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How to Erase Reset and Restore Your Mac!

4:48 video

If you buy one of the new MacBook Pros, what do you do with the old laptop? Or if you bought a couple of new MacBook Pros and need to wipe one to return it? The good news: Apple built an erase utility into macOS 12 Monterey.

Why it matters

Until recently, wiping a Mac’s data was a bit of a bear: boot into recovery mode, open Disk Utility, wipe the disk and rebuild the machine from scratch. Apple has finally brought the iPhone’s feature to the Mac. On an iPhone, you go to Settings, General, Reset and follow the prompts, and it resets the phone, makes your data unrecoverable and removes it from your iCloud account. It now works the same way on a Mac.

The steps

  1. Open the Apple menu and go to System Preferences.
  2. In the System Preferences menu bar, choose Erase All Content and Settings.
  3. Enter your Mac’s password. A screen lists everything it will do: remove your Apple ID, erase Touch ID fingerprints from the Secure Enclave, disconnect Wi-Fi and Bluetooth accessories, and disable Find My on this computer.
  4. Click Continue and sign out of your Apple ID by entering its password. (On mine it thought the computer was still syncing with iCloud, which I knew wasn’t true because my data is stored on other devices, so I continued.)
  5. A final warning says everything on the computer (settings, data) will be deleted. When you’re sure, click Erase All Content and Settings.
  6. The Mac resets your Apple ID, removes the computer from your account, reboots and goes through a restore process.
  7. After the reboot, pick your language and select a Wi-Fi network in the top right so the computer can activate with Apple, like an iOS device. (It asks you to connect a keyboard and mouse; on a laptop you don’t need to.)
  8. Once activated, it says it needs to restart: click Restart, or wait for the timer.

That’s it: the Mac is at its factory default settings, your data is wiped, it’s removed from your iCloud account, and it’s ready for resale, trade-in or to give to a family member.

Compatibility

This is much easier and faster than in previous versions of macOS. It works on Apple’s devices running macOS Monterey: the new MacBook Pros, the M1 MacBooks, and other Intel-based Macs running Monterey. Are you resetting a Mac because you got a new one?

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

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