installing a clean copy of an aged adaptation of macOS on an older Mac . address of which , if an old version is what you ’re looking for , it may be worth take a look at another clause where we focus on that entirely : How to download and install old versions of OS X on a Mac .
This method involves using a bootable USB with the macOS installation on it . This might also be the best method if you already have the installation file download and do n’t want to wait for 60 minutes for Recovery to download the filing cabinet ( or you are installing the software on multiple Macs ) .
Format the external drive
We ’re go to re - download the installer Indian file for our chosen interlingual rendition of macOS and stash away it on a USB stick or external drive . But before you do that you may prepare the USB drive by reformatting it .
Here ’s how to format your USB drive aright :
Get the macOS install file
If you ’re reinstalling the latest reading of macOS , or installing a new version of macOS , the next step is comparatively easy although the appendage for obtaining the installer will be dissimilar .
How to download the installer via Software Update
If you are currently run Ventura and want to do a cleaninstall of macOS Sonoma , for instance , then you’re able to download the initiation package via System configurations .
How to download the installerfrom the Mac App Store
Find the edition of macOS you want to install . chance are if you following these footfall you will be using an older Mac that is uncongenial with Sequoia and Sonoma . See : What version of macOS can my Mac run .
However , it is possible to run new macOS on erstwhile Macs , as we explain inHow to install macOS Sequoia on an unsupported Mac .
First up , you need to get hold of the version of macOS you want to install . For more aid interpret : How to install older versions of macOS or OS X.
( If those links do n’t forge shut the Mac App Store and turn out and glue the link into Safari . For more advice on take hold of even elderly edition of Mac OS , seeHow to get old versions of OS X. )
Once you have located the version of macOS you want on the Mac App Store pursue these instructions :
The installer file will be multiple gigabytes . macOS Big Sur was 12.6 GB , for example , so expect downloading to take a while .
Do n’t put in yet !
Whichever style you get the install file the next step is deserving highlighting for what you should n’t do , rather than what you should do :
Create a bootable USB disk
Next we need to change state the USB drive into a bootable USB disc so that we can practice it to put in a new written matter of macOS on our Mac after we have reformatted it ( that step will make out later in this tutorial ) .
We ’ve begin full command onHow to make a bootable macOS install drive in a dissimilar article , but we ’ll run through the fundamental principle here .
We ’re going to make the bootable drive usingTerminal , which you may open on your Mac by pressing Command + Space bar and typecast Terminal .
tie in the USB drive that you initialise originally to your Mac . Make certain it ’s called Untitled – rename it if necessary ( this will aid you go into the right schoolbook in Terminal in the next footmark ) .
produce a bootable installer has been pretty soft since the arrival of Mavericks in 2013 thanks to the Terminal instruction createinstallmedia that make it in that version . Here ’s how to habituate it ( observe that the name of the version of macOS will depend on which version you are set up ):
Now you have the installer on the external drive you could use that to install copies of macOS on multiple Macs – which could be helpful if you are admin for a lot of system .
However , if you are reading this because you desire to do wipe your Mac and do a clean install , show on …
Wipe your Mac
Now we are quick to instal the copy of macOS from the installer parkway on our Mac . If you want to do a fresh installing ( and completely pass over your Mac ) it ’s time to reformat your Mac ’s begin - up drive .
If you have a recently mod Mac with Monterey installed , you would be upright off wiping your Mac using the Erase all Contents and preferences option . But for those function older Macs with older versions of macOS will need to practice Disk Utility to delete their data .
If you are run macOS Catalina or Big Sur you will have two volume : Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD – Data . If you desire to do a clean install of macOS over an exist installment you will need to delete the Macintosh HD – Data volume . We comprehend how to do this in more detail here : How to readjust and wipe a Mac .
Macintosh HD – Data is where your datum is stored separately to the macOS induction .
Then you may move on to delete your Macintosh HD mass as above .
Here ’s how to do a new installation of macOS if you are n’t already persist Catalina , Big Sur or afterward .
Once induction is complete , you could reestablish apps and stage setting from your relief , or download them again manually .
Install macOS
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Now you’re able to expend your bootable installer to do a clean install of macOS on your wipe Mac .
The process for installing the O from the bootable installer is more or less unlike if you have an M1 or M2 - series Mac ( also hump as Apple Silicon ) or an Intel CPU inside your Mac . We ’ll prevail through both methods .
In both cases , you will need to have your Mac connected to the cyberspace . It also ask to be compatible with the version of macOS you are attempt to install ( you ca n’t instal a macOS older than Big Sur on a M - series Mac ) .
How to install macOS from a bootable installer
If you have an M - series Mac here ’s how to set up macOS from a bootable installer . As we mentioned above , you ca n’t put in a macOS older than Big Sur on an Apple Silicon Mac .
If you have an Intel - power Mac here ’s how to establish macOS from a bootable installer :
Reasons not to clean install macOS
In the past , it was helpful to reinstall the system if you wanted to correct some Mac problems , but today this result does n’t make as much good sense .
SincemacOS Big Sur(introduced in 2020 ) , macOS has its base on its own intensity , which is both read - only and cryptographically signed and sealed ( refer to as a Sealed System Volume ) . This Navy SEAL is stored either in the T2 chip of the newer Intel Macs or in the Secure Enclave of the Apple M - series check ( aka Apple Silicon ) .
Each factor of the system is signed in hierarchical monastic order , and any change to a component would also invalidate the stamp that represent the top level . For further security measure , these Macs also do not pop out right away from the system bulk , but from a snap of the system – and snapshots can not be transfer , even by the system itself .
So macOS itself can not be transfer by any software program that you set up as a user . Should a problem pass off with macOS during a restart , perhaps because a storage space on the SSD is defective and thus a organisation component is no longer intact , this will be recognize by the startup summons since the seal will now be invalid . Should this happen you will have to reinstall the arrangement .
However , if your Mac charge up without return then it show that there are no problem with the organisation . As long as your Mac work ( which can be check on the basis of the seal ) , the Mac is look at to be in work order as it complies with Apple ’s spec .
For that grounds , even if you do meet problems on Macs with T2 splintering or Apple Silicon while running macOS , it pee no mother wit to reinstall the system yourself .
For those who need to do a fresh install so that no remnant that belong to an former scheme are carried along , this no longer applies because none of this information is carried over . All components are checked after installation , then signed and finally the entire organisation is sealed again . Again , the seal guarantees that everything is fine and that nothing untoward has mouse in .
However , there is one component of the scheme software that is not installed on the read - only system book . All other exploiter - establish programs domicile on the mass with the user datum , including Safari . This intend Apple can offer a disjoined update for the browser app and WebKit , so that you do not have to reinstall the whole organisation each prison term .
In the case of Safari and other apps there can be benefits in clean up your Library booklet since it may still contain remnants of quondam applications you no longer use .
