Brand New Ways to Reset/Erase Mac M1/M2 [Safe & Sound]

You should erase your Mac and factory reset it when it's infected with a virus, you're selling or giving it away, updating to macOS Ventura, or if it's running slowly due to a slow macOS base system.

Mac users can erase their Macs using either the "Erase All Content and Settings" option or the Recovery Mode, both of which can be accessed directly through the provided chart.

Sign Out of Linked Account on Mac Before Erasing Mac

To keep your personal information private, sign out of all linked accounts on your Mac before giving it away or selling it. This includes accounts like iCloud, Apple ID, and any other services you use.

Tip 1. Sign Out of Accounts on Mac

To avoid others using your Apple TV, Apple Music, and other linked accounts on your Mac, sign out of them. This will ensure that your personal data and preferences are not accessed by others.

Step 1. Run the target applications on Mac.

Step 2. Click "Account" in the upper left corner.

Step 3. Choose "Authorisations".

Step 4. Click "De-authorise This Computer" and then enter the password to confirm.

Tip 2. Log Out of iCloud on Mac

iCloud allows users to store personal data such as photos, documents, and notes on the cloud, while logging out of iCloud on Mac helps keep that data secure by removing access to it from the device.

Step 1. Click the Apple icon to open the Apple menu.

Step 2. Choose "System Preferences" and click "Apple ID".

Step 3. Click the "Sign Out" button.

Tip 3. Unpair Bluetooth Devices on Mac

If you're giving your Mac to family members who live with you, it's a good idea to unpair any Bluetooth devices to avoid them automatically connecting to the old Mac, which can be inconvenient when using the new Mac.

Step 1. Click the Apple icon to open the Apple menu.

Step 2. To see all the connected devices on a Mac, click the "Bluetooth" option. This will list all the devices that are currently paired with the Mac.

Step 3. Click "X" to unpair Bluetooth devices.

How to Erase and Factory Reset Mac in 2 Ways

After signing out of linked accounts, iCloud, and unpairing connected Bluetooth devices, you can erase and factory reset your Mac using the Mac Erase Assistant and Recovery Mode. This process allows you to completely reset your device to its original factory settings, erasing all personal data and settings. A video is also available that demonstrates the steps to erase and factory reset your Mac.

Method 1. Erase Mac with Erase All Content and Settings Option

With the release of macOS Monterey, a new option is available to factory reset M1 Macs, and users running macOS Monterey and Ventura on their Macs can easily take advantage of this method to reset their device to its original factory settings.

How to Find Erase Assistant on macOS Ventura and Monterey

The position of the Erase Assistant option differs between macOS Ventura and Monterey. To find it, you'll need to look in different places on each system.

For macOS Ventura:

Step 1. Click the Apple icon and choose "System Settings".

Step 2. Click the "General" button.

Step 3. Choose "Transfer or Reset", and you will see Erase Assistant.

Step 4. Click the "Erase All Content and Settings" option.

For macOS Monterey:

Step 1. Click the Apple icon and choose "System Preferences".

Step 2. The Windows 10 Settings app now has a "Reset this PC" option, which allows users to erase all content and settings. This feature is available in the "Update & Security" section of the Settings app.

Then we can use Erse Assistant to erase your Mac.

Step 1. After clicking the "Erase All Content and Settings" option, you may need to enter the admin password to confirm the erasure of all content and settings.

Step 2. The Erase Assistant will ask you to back up with Time Machine.

Step 3. The following information will be erased. Click "Continue" to confirm.

Step 4. Click the "Shut Down" button, then click "Continue" and follow the on-screen instructions to erase your Mac. Once the erasure process is complete, your Mac will restart and you can set it up as new.

Step 5. Wait and restart your Mac to finish the erasing.

Method 2. How to Erase Mac with Recovery Mode

If you forget your Mac's password, you can enter Recovery Mode and use Disk Utility to erase your Mac, then reinstall macOS.

Step 1. Shut down your Mac.

Step 2. To access the Mac Recovery Mode, turn on the Mac and immediately hold the Command + R keys or press the power button. This will allow you to enter Recovery Mode. If you're experiencing issues, you can click the link to troubleshoot Mac Recovery Mode not working.

Step 3. When you see the Recovery Mode menu, click "Disk Utility".

Step 4. Select the startup disk, which is Macintosh HD, and choose the option to erase the disk.

Step 5. After erasing, you can quit Disk Utility and choose "Reinstall macOS".

Step 6. Follow the prompts and reinstall macOS.

How to Recover Lost Files with Software After Erasing Mac

If you've erased your Mac, you may want to recover lost files, and sometimes data loss issues can occur before erasing your Mac. To retrieve lost data, you can use Deep Data Recovery for Mac.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Deep Data Recovery for Mac is a software that specializes in recovering data from Mac devices. It can retrieve deleted or lost files, including documents, photos, videos, and more, from various storage devices such as internal hard drives, external hard drives, USB drives, and memory cards.

• Data loss can occur due to various reasons such as formatting, accidental deletion, system crashes, operation errors, hard drive damage, and more. In such cases, recovering lost data is crucial to prevent permanent loss.
• You can recover deleted files from various devices, including camcorders, cameras, SD cards, memory cards, external hard drives, and USB flash drives, on a Mac.
• You can recover data from Mac OS X, macOS Catalina, macOS Big Sur, macOS Monterey, and macOS Ventura using a Mac data recovery software. These tools can scan your Mac's hard drive or SSD for deleted files, and recover them in their original format.

Deep Data Recovery for Mac is a handy tool that can be used to recover lost data from various storage devices, including Mac hard drives, external hard drives, and USB drives. With its user-friendly interface and advanced algorithms, it can quickly scan the storage device and recover deleted files, even if they have been overwritten.

Step 1. Select file types

Launch Deep Data Recovery software, select the desired file types, and click "Next" to initiate the recovery process.

Step 2. Select the location to scan

Select the storage device where you lost data and click "Scan" to initiate the scanning process.

Step 3. Filter lost Mac data

The software will automatically scan for lost data on MacBook/iMac, and once the scan is complete, users can filter the data they want to recover using the "Type" and "Path" buttons.

Step 4. Recover lost data or files

Double-Click a file to preview it, then click the "Recover" button to restore the lost data to another location.

Erase Mac FAQs

We prepared four questions and answers about erasing Macs you may be interested in below.

Does erase Mac and factory reset it delete everything?

A factory reset on a Mac does not necessarily delete everything, and you have the option to keep some data. If you want to recover deleted files, you can use a data recovery software like Deep Data Recovery for Mac.

• 1. Scan for the deleted files on Mac.
• 2. Preview the lost files.
• 3. Retrieve the files on Mac.

How do I securely wipe my Mac before selling it?

After selling your Mac, log out of all linked accounts, sign out of iCloud, and unpair Bluetooth devices to protect your personal info. Then, boot into Recovery Mode, use Disk Utility to erase the disk, quit Disk Utility, and reinstall macOS. This will ensure your data is securely erased and the Mac is ready for the new owner.

How to use Erase Assistant on Mac?

On macOS Ventura and Monterey, the Erase Assistant is located in different places. To erase your Mac, you'll need to find the Erase Assistant and follow the prompts to complete the process.

For macOS Ventura:

• 1. Click the Apple icon and choose "System Settings".
• 2. Click the "General" button.
• 3. Choose "Transfer or Reset", and you will see Erase Assistant.
• 4. Click the Erase All Content and Settings option.

For macOS Monterey:

• 1. Click the Apple icon and choose "System Preferences".
• 2. You can find the Erase All Content and Settings feature.

How to Boot into Disk Utility to erase Mac?

To boot your Mac into Disk Utility or Recovery Mode, simply shut down your Mac, hold the power button, and press the Command and R keys on an Intel-based Mac. This will take you to the Recovery Mode menu, where you can select "Disk Utility" and erase the startup disk.

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