If you are sell your MacBook or Mac , trading it in , or just passing it on to Quaker or crime syndicate , you would be overbold to wipe the Mac and mend it to factory preferences first . This is part so that your data stays safe , but it will also avoid any issues at a later date that could amount about if you do n’t disconnect that Mac from various services and software program you might practice . It also stand for the new user can re-start the Mac as if it was brand novel .
Just remember that if someone is fit to be using the Mac after you , removing personal info alone is n’t enough . You also need to make certain there ’s a working version of macOS set up afterward . translate ourguide to sell a Mac .
Another reason why you might need to pass over your Mac is to perform a sporty install of macOS , which can be a unspoiled way to pay off exit with your Mac if it ’s starting to behave oddly or you areworried you might have a virus . pass over a faulty Mac will allow you to set it up like a unexampled Mac and will hopefully fix any software - related issues .
Before you delete everything on your Mac make sure to make a copy!
If you have macOS Monterey or later on an M - series Mac , or a Mac with a T2 chip , the process for wipe out the content on your Mac is much easier than it used to be thanks to an option in System Preferences / System preferences . We ’ll run through the young steps below before moving on to the more complicated method acting you ’ll need to utilize on older mac .
Back up your Mac
Before you do anything you should back up or clone your Mac . This is because ( as you might expect ) readjust a Mac to factory mise en scene gets rid of all the data stash away on that automobile .
Do n’t fall into the trap we fell into : Because we practice iCloud to synchronize all files across all our Apple machine we assume that we could just recover everything we demand from the swarm – that was true to a certain extent , but it was n’t until after we wiped the Mac that we realized that the data for one non - Apple app we used was n’t in the swarm . In these days of working predominantly in the swarm , it is an easy mistake to make ! alas , you could’tback up everything on your Mac to iCloud .
as luck would have it , backing up your Mac is easy to do as long as you have an external hard drive to use . Once you have an extraneous drive , backing up is very bare using Apple ’s Time Machine computer software . Here ’s how to back up using Time Machine . The best thing about back up with Time Machine is it take a crap it prosperous to move your information to a new Mac afterward .
Before you delete everything on your Mac make sure to make a copy!
If you do n’t require to use Apple ’s barren Time Machine software , you may make a clon of the whole drive using a programme likeCarbon Copy ClonerorSuperDuper(both are available as free trials ) .
This clone parkway can be re - clone back to the main drive if you decide to restore your Mac , or it can be used to get at all the original filing cabinet and shift them and all your options to your young computer .
We have a complete guide that explainshow to back up a Macas well as this guide to thebest Mac Backup Software .
If you are running Monterey or Ventura on an M1, M2, or T2 Mac you can Erase all Content and Settings.
Erase your Mac (macOS Monterey or later)
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When macOS Monterey was introduce in 2021 Apple added a new option in System Preferences ( System configurations as of macOS Ventura ) for wiping a Mac and returning it to factory configurations .
Thanks to this fresh “ Erase All Content and options ” alternative , wipe your Mac so that you could pass it on , trade it , or just because you want to do a clean install in the hope that it will situate issues is quite a simple process . However , you will require to have an M-series Mac , or a Mac with a T2 chip inside . It also needs to be run either macOS Monterey or macOS Ventura .
Using an older Intel-powered Mac? Deleting everything on your Mac will take a few more steps.
If your Mac is older then the steps you need to take are a little more complicated , we ’ll run through the stair for older Macs below .
How to erase a M1/M2 Mac, or a T2 Mac
The Modern option that arrived in macOS Monterey takes care of a lot of the complicated steps involve in wiping your Mac , as long as it is an M - series Mac or one with a T2 check .
If you tap theErase All Content and Settingsoption then everything will be taken care of , including removal of your salt away fingerprints for Touch ID and anything in the Wallet app , signing you out of your Apple ID , and sprain off Find My and Activation Lock . Bluetooth devices will be unpaired . It also removes all the bill and their data and any mass you have set up on the Mac – so if you portion out the Mac with someone else do check that their stuff is backed up too . It will also erase any program program instal on the Mac .
To kick off this outgrowth you need to observe slenderly unlike steps depending on which version of macOS you are using :
It will make things much easier for you later on if you sign out of services on the old Mac.
In Ventura or later :
In Monterey :
At this pointedness you ’ll be reminded to do a backup with Time Machine before you begin deletion .
Unpair your mouse and keyboard if you are passing your Mac on to someone at home or in the office.
A window will then show you what will be deleted , include Apple ID , Touch ID , accessories , and Find My preferences .
Finally you will take to exit of your Mac and all related service using your Apple ID .
Before your Mac is erased you receive a final word of advice , so if you have 2nd thoughts at least you’re able to stop at this point !
Once in Recovery you need to choose Disk Utility.
Having clicked the second Erase All Content & preferences your Mac will re-start .
Once your Mac restarts you could go through the steps to pose it up as new , or you could leave it at this stage for the next proprietor to fix up . Just turn the Mac off first .
Which Macs have a T2 chip?
Erase All Content and configurations will work for Intel Macs that have the T2 security chip , these admit :
If you have a Mac with a T2 fleck you should be able-bodied to update it to macOS Monterey , or macOS Ventura , and utilise the Erase All Content and options option , which will be simpler than the steps would otherwise be .
That ’s it . If you are lucky enough to have a Mac with Apple silicon , or a Mac with the T2 scrap that is all you require to do . Otherwise move on to the next step .
Erase your Mac (Intel Macs without T2 chip)
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If you want to wipe an older Intel - powered Mac that does n’t have the T2 chip ( see the list of Macs above ) you will have a more complicated journeying to readjust your Mac to manufactory options .
You will require to sign out of the various service you apply , deauthorise account , and unpair Bluetooth devices , before starting your Mac up in Recovery mode so that you’re able to edit your data . We ’ll run through each step below .
Sign out of services
You live you need to delete the Mac before you pass it on , but before you delete everything there ’s some more admin to do first .
Before you begin the operation of wiping your Mac it ’s deserving ratify out of the chase to nullify headaches later on :
signalize out of determine My : Open System Preferences and snap on your name in the Apple ID / iCloud incision . Scroll down to the Find My Mac section and dawn on Options . press Turn Off beside Find My Mac and Fins My web .
Sign out of iMessage : Open message on your Mac and cluck on Messages in the menu bar . clack on configurations / Preferences > tap the iMessage lozenge > Sign out .
Another way to be absolutely certain that none of your personal place setting stay on the Mac is to readjust the NVRAM . We discourse how to do that here : How to readjust the NVRAM , PRAM , and SMC on any Mac .
Unpair Bluetooth devices
It ’s also a undecomposed idea to unpair your Bluetooth twist . This is specially authoritative if you are passing your Mac on to someone in your home or office as any Bluetooth equipment that may have once been pair with your erstwhile Mac may connect to the old one again
Just remember you will need your mouse and keyboard for the next steps so plug them in if you may .
Turn off FileVault (if you use it)
FileVault encoding can make it unmanageable for unauthorized persons to get to the data on your Mac . If you are using FileVault to encrypt the data point on your Mac you should plow it off before you delete your data and prepare the Mac for sale – this seems disjointed as you desire to protect your datum , but you will be removing the data so there is nothing to protect , but , more crucially , if you leave FileVault on the person who you draw your Mac to would need to enter your word to unlock the disc before they can specify up the Mac .
Here ’s how to flex off FileVault :
Restart your Mac in Recovery (Intel Mac)
Now you have backed everything up , deauthorised your accounts and unmatched devices , you are quick to get going to rub out everything on the Mac . To do so you want to infix Recovery mood . This will enable you to wipe the Mac .
We ’ll detail how to enter Recovery modeling on an Intel Mac here , the process is unlike on M1 and M2 Macs , but you wo n’t need this step if your Mac has an Apple chip . ( If you require to knowhow to get to Recovery on a normality M1 or M2 Macwe run through that in another article . )
How to enter Recovery on a Mac with an Intel processor
Erase and reformat your Mac (Intel Mac)
Now you have entered Recovery you’re able to erase your Mac .
Again , the instructions are a small unlike depending on the version of macOS you are using and whether your Mac is Intel or M1 .
We ’ll run through the method in Monterey , Big Sur and Catalina , before moving onto Mojave and previous versions of macOS below that .
How to delete your Mac in Big Sur/Monterey
To verify you delete everything you will require to take Erase Volume Group , if you do n’t see this option try on the instructions below .
We ’ll detail how to delete your Mac in Catalina and Mojave at the goal of this article as the mental process is slightly more complicated .
Reinstall macOS
The next step involves reinstall macOS – you ca n’t just sell your Mac having erased the contents , if you do the new exploiter will be confronted with a swank question mark when they start up the Mac because there will be no work system establish . You need to reinstall macOS before you may betray it on .
If you have an M1 or M2 Mac , or a Mac with the T2 chip , this will be handle by the Erase All Contents and preferences option in System Preferences , as detail above . But if that is n’t an option for you then the below template should help :
How to reinstall macOS
Whether you are resell the Mac , or just planning to continue to use the Mac and just wanted to do aclean installyou will want to instal a adaptation of macOS .
You should still be in macOS Utilities in Recovery Mode as per the step above .
How to install an older version or downgrade macOS
The method above will work if you want to deploy the latest interpretation of macOS installed on the Mac . It wo n’t kick upstairs you to the latest interpretation if you are n’t already run it .
There are other pick if you desire to instal a different interpretation of the macOS .
Instead of push Command + R at start up you could crusade Shift + Option / Alt + Command R ( if you are running Sierra 10.12.4 of later ) to set up the version of macOS that came with your Mac , or the one tight to it that is still available . ( Command + R wo n’t function on an M1 Mac ) .
Alternatively you could make a bootable drive hold back the version of macOS that you want to run and install it on your Mac using that . record how to do that here : How to make a bootable macOS installer on an external drive .
If you need to install an older variation of the Mac operating system of rules and are marvel how you may do that if you have n’t got the original discs , read this : How to install erstwhile versions of macOS or Mac OS X.
We have another article that goes into more item onhow to install an honest-to-god version of macOS using Recovery mode .
Deleting your Mac in Catalina, Mojave and earlier
As foretell above , here are the measure to follow if you need to edit your Mac in macOS Catalina or older .
We have more direction here : How to erase a Mac ’s drive in macOS Catalina , Big Sur , or Monterey .
How to delete your Mac in Catalina
When Apple introduced macOS Catalina in 2019 it append a Modern read - only volume where the operating system lives . This volume is Macintosh HD ( yours may have a different name ) . Alongside it you will also have a Macintosh HD – Data volume . This is where your data point resides .
The understanding Apple separated the two volumes in Catalina is to ensure that critical operating system data ca n’t be overwrite . Because of this extra volume the process is a short different to how it works on old Mac .
How to delete your Mac in Mojave or earlier
The process for deleting and reformatting your Mac is slightly less complicated in macOS Mojave or earlier as there is n’t the 2d Data bulk to blue-pencil first .
As above , initiate up in Recovery .
