If you want to sell or trade-in an old MacBook or return a new Mac you just bought, you’ll need to erase all of your personal information from it. How should I go about doing that? A factory reset means returning your device to factory settings, which not only erases all your personal information but also gives your gadget a fresh start, making it a great approach to fixing everything from Sonos speakers to Windows laptops. This article explains how to factory reset your Mac, how to factory reset your Mac computer, and how to factory reset your Macbook Pro without a Password.
How to Factory Reset Your Mac
If you’re going to sell your MacBook or Mac, trade it in, or just give it to a friend or family member, it’s a good idea to wipe it and factory reset it first. This is partly to keep your data safe, but it will also keep you from having problems in the future if you don’t unplug your Mac from the services and programs you use. It also means that the new user can turn the Mac back on and use it as if it were brand new.
Just remember that removing personal information isn’t enough if someone else is going to use the Mac after you. You also need to make sure a working version of macOS is loaded. Another reason you might want to wipe your Mac is to conduct a clean install of macOS. This is a good way to fix issues with your Mac if it is acting strangely or if you are concerned that it may be infected with a virus. If your Mac is broken, you can set it up like a new one by wiping it. This should fix any software problems you are having.
First, some good news: If you run macOS Monterey or later on an M1 or M2-series Mac, or a Mac with a T2 chip, deleting the content on your Mac is a lot easier than it used to be, owing to a new option in System Preferences/System Settings.
However, factory resetting a Mac is not as simple as factory resetting Apple’s other gadgets, such as the Apple Watch, HomePod, or AirTag. There is much more to learn. Even more, steps are necessary.
Before You Start:
#1. Backup Your Mac
Log out of all of your accounts, including iCloud and iMessage, and then perform a factory reset on the Mac. Time Machine from Apple makes it easy to back up your Mac. Find it by going to System Preferences and choosing Time Machine.
#2. Check Your Mac’s Age and OS
If your Mac is from 2018 or later (all M1 and M2 Macs fall into this category), it will have Apple’s T2 security chip and can use the new Erase Assistant feature, which makes it much easier to reset your Mac to factory settings if you’re using macOS Monterey. If you don’t have Monterey or your Mac is older than 2017, you’ll need to follow different, more difficult steps.
To figure out the year of your Mac and the operating system it utilizes:
- In the top-left of the Menu bar, select the Apple logo.
- Click on “About This Mac.”
About This Mac has a section called “Processor,” which lists the name of an Intel processor if you have a Mac with an Intel processor. If your Mac contains Apple silicon, the item’s label will begin with “Chip” and then list the chip’s name.
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How to Factory Reset Your Mac Computer
A factory reset will restore your machine or computer to its original state, complete with a fresh installation of the Mac operating system. You can do this on any Mac, whether it’s a desktop or a laptop.
Erase All Content and Settings on MacOS Monterey
You’re lucky if your Mac or computer can run macOS 12 Monterey. You don’t have to sign out of every service and delete your information by hand. You also shouldn’t reinstall macOS. Instead of that:
- Choose Apple > System Preferences from the menu bar
- In System Preferences, choose Erase All Content and Settings from the main menu.
- Type in your password to delete your information.
- Make sure you want to get rid of all your media, settings, and files.
- Signing out of Apple ID
- Click Erase All Settings and Content.
Note that you should always use Get Backup Pro to back up your important files before you delete content and settings. No matter which version of macOS your Mac uses, you should always have a copy of important information.
How to Factory Reset MacBook Pro, Air, and iMac
Have you finished backing up your files and logged out of everything? If the answer is yes, you are ready to erase everything on your Mac and start over. If you want to know how to restart a MacBook Air, Pro, or iMac, look at the steps below.
Note that the steps below do not work with macOS Monterey. If your Mac runs macOS 12, all you have to do to reset it to its original settings is delete all the files and settings.
#1. Restart Your Mac in Recovery Mode
This step is pretty easy. But the steps are different for each type of machine. In the next section, we show you how to restart Intel-based and M1 Macs in Recovery.
Restart Intel Macs into Recovery Mode:
- Choose Restart from the Apple menu, which is in the top left corner of the screen.
- While the computer is restarting, hold down the Command and Keyboard keys on the keyboard until the Recovery Mode window appears.
In order to complete the action, enter your admin password when prompted. You should now be able to see the macOS Utilities window.
#2. Restart M1 Macs into Recovery Mode:
- Choose Shut Down from the Apple menu.
- Hold down the start button until the Options screen comes up.
- Click Options, then click Continue, and if asked, enter your admin password.
- You should now be able to see the macOS Utilities window.
- Erase the hard drive
Here’s how to erase your hard drive:
- Choose Disk Utility from the Utilities window.
- Select a startup disk.
- Select Erase from the Disk Utilities window’s top menu.
- From the menu, choose the Journaled version of Mac OS Extended.
- Click on Erase.
When the procedure is finished, select Quit Disk Utility from the Disk Utility menu in the top left corner of the screen.
#3. Reinstall the Operating System
After wiping the hard drive clean, you can proceed with the on-screen instructions to confirm that you want to reinstall a brand-new Mac operating system.
This is about setting up your Macintosh. The computer will finish installing the operating system using a factory reset.
What to Do Before You Restore Mac to Factory Settings
Follow these instructions to restore your Mac computer to factory settings after a factory reset in order to prepare it for a new owner or simply to seed it.
Important: If you use macOS Monterey on a Mac with an Apple M1 Chip or an Apple T2 Security Chip, skip the steps below and go straight to “Erase everything on macOS Monterey, including files and settings.” These tips can be used for any other Mac or macOS:
#1. Sign Out of Your Accounts.
If you want to give your Mac to someone else, make sure it’s not connected to your account.
Some apps, like Apple TV and Music, have a limited number of licenses, so they use an authorization system to limit the number of devices that can join. No one else is needed to use them. Here’s how to sign out of your Apple TV, Music, or Podcasts account:
- Start up the app.
- Click Account in the top menu.
- Click Authorizations, and then click Deauthorize This Computer.
- Simply log in with your Apple ID and password, and then select “Deauthorize.”
#2. Disable iCloud
By opting out of iCloud, you may ensure that any bookmarks, notes, reminders, or other saved cloud data are hidden from new users. Here’s what you need to do:
For macOS Catalina and later:
- From the menu bar, select Apple > System Preferences.
- Click Apple ID.
- Then, on the left, click Overview. Finally, click Sign Out.
For an earlier version of macOS:
- To access the system preferences menu, choose Apple in the menu bar.
- After clicking iCloud, click Sign Out.
#3. Sign Out of iMessage
If your computer is set up to send and receive iMessage chats, you’ll want to make sure the next person who uses it can’t see your secret messages. Follow these steps to sign out of iMessage before doing a factory reset on a Mac:
- Open your computer’s Messages app.
- Click Messages in the menu bar.
- Click Preferences.
- Find the account for your iMessages.
- Tap Sign Out.
Read Also: How to Remove an App From iPhone: Detailed Guide
How to Factory Reset Your MacBook Pro Without Password
If you can’t remember the password for your MacBook Pro and need to factory reset it, do these things:
#1. Startup from macOS Recovery mode
Turn off the laptop and factory reset your MacBook Pro password to see the choices for recovery:
For the Intel-based MacBook Pro: Turn on the laptop. Press and hold the Cmd and Q keys at the same time until you see an Apple icon or hear a sound. After this, the startup choices will show up.
For Apple’s Silicon-based MacBook Pro, press and hold the power button until the startup choices appear. Click the gear button labeled Options, then click Continue.
When asked to choose a master user, choose Erase Mac, which will be in the menu bar under the name “Recovery Assistant.” Select the Erase Mac option and then Erase Mac to finalize the operation in the Erase Mac window.
#3. Reinstall macOS
After the last step, the MacBook might restart with a bright question mark. In this situation, click and hold the power button until the laptop shuts off.
Make sure the laptop can connect to the internet so it can be reinstalled. After that, start the MacBook in macOS restore mode, as explained earlier, and reinstall the operating system.
In the “Utilities” window of macOS Recovery, choose “Reinstall macOS.” If the reinstallation asks you to choose between Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD – Data, choose Macintosh HD. Let the software finish before you close the computer’s lid or put it to sleep. It will take longer than one minute to complete.
Note that if you don’t have a network link, you will need a macOS installer on a bootable USB disk drive to reinstall the operating system.
What Happens After a Factory Reset on a Macbook Pro?
When you restore a Mac to its factory settings, all of your files, programs, settings, profiles, and other data are erased. As a result, it is critical that you first back up any crucial data on an external hard drive. For additional information, see our step-by-step guide on backing up your Mac with Time Machine.
Does a Factory Reset Damage a Mac?
No, despite the extra wear and tear that such resets generate, regular factory resets should not be damaging to Macs, PCs, phones, TVs, or anything else. A system that is being reset often works very hard for a short period of time as it resets itself; nonetheless, this is not fundamentally different from any other intensive use of the device.
How Do I Wipe My Mac and Restore From Backup?
Utilize Migration Assistant to transfer files from a Time Machine backup to a Mac. Migration Assistant can use a Time Machine backup of your Mac to restore your personal files, including apps and everything in your user account, if you made one.
Is Recovery Mode a Factory Reset?
As with the previous step, you must turn off your device and simultaneously press the power and volume down buttons. Choose “Wipe data/factory reset” when the device is in “Recovery mode,” then press the power button to confirm.
How Do I Reset My Mac Password Without an Apple ID?
Enter the recovery key for your FileVault. You got it when you enabled FileVault and built a recovery key rather than using your iCloud account (Apple ID) to unlock your drive. When asked to, click Reset Password. Choose an account whose password you want to change.
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