How To Clear A Macbook Air To Factory Settings

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How to Factory Reset a Mac

Looking to reset your computer to its factory settings? MacOS Monterey makes it a little easier than before, but you have options no matter your Mac or OS version.

Updated November 17, 2021

Macs are generally reliable. But as with any computer, sometimes things go wrong. Before you spend big on a new Mac, though, try a factory reset, which wipes your computer and reinstalls a clean version of macOS. A factory reset is also the best way to prepare your old computer for a new owner to make sure no leftover data falls into the wrong hands.

The process has been the same for years on Macs with Intel processers, however, the move to Apple silicon has slightly altered the method for wiping and reinstalling the OS. And with the jump to macOS Monterey, certain computers gain a new option to erase all content and settings. Here's how to erase your hard drive and reinstall the operating system on your Mac, whether it has Apple's M1 chip or features Intel components.

Be aware that once your computer has been reset, you will no longer be able to recover any deleted data that was left on the drive. If you think you may still need what is on your hard drive, we advise you to first back it up through Time Machine or by syncing important files to iCloud.

Certain Macs have a new option for erasing data. If you're running macOS Monterey on an Apple silicon-based Mac or an Intel-based Mac with the Apple T2 chip, you now have the Erase Assistant tool. Open System Preferences > Erase All Content and Settings in the menu bar.

Enter your admin password in Erase Assistant, then review the items that will be removed. Along with erasing all settings, media, apps, and data for all accounts and volumes on the drive, the tool will also sign you out of iCloud, delete Touch ID fingerprints, disable location services, unpair Bluetooth devices, and remove Apple Wallet items.

At this time, you have one final chance to create a Time Machine backup before continuing. Click Open Time Machine to create it, if you haven't already done so.

Enter your password to sign out of your Apple ID, then let the erase process finish. Once complete, your Mac will be returned to factory settings. If you don't plan on keeping this computer, you're done. Otherwise, you can go through the setup assistant as if you are setting up your Mac for the first time.

Erase Data and Reinstall macOS With Disk Utility

The other option for resetting your Mac is Disk Utility, which is available to all users. In order to access the options for wiping your data and reinstalling the operating system, you need to enter macOS Recovery. How you do this depends on the chip inside your computer.

If you have an M1 Mac or Intel-based Mac with the T2 chip, shut down your computer completely and hold down the power button until Loading startup options appears on the screen. Select Options to enter the recovery screen.

If your Mac has an Intel processor and doesn't have the T2 chip, restart your computer. From here, hold down Command + R until the Apple logo appears. Release the keys and allow the Mac to boot up and open into Recovery.

If your computer is frozen and the normal means of resetting aren't working, try the Control + Command + Eject (or power button) shortcut.

No matter how you get here, you must then select a user with administrator privileges and enter their account credentials before gaining access to the computer's startup options. Once fully in macOS Recovery, select Disk Utility and choose the volume you want to erase.

Did you previously create any additional volumes on your hard drive? If so, remove them first. Choose the partition and select the minus (-) button to remove the volume. You can then move on to your main drive. Select Macintosh HD and click Erase in the top toolbar.

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A dialog box will pop up asking for the drive name and format. Keep the name as Macintosh HD and make sure the format is set to APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Click Erase Volume Group (or Erase if that button isn't shown) to wipe the drive.

You should also make sure any other internal drives are also erased in order to completely wipe the computer and avoid any errors during the reinstall process. Go to Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility to exit the Disk Utility window and go back to the Recovery screen.

If you plan to sell the computer, you can stop here and let the new owner install a clean version of macOS. For those who plan to keep their Mac, your next step should be to reinstall macOS onto the computer.

Your computer should be hooked up to a power source and connected to the internet. Back at the macOS Utilities screen, click Reinstall macOS and follow the instructions to download a new version of the operating system.

If you saved your files to an external storage device through a Time Machine backup, you can now restore those files through the Migration Assistant as part of the reinstall process. You will be asked if you want to transfer information from another Mac or a Time Machine backup. Select Time Machine and continue the process to restore your files.

If you decide not to restore your backup at this time, you can always go back into the macOS Recovery screen and choose the Restore From Time Machine Backup option. Select the appropriate backup from the list to reinstall your saved files.

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