How To Erase Mac Computer | Factory Reset Steps

Erase a Mac with Erase All Content and Settings when available; older Macs need Recovery, Disk Utility, and macOS reinstall.

Before selling, trading in, or passing a Mac to someone else, handle how to erase Mac computer data through Apple’s Erase All Content and Settings when the Mac supports it. Erase Assistant removes your files, apps, user accounts, Apple services, Find My, Activation Lock, and local settings while leaving the installed macOS in place.

The method changes on older Macs. A Mac without Apple silicon, a T2 Security Chip, or macOS Monterey 12 or later needs macOS Recovery, Disk Utility, and a fresh macOS install before it is ready for another person.

Erase A Mac Computer Before Sale: What Gets Removed

Erase Assistant is the preferred factory reset tool because it removes the personal parts of the Mac in one pass. The Mac returns to the setup screen, and the next user can set it up with their own Apple Account.

Make a Time Machine backup or move your files before you start. The erase process deletes local files and installed apps from the Mac, and a backup is the only practical way to bring your documents to a new machine later.

• Local user accounts and their files are removed.
• Apps you installed are removed.
• Apple services are signed out on that Mac.
• Find My and Activation Lock are turned off.
• Touch ID fingerprints and wallet items on that Mac are removed.

How Do You Erase A Mac With Erase All Content And Settings?

Erase All Content and Settings is the shortest reset path on a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip running macOS Monterey 12 or later. On macOS Ventura 13 or later, the control sits in System Settings.

1. Open the Apple menu in the upper-left corner, then choose System Settings.
2. Click General in the sidebar, then click Transfer or Reset.
3. Click Erase All Content and Settings.
4. Enter the administrator password used to log in to the Mac, then continue.
5. Review the items Erase Assistant will remove. If the Mac has more than one user account, open the account arrow and review those items too.
6. Click Continue, enter the Apple Account password if asked, then click Erase All Content & Settings.
7. Let the Mac restart and activate. Join Wi-Fi if the screen asks for a network.

The Mac finishes at the Hello screen. For a sale or trade-in, hold the power button until the Mac turns off instead of setting it up again.

Apple’s current Mac reset instructions list the same Ventura and Monterey paths, plus the older-Mac fallback when the button is missing. Apple’s Mac reset steps are the source to recheck before erasing a machine you plan to sell.

What If Erase All Content And Settings Is Missing?

The button is missing when the Mac lacks Apple silicon or a T2 Security Chip, or when the installed macOS is older than Monterey 12. Use macOS Recovery, erase the startup disk in Disk Utility, then reinstall macOS.

Before Recovery, sign out of services that can keep the Mac tied to you. On macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, iTunes sign-out is not needed. On older systems, open iTunes and choose Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer.

1. Sign out of iCloud from System Settings or System Preferences, depending on the macOS version.
2. Open Messages, then choose Messages > Settings or Preferences > iMessage > Sign Out.
3. Start Recovery. On Apple silicon, shut down, press and hold the power button until startup choices appear, then choose Options > Continue. On Intel, turn on the Mac and immediately hold Command-R until the Apple logo or spinning globe appears.
4. Choose Disk Utility, click Continue, select Macintosh HD, then click Erase.
5. Name the disk Macintosh HD. Use APFS unless Disk Utility recommends Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
6. Click Erase Volume Group if shown. If that button is not shown, click Erase.
7. Quit Disk Utility, choose Reinstall macOS, and follow the screen prompts.

After reinstalling, Setup Assistant appears. For a Mac you are giving away, press Command-Q, then shut down so the next owner starts from the first setup screen.

Leave The Mac Ready For The Next Owner

The right finish depends on whether the Mac is staying with you or leaving your hands. A kept Mac can be set up right away; a sold or gifted Mac should stop at the first setup screen.

• Use Erase Assistant when the Mac offers Erase All Content and Settings.
• Use Recovery and Disk Utility only when that button is missing or fails.
• Keep your backup until your files open on the new Mac.
• Do not enter your Apple Account during setup if another person will own the Mac.
• For an Intel Mac, reset NVRAM after the reinstall if user settings may still be stored in memory.

A properly erased Mac no longer opens to your account, your files, or your Apple services. The proof is plain: the Mac greets the next user at setup, not at your desktop.

Send us your feedbackTell us what you thought about this post

Name * Email *

Your comment *

Quick check — what is …? *

Send feedback