In this episode, How To Factory Reset Your Apple Silicon Mac in Under 3 minutes.
“Erase Assistant”, a feature only available for Apple Silicon Mac Computers
running macOS Ventura or Monterey,
is the fastest and easiest method to Factory Reset your Apple Silicon Mac.
WARNING: Erasing or resetting your Mac, removes all the information from it.
Therefore, before proceeding, make sure you’ve done a backup of your Apple Silicon Mac,
using for example Apple Time Machine.
If using macOS Ventura: Watch How To Use Time Machine in macOS Ventura
And; if using macOS Monterey: Watch How To Use Time Machine 2021
All Links are included in the description below.
Onwards with a demo.
Sooooo....Let's Get Started.
What You’ll Need:
1. Currently using the latest versions of macOS Ventura or Monterey.
2. A Mac M1, M2 or whatever Apple Silicon chip you’re currently using.
and 3. An Internet connection via. Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
With everything in place, let’s continue.
If using macOS Ventura, simply launch System settings, then click the General button,
then click on the “Transfer or Reset” button.
Now, click on the “Erase All Content and Settings…” button.
After entering your required Admin password,
you’ll be brought to the Erase Assistant Window.
Similarly, to get to the Erase Assistant window using macOS Monterey,
launch System Preferences, and from the menubar under System Preferences,
click on the “Erase All Content and Settings…” option.
And again, like before in macOS Ventura,
after entering your required Admin password, your’ll be brought to the Erase Assistant Window.
Erase Assistant does the following on your Apple Silicon Mac:
Signs you out of Apple services, like iCloud.
Turns off Find My and Activation Lock,
so your Mac is no longer associated with you,
giving you the option to transfer, trade or sell your Apple Silicon Mac.
Also, it erases all your content and settings, and any apps that you installed.
And, erases all volumes created on your Mac disk, not just the volume you’re on.
And also, erases all user accounts and their data, not just your own account.
At this point, if you change your mind, click on the menubar, and under Erase Assistant, click on Quit Erase Assistant.
and under Erase Assistant, click on Quit Erase Assistant.
Otherwise, click on the Continue button.
Enter your iCloud password to sign out, then click the the Continue button.
FINAL chance to Cancel Erase Assistant.
If sure, click on the “Erase All Content & Settings” button.
The reset process is complete, when your Mac displays “Hello” on the screen.
I’ll just time-lapse it from here.
As mentioned earlier, running Erase Assistant on either macOS Ventura or Monterey,
is the fastest way to erase all content and settings on your Apple Silicon Mac.
Using a Mac mini M1,
it took just under 3 minutes, for the “Hello” screen to be displayed
using macOS Ventura or Monterey.
One more last thing.
After selecting your language of choice,
you can either press Command-Q
on your keyboard
to Shut
Down your Mac,
allowing someone else to take procession
or you can continue entering your details.
And that’s all there is to it.
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Peace.