There are many reasons to factory reset a Mac. It used to be a really cumbersome process, but with the newer Mac models, it’s become much more straightforward and much quicker, and you don’t have to reinstall macOS. This tutorial shows you the easy process of restoring your Mac to its factory settings.
What to Do Before You Factory Reset Your Mac
Before you leap into wiping the Mac and resetting it, there are some routine maintenance tasks you need to take care of.
Back Up Your Data
There are two easy ways to do this. You can either use the Mac’s built-in Time Machine or move everything to cloud storage. iCloud and Google Drive are excellent choices. Disconnect the external drive from your Mac after Time Machine finishes the backup.
As well as the obvious data (images and files), there are also less obvious data sources, such as your iMovie and Music libraries. Make sure you make copies and add them to the backup. There’s no need to back up the apps that you downloaded from the App Store or your Photos library, as they are stored in your iCloud account and will be automatically reinstalled. Make a list to reinstall any apps installed outside the App Store, as those won’t be automatically reinstalled.
Sign Out of Browser Sync
This is really easy to overlook. If you have browser sync turned on, a list of all your open tabs on one Apple device will be synced with your other Apple devices. If you don’t sign out of your browser sync before wiping the computer, those old synced tabs are going to sit on your other devices.
How to Factory Reset Your Mac
A factory reset of your Mac depends on the model. If you have a silicon-based Mac running macOS Monterey or higher, or an Intel-based Mac with the T2 chip, the process is fast and simple. However, if you have an older computer, it’s more difficult and takes longer.
If you are unsure of your Mac model, the following list includes silicon-based Macs.
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)
- MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
- Mac mini (M1, 2020)
- iMac (24″, M1, 2021)
- MacBook Pro (16″, 2021)
- MacBook Pro (14″, 2021)
- Mac Studio (2022)
- MacBook Pro (13″, M2, 2022)
- MacBook Air (M2, 2022)
The following Mac models are Intel-based with the T2 chip.
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27″, 2020)
- iMac Pro
- Mac Pro (2019)
- Mac Pro (Rack, 2019)
- Mac mini (2018)
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13″, 2020)
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13″, 2019)
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13″, 2018)
- MacBook Pro (13″, 2020, two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (13″, 2020, four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (16″, 2019)
- MacBook Pro (13″, 2019, two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (15″, 2019)
- MacBook Pro (13″, 2019, four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (15″, 2018)
- MacBook Pro (13″, 2018, four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
How to Erase All Content and Settings From Your Newer Mac
If you are running macOS Ventura or later, go to the Apple menu, then System Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset -> Erase All Content and Settings. You will be required to enter your macOS password.
You will see an explanation of what will be erased, and it pretty much covers everything.
Click Continue at the bottom of the box, then enter your macOS password again. The factory reset process will take a few minutes, then show the familiar welcome screen.
Set everything up, such as connecting to your Wi-Fi, setting up your VPN (if you have one), Bluetooth devices, and so on.
Obviously, if you are selling or passing on your Mac to someone else, you should not proceed past the Hello screen.
Erase Data and Reinstall macOS With Disk Utility
If you have an older Mac, you will need to use Disk Utility to factory reset your Mac.
After booting into recovery mode, choose Disk Utility in the Utilities window. Select your built-in startup disk, Macintosh HD.
Click Erase at the top of the Disk Utility window, and in the next window, enter “Macintosh HD” for the name and “APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” for the format, to ensure that the hard drive is formatted properly.
Click Erase Volume Group, then enter your Apple ID for confirmation.
If you have an older Mac, it may be worthwhile to upgrade to a newer one to take advantage of the easier factory reset process. This becomes an even more attractive option if you have lost your hard drive decryption password. Your Mac then becomes no more than a paperweight.
If you have macOS Monterey, then you need to update to macOS Sonoma immediately. You may also have SD cards that need formatting.
All screenshots and images by Mark O’Neill.
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