How To Format Or Factory Reset A Mac OS Computer
Published: 2023-05-18 14:39:00

Introduction
------------

In today's article, I am going to show you how you can easily format or factory reset a mac book pro. This article is made possible thanks to a certain blog website I am going to mention soon, so yes I am giving the credit to them as I did try their approach and it works for me. I will try my best to explain this as easily as I can. If at the end of this article you find it worth reading please don't forget to share and comment.

As for the blog site that has made this particular article possible, here is their link => [hellotech.com](https://www.hellotech.com/) as for the particular post on their website that says more about this, simply click [here](https://www.hellotech.com/guide/for/how-to-factory-reset-mac-before-selling) to see the blog post.

The original source of this article can be found [here](https://axxellanceblog.com/posts/how-to-format-or-factory-reset-a-mac-os-computer).

### Reasons You Might Want To Reset a Mac OS

There are many reasons you might want to reset a mac pc, few of them are "you probably trying to sell it, you just got it new and some unnecessary stuff is installed on it, or you just feel like doing that for experience purposes (this last one is me)". If that is the case for you then don't be afraid as this article will show you a simple step-by-step guide to archive this.

You should know that there are some necessary things you need to do before formatting your mac os pc, some of them are "back up the data you probably need, and deauthorize some applications from accepting your mac os", especially when you want to sell it. I won't go into much detail on this because I do believe you should know what is most important to you on your pc. Though if you need more details on this sub-topic, then you should probably check out the other website. 

> This website I mentioned which I said I got the experence has nothing to do with me or this **[axxellanceblog.com](https://axxellanceblog.com)**, I only include this website on my blog site (backlinks) as a token of appreciation for there awesome article. Note that images and some words was gotten from them.

### Step 1: Restarting your Mac OS

To restart your mac os, simply click on the **apple icon/logo** at the top left corner of your laptop screen and select the **restart** button from the dropdown. before you do any of this it's best you connect your mac OS to a reliable source as this factory reset can consume lots of time and data depending on your internet and pc speed. 

You should also unplug all your devices except your mouse and keyboard to avoid accidentally erasing an external hard drive. here is a preview of what I am talking about 

![How to Factory Reset Mac 1.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/db2ab2cd-5bb8-4e81-85f7-4d1250f08e4c?width=990&height=760)

> Note: If your computer is frozen, press Control + Command + Eject (or the power button) to force restart your computer.

Now that your mac os has begun the restart process, you need to press and hold the **command + R** key on your keyboard, You can release the keys when you see the Apple logo on your screen.

When the progress bar under the Apple logo is completed, you will enter Recovery Mode. From here, you will erase your hard drive and reinstall the macOS that was installed on your computer when you got it. here is a preview below of the key you need to press and hold on your keyboard

![How to Factory Reset Mac 2.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/6a716aa0-8d29-4a33-a6b8-06f8166e6cf6?width=576&height=344)

> Note that it is best to press and hold those key as soon as you click on the restart button though you can wait untill the system goes blank before you press and hold those keys.

### Step 2: Formatting Your HDD/SSD

From the dialog or application that will be shown, you will probably see 4 options to click from. For now, just select the **disk utility** option and then click on the **continue** button. see below for a preview

![How to Factory Reset Mac 4.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/166d4514-c32d-4245-b11e-32019681a8fa?width=1024&height=768)

Now from the disk utility application/window, click on the **view** dropdown located at the top left corner of the disk utility application then select **show all devices** (make sure it has a checkmark beside it). _preview available below_

![How to Factory Reset Mac 6.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/3b8aa6ef-9755-4e50-89bb-72a599c5a217?width=1024&height=768)

![How to Factory Reset Mac 7.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/5a513b49-3505-4f5b-a1c5-0600ecd93991?width=1024&height=768)

Now you will need to select the drive you want to erase, and you will see a list of drives at the left side of the disk utility application/window, In most cases, you want to delete the whole disk, which is the highest option on the Internal list. This will ensure that you delete all your old data so you can install the Mac operating system (macOS) on a clean drive. _preview available below_

![How to Factory Reset Mac 8.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/b125eec6-39f0-4bf4-a582-850e578abef9?width=1024&height=768)

after selecting the parent disk, you then need to click on the **erase** button located at the top of the disk utility window. _preview available below_

> Note: Your Mac has a copy of the macOS that came with it stored on a partition of your main hard drive. So, even if you erase your hard drive, you will be able to reinstall macOS later.

![How to Factory Reset Mac 9.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/607fa41f-91e8-4dc7-bf4c-9b6be368e89c?width=1024&height=768)

After clicking on the **erase** button, you will see a pop-up dialog asking for some info from you, so on the **name** input just enter the name you will like to give your Mac pc, if you know some advanced stuff you can probably specify the **format and scheme** options you need if not just leave the default option. _preview available below_

![How to Factory Reset Mac 10.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/93d272ea-ee20-4895-a0ec-514077aae663?width=1024&height=768)

here is a quick detail for those of you that might want to know what each of those options on the dialog means:

*   **Name:** You can choose any name you want, but it is recommended that you don’t use any personal information because there’s a chance that other people will be able to see your driver’s name when you are connected to the same network.
    
*   **Format:** You can choose either APFS (Apple File System) or macOS Extended (Journaled). The Disk Utility will show the compatible format by default. However, if you want to double-check the current format of the volume, click on the lowest option on the Internal tree (usually called Mac HD). On the right, you should see “Type.” If the built-in disk came to APFS-formatted, you should not reformat it as Journaled. Most older computers will be Journaled, while most modern laptops that come with solid-state drives (SSDs) are APFS-formatted.
    
*   **Scheme:** If prompted, choose GUID Partition Map.

> Note: This is the last step before all your data will be deleted. If you need to back up any data, click the Apple logo in the top-right corner of your screen and select Restart to return to your desktop.

After inputting or selecting your options you can then click on the **erase** button located at the bottom right corner of the pop-up dialog/window. _preview available below_

> If you see _Erase Volume Group_, click that instead. Take note that this is different from the _Delete Volume Group_ option, which you should not click.  

![How to Factory Reset Mac 11.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/bc5a91bd-9e13-41c1-954c-ffb369728212?width=1024&height=768)

Wait for the disk to be erased and click Done. This should only take a few minutes at most. after successfully formatting your hard drive or solid-state drive you should quit the disk utility window, you can do so by clicking on the disk utility button located at the top left corner of your Mac OS pc, near the apple icon/logo itself, simply click on it and then click on the **quit disk utility** button from the dropdown dialog. _preview available below_

_![How to Factory Reset Mac 14.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/ef0062cf-003e-4207-b345-f22383adfb13?width=1024&height=768)_

### Step: 3 Reinstalling Mac OS

After quitting the disk utility window you will find yourself back to the first pop-up window that has 4 buttons, which we first click on the disk utility. Now instead of clicking on the **disk utility** again just simply click on the second button that says **Reinstall macOS <Brand name>**, and then click on continue. **preview available below**

![How to Factory Reset Mac 15.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/e3723e06-abca-4381-96ef-a0c8bbbd3972?width=1024&height=768)

> **Note**: that the word **<Brand name>** should be your current mac OS PC brand name, in my case it was **Big Sur**, so what i click on was **Reinstall macOS Big Sur**.
> 
> **Note**: If you stop the process now, your data will be erased, but the next person to handle the computer will have a hard time starting up. So, if you want to make it easy for whoever you give or sell your Mac computer to, you should reinstall macOS on your computer.

after clicking on continue you will probably be asked to click on another **continue** button again, which should then take you to the software licenses, you will have to click on the **Agree** button which will then Triga a popup window with another **Agree/Disagree** button, you will have to click on the **Agree** button on the pop-up window. _preview available below_

![How to Factory Reset Mac 18.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/e4779889-e9b0-4c78-8379-3a4e7413ac6e?width=1024&height=768)

Now select your boot disk from the next window (Your boot disk is your main drive, so make sure you don’t select an external hard drive), and click on continue.  _preview available below_

![How to Factory Reset Mac 20.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/2472df7a-8c64-45e5-8555-b759abd46774?width=1024&height=768)

Now see back and wait for the installation process to complete, also note that this installation might take several minutes to complete. After the installation and been completed your Mac PC will restart and another installation process will begin with a countdown timer. This installation will also take several minutes. Here is a preview of both installation process

![How to Factory Reset Mac 21.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/b2473177-9b4e-49d6-ba1d-3190a908b799?width=1024&height=768)

![How to Factory Reset Mac 22.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/b4816500-3f21-4a01-86c6-cba05189e049?width=1024&height=768)

Once the installation is complete you can choose to power off the Mac book pro, if you want the next user to complete the setup process on their own, making it look like a brand-new Mac book. You will know the installation is complete when you see the screen that says, “Select Your Country or Region.” _preview is available below_

![How to Factory Reset Mac 23.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/a53238e5-f212-4056-8f1d-72f354b45dfa?width=1024&height=768)

You can power off the system by pressing the **Command + Q** keys on your keyboard at the same time and finally clicking on the button that says **shut down**. _preview available below_

![How to Factory Reset Mac 25 1.jpg](https://directus.axxellanceblog.com/assets/d7832012-845a-49c3-9fa7-0e4d1ad2bddd?width=666&height=417)

Once you are done, you can unplug the computer or close the laptop. Now, when you give your Mac to someone else, they will be able to start the setup process and enter their own settings and information.

If you plan on selling your Mac computer, check out how much you could get from [Apple’s Trade-In program](https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in) here.

### Conclusion

I do believe that in one way or another this article might have helped you achieve what you came here for, if so then do please comment and share this article with your friends and family. Thanks and God bless you 💖.

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