How to Erase and Factory Reset Your Mac
If you propose to offer away, sell, or alternate on your Mac, the first issue you should do is erase the facts on it and carry out a factory reset. This article indicates the way.
First, Back Up Your Data
Before doing something, you should return the files to your Mac. You could do that manually by copying documents across to an external drive. If you use iCloud, your pics, mail, contacts, reports, and so forth should be robotically subsidized up in the cloud garage. However, we notably advise that you take some time to perform a Time Machine backup of your device using an outside force. In that manner, the same backup quantity can be utilized by Apple’s Migration Assistant at some point in a macOS setup to switch your programs, documents, and settings from the vintage Mac to a new one. Check out our dedicated guide on how to return your Mac with the use of Time Machine.
Unlink your Apps
Certain apps must be manually unlinked from your Mac before you say goodbye to them. Some third-party apps require licenses that most straightforwardly paint on a confined range of computer systems, so consider any claims you could have purchased. Similarly, you need to de-authorize your iTunes account on the Mac, as this eliminates its get right of entry to content that you acquire from the iTunes Store, iBooks Store, or App Store, inclusive of things like tunes, movies, TV shows, apps, and books. Test out our dedicated guide to learn how to de-authorize your iTunes account.
Sign Out of iCloud.
Disabling Find My Mac and signal out of iCloud in macOS is vital. In that manner, you may know there is no whatever lingering on your Mac that links your Apple ID to this system. The following steps display you the way.
How to Erase and Reset Your Mac
Now that you’ve taken the above precautionary steps and unlinked your purchases and bills, it’s time to erase your Mac’s force and reset the system to its factory defaults. Click the Apple () symbol in the pinnacle left corner of your Mac’s display and choose Restart. Click Restart. Hold down the Command and R keys as quickly as you hear the Mac tone, indicating a reboot. Wait for the macOS utility screen to appear, then click Disk Utility. Choose your Mac’s machine pressure, commonly named Macintosh HD, then click Erase. Select the Format alternative Mac Extended (Journaled) or APFS. Click Erase, confirm the movement if prompted, and wait till formatting is complete. Next, near Disk Utility cli,ck on Reinstall macOS. Follow the installation activities and allow the procedure to remain until you spot the Setup Assistant. Press the keys Command+Q to close down your Mac. And this is it. You’re now prepared to sell your Mac, bypass it, set it up as new, or repair a backup.