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Macs are generally reliable. But like any computer, sometimes things go wrong. However, before you spend big on a new Mac, try a factory reset, which wipes your computer and reinstalls a clean version of MacOS. A factory reset is also the best way to prepare your old computer for a new owner to ensure that no leftover data ends up in the wrong hands.
How To Reset My Macbook Air
The process has been the same on Macs for years with Intel processors, but Apple’s switch to silicon changed the way the operating system was cleaned and reinstalled slightly. And with the move to macOS Monterey, some computers get a new option to wipe all content and settings. Here’s how to wipe the hard drive and reinstall the operating system on your Mac, whether it has an Apple M1 chip or Intel components.
How To Factory Reset Macbook Pro, Air, Imac 2022 [updated]
Note that once your computer is restored, you will not be able to recover any deleted data left on your device. If you think you still need what’s on your hard drive, we recommend that you first back it up using Time Machine or sync your important files with iCloud.
Some Macs have a new wipe data option. If you’re running macOS Monterey on an Apple Silicon-based Mac or an Intel-based Mac with an Apple T2 chip (opens in a new window), you now have the Erase Assistant tool. Open System Preferences > Delete All Content and Settings in the menu bar.
Enter the administrator password in the deletion wizard, and then check to delete the item. In addition to erasing all settings, media, apps and data from all accounts and volumes on your device, the tool will sign you out of iCloud, delete Touch ID fingerprints, disable location services, Bluetooth Will remove devices, and remove items from Apple Wallet. . .
At this point, you have one last chance to create a Time Machine backup before proceeding. Click Open Time Machine to create it if you don’t already have it.
Restore Your Mac From A Backup
Enter your password to sign out of your Apple ID and let the removal process finish. When this is done, your Mac will be restored to factory settings. If you didn’t plan to keep this computer, you did. Otherwise, you can go through the setup assistant as if you were setting up your Mac for the first time.
Another option for restoring your Mac is Disk Utility, which is available to all users. To access the options to clear data and reset the operating system, you must enter macOS Recovery. How you do this depends on the chip inside your computer.
If you have an M1 Mac or an Intel-based Mac with a T2 chip, shut down the computer completely and press the Power button until the loading boot options appear on the screen. Select options to open the recovery screen.
If your Mac has an Intel processor and does not have a T2 chip, restart your computer. From here, press Command + Run until the Apple logo appears. Release the keys and let your Mac start up and open in recovery.
How To Erase And Factory Reset Your Mac
If your computer is frozen and the normal recovery method doesn’t work, try the shortcut Control + Command + Eject (or the Power button).
Regardless of how you get here, you must select a user with administrator privileges and enter their account information before accessing your computer’s startup options. Once you’re completely in macOS Recovery, select Disk Utility and select the volume you want to erase.
Have you created an extra volume on your hard drive before? If so, remove them first. Select the partition and select the minus (-) button to delete the volume. Then you go to the main unit. Select Macintosh HD and click Delete in the top toolbar.
A dialog box will appear asking for the device name and format. Name it Macintosh HD and make sure the format is set to APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Click Delete Volume Group (or Delete if this button is not visible) to remove the drive.
If Your Mac Doesn’t Start Up All The Way
You should also make sure to remove all other internal drives to clean your computer completely and avoid any errors during the reinstallation process. Go to Disk Utility > Close the Disk Utility window to exit Disk Utility and return to the Return screen.
If you plan to sell your computer, you can stop here and let the new owner install a clean version of MacOS. For those who plan to keep their Mac, the next step is to reinstall macOS on your computer.
Your computer must be connected to a power source and connected to the Internet. Back on the macOS Utilities screen, click Reinstall macOS and follow the instructions to download a new version of the operating system.
If you backed up your files to an external storage device through Time Machine Backup, you can now restore those files through Migration Assistant as part of the reinstallation process. You’ll be asked if you want to transfer information from another Mac or Time Machine backup. Select Time Machine and continue the file recovery process.
My “new” Macbook Pro Mid 2015, Reinstalling / Formatting Macos Operating System High Sierra
If you decide not to restore your backup now, you can always return to the MacOS recovery screen and select the Restore from Time Machine backup option. Select the appropriate backup from the list to reinstall the saved files.
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Jason is a content creator. He thinks technology companies are stupid, but you probably know how to use technology in your daily life. He is a Mac owner, Android user, dark mode advocate, and tech bargain hunter. Prior to joining, Jason was a technical writer, copywriter and full-time freelancer at various outlets including baseball, comics and more. When he’s not writing or editing, he’s either reading comics, playing Nintendo Switch, spending time with his wife and two cats, or some combination of the three. If your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro freezes, you should be able to fix the problem with a simple hard reset or force restart. You can usually solve frozen MacBook problems in just a few seconds.
How To Factory Reset M1 Mac (macbook Pro, Air, Imac, Mac Mini)
If the mouse pointer still works, clicking the Apple icon in the upper left corner and selecting Restart will unlock your MacBook normally. But if your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro freezes and you can’t turn it off normally, you may need to hard reset it.
A hard reset is a quick fix and should return your computer to normal. Before you hard reset your MacBook, make sure that this process will not delete your computer data, it will only restart your MacBook.
To force restart your MacBook, you need to know where the power button is. On newer MacBook models, the home button is the Touch ID button located in the upper right corner of the computer. On some newer MacBook models, you’ll find a Touch ID button on top of the Touch Bar. It’s the right button.
On MacBook models with F1-F12 physical keys, this is located in the upper right corner. If you have an older MacBook with an optical drive, the key doubles as the exit button as well.
How To Reset And Fix A Slow Macbook, Pro Or An Imac
You don’t need to restart your MacBook on a regular basis, because it will cause you to lose work or just make you less productive. If your MacBook crashes frequently, you may want to check out our guide to troubleshooting common MacOS problems. You may want to contact Apple Support.
If your MacBook freezes all the time, you should try updating your apps through the App Store or find other possible solutions. Sometimes the solution is as simple as force-closing apps that are hogging resources in the background or otherwise causing your MacBook to freeze.
MacOS Monterey 12.6 has a total of 8 security patches on board. They are important to protect you and your data from damage. For more information about these changes, see Apple’s summary.
As for older macOS updates, macOS Monterey 12.5.1 had some important security fixes on board and you can read about them in detail here.
Disable Find My Mac By Resetting Nvram
MacOS Monterey 12.5 update brought 50 important security solutions and will help protect you and your device from harm. To learn more, visit Apple’s website.
MacOS Monterey 12.4 provides more than 50 security fixes. If you’re interested in the details, you’ll want to visit the company’s security site.
MacOS Monterey 12.3.1 brought two security fixes for Mac users. You can read more about them on Apple’s website.
Apple’s macOS Monterey 12.3 update had more than 40 security fixes on board.
Monterey/ventura: Erase All Content And Settings On M1 Mac, Macbook/t2
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