How to Factory Reset a Mac

If you are planning to sell your MacBook, trade it in for a newer model, or pass it down to a family member, you must obliterate your personal data first. Simply deleting your files and dragging them to the Trash is not enough. You must perform a complete factory reset.

A factory reset securely erases your cryptographic encryption keys, signs you out of iCloud, wipes the hard drive completely clean, and reinstalls a fresh, untouched copy of macOS. The process is vastly different depending on how old your Mac is.

Preparation: Back Up Your Data!

Once you initiate a factory reset, your data is gone forever. You must back up your files before proceeding. Connect an external hard drive and use Apple’s built-in Time Machine utility, or manually drag your important photos and documents to a cloud service like iCloud Drive or Google Drive.

Method 1: Erase All Content and Settings (For Modern Macs)

If you own a modern Mac with Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3 chips) or an Intel Mac with the T2 Security Chip running macOS Monterey or later, the process is incredibly easy. Apple modeled this process directly after the iPhone’s “Erase All Content” button.

1. Click the Apple Logo () in the extreme top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Settings… (or System Preferences, depending on your macOS version).
3. Click on General in the left-hand sidebar.
4. Click on Transfer or Reset on the right side of the window.
5. Click the button labeled Erase All Content and Settings…

An Erase Assistant wizard will open.

6. You will be prompted to enter your Mac administrator password.
7. The wizard will show you exactly what is about to be erased (your Apple ID, Touch ID fingerprints, Bluetooth pairings, and all files). Click Continue.
8. You will be forced to enter your Apple ID password to turn off “Find My Mac” and Activation Lock. (This proves to Apple that the laptop wasn’t stolen).
9. Click Erase All Content & Settings one final time to confirm.

The screen will go black, and the Mac will restart. Because these modern Macs are hardware-encrypted, the computer doesn’t actually have to overwrite the whole hard drive; it simply destroys the cryptographic keys, rendering the data instantly unreadable. The reset usually takes less than five minutes.

Method 2: Disk Utility Wipe (For Older Intel Macs)

If you own an older Intel-based Mac (generally from 2017 or earlier), it does not have the modern “Erase All Content” button. You must manually wipe the hard drive using the macOS Recovery Environment.

1. Click the Apple Logo and select Shut Down. Wait for the machine to completely power off.
2. Press the power button to turn it back on.
3. Immediately press and hold two keys: Command (⌘) and R.
4. Keep holding both keys until you see an Apple logo or a spinning globe. (If you see a globe, it means the Mac is connecting to Wi-Fi to download the recovery tools).
5. Eventually, the macOS Recovery screen will appear.
6. Click on Disk Utility and click Continue.
7. Look at the left sidebar. Click on the primary hard drive (usually named Macintosh HD).
8. Look at the top toolbar and click the Erase button (it has a minus symbol on it).
9. A dialog box will appear. Leave the name as “Macintosh HD”. Change the Format to APFS (or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) if you are running a very old operating system).
10. Click the Erase button.

Disk Utility will scrub the hard drive clean. When it finishes, click “Done.”

11. Close the Disk Utility window (click the red X in the top left).
12. You will be back at the main macOS Recovery screen. Click Reinstall macOS and click Continue.

The Mac will connect to the internet, download a brand new copy of the operating system, and install it on the freshly wiped hard drive. This can take over an hour. When the machine reboots and displays the “Hello” setup screen, it is fully factory reset and safe to sell.