How can you erase your Mac so that it works like new again?
In this video, I’ll show you how to do a factory reset on your Mac, so that it works
like it did straight out of the box - whether you want to sell your Mac, or you just feel
like having a fresh start with it.
This is Dave’s Tech Rescue, where I solve your problems with computers, Internet and
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Today I’m going to show you how you can erase your Mac and get it working like new
again.
Before we start, it’s really important that you back up all your important data, because
we’re going to be wiping your hard drive, and once we’ve done that there’s no going
back.
So make sure any files you need are saved to a memory stick, an external hard drive,
or a cloud service like iCloud or Dropbox.
If you normally back up using Time Machine, plug in your drive and do a backup right now.
Then unplug your backup drive and keep it somewhere safe.
If you follow along with everything I do and say in this video, then you should end up
with a fresh, clean Mac. But there are some risks involved, so if you’re not sure what
you’re doing then call an expert.
I don’t take any responsibility if your Mac stops working, and you are doing this
entirely at your own risk.
I’m doing this on a 2012 Macbook Air with MacOS Mojave. But the procedure should work
the same on other types of Mac, and you should be able to follow along if you have another
recent version of MacOS - but I’ve not tested it on other computers, so I can’t promise
that it will.
You’re going to need two things - if you have a Macbook, you’ll need to plug in your
charger because this is going to take a really long time. And you’re going to need a good
Internet connection.
In order to reset the Mac back to factory settings, we’re going to use a built-in
tool called the Recovery Mode. To get to this, we’re going to turn the Mac off. Then we’re
going to turn it back on again whilst holding down two keys on the keyboard - Command and
R.
So, shut down the Mac. Then, turn it on, and immediately hold down Command - R. When you
see the Apple Logo on the screen, you can let go.
Now, wait a few minutes for the Recovery Mode screen to appear. It should look something
like this.
Don’t worry if you can’t get your Mac into Recovery Mode on the first attempt. Just
turn it off and then turn it on again whilst holding Command and R.
If it still doesn’t work, then there is a fallback option, which is the Internet Recovery
Mode. This time, try turning on the Mac whilst holding Command-Option-R. Don’t let go of
those keys until you see a spinning globe appear.
You should then be prompted to choose your WiFi network from the list and enter your
WiFi password, then once you’re connected, you need to wait a few minutes for the Recovery
Mode screen to appear.
Now you should have arrived in Recovery Mode in one way or another. The next step is to
erase the storage on your Mac.
So click on Disk Utility, then Continue.
Now you need to select the hard drive in your Mac. Normally, you should see this listed
as Macintosh HD, and it will be under the heading Internal. You shouldn’t have any
other drives plugged in at this point, or you risk erasing them by accident.
So, click on Macintosh HD, and then click Erase.
Now pay attention to this message - we’re about to erase the Macintosh HD, and it can’t
be undone.
Give the drive a name - I usually leave it as Macintosh HD. Then, you normally want to
leave the format alone. Mine is APFS, but yours may be Mac OS Extended.
And on some Macs, you’ll see a button for Security Options. You can choose how securely
you want you hard drive to be erased, and the more you drag the slider to the right,
the longer it will take. But this isn’t an option on my Mac because I have an SSD,
and it’s securely erased straight away.
Now press Erase, and wait for the drive to be wiped. When it’s finished, click Done.
Now you can close the Disk Utility. The next thing you need to do is check you’re connected
to the Internet. If you need to join a WiFi network, click on the WiFi icon in the top
right corner and choose a network to join.
Once you’re connected, you can click on Reinstall MacOS, and then click Continue.
Now you just need to follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall your version of
MacOS. My Mac has Mojave, so I’m going to click Continue, then Agree to the Terms. Now
I want to select Macintosh HD, and click Install.
Now you can go away and do something else for an hour or two, because this takes ages.
First it downloads MacOS, then it changes to a screen with an Apple as it installs MacOS.
Don’t worry if your screen turns off during the process.
Eventually you’ll see a Welcome screen asking you to choose your language, and that’s
it - the Mac has been Factory Reset. Now you can either turn your Mac off and pack it up
if you’re selling it, or you can follow the welcome screens to set up your Mac like
new again.
I hope that went smoothly for you - let me know in the comments below how you got on,
and if this video helped you, please give it the thumbs up.
If you’d like to see more tutorials like this from me in future, then please hit the
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And while you’re here, why not check out one of my other videos below?
Thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time.