How to reset a Mac
Whether you’re giving your old Mac to a friend or family member or selling it online for a bit of extra cash, you’ll want to reset your Mac before you get rid of it. Resetting a Mac will remove all your photos, videos, apps and just about everything else you’ve saved on your machine, allowing the new user to set it up as a brand-new machine. The other benefit, of course, is that you can sell on your Mac without the worry of somebody accessing your data.
It’s a relatively simple process toreset an iPhone or iPad, but the same can’t be said for Mac. It’s not a simple one-click solution, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. We take you through the process of resetting a Mac right here, from backing up your data and signing out of services like iCloud to wiping your hard drive and reinstalling a clean version of macOS.
Step 1: Back up your Mac
Resetting your Mac will delete all your documents, data and settings, so it’s a good idea to back up your Mac before resetting – especially if you want to continue to use macOS on another machine. There are paid apps that’ll clone your drive, but if you’re not looking to part with any cash, Apple’s built-in Time Machine functionality should do the job – you just need an external drive to get started.
Once complete, you’ll have a comprehensive back up of your entire Mac, including not only documents and data but all installed apps and system preferences too.
Step 2: Sign out of iTunes, iCloud and Messages
Once you’ve created your backup, the next step is to sign out of the various Apple (and third-party) services you use on your Mac, especially if there’s a limit on how many devices can access the service at any one time – iTunes can only be used on up to five machines per account, for example.
It also helps to keep things tidier in iCloud, as even though you’ll be resetting your Mac, there’s no way to ‘tell’ Apple and other service providers that this is the case, and they’ll likely still count the existing machine as a device, even if it has been reset and sold.
iTunes (macOS Mojave or earlier)
Though it’s no longer a part of macOS with the release of Catalina, iTunes is still an integral part of older versions of macOS and Mac OS X.
In iTunes 12:
In iTunes 11 or earlier:
iCloud
Next comes iCloud, removing access to your photos, videos and other files stored in the cloud.
Messages
Finally, it’s time to sign out from the Messages app.
Step 4: Wipe your drive
Once you’ve backed up your important data, signed out of iTunes, iCloud and any other services you use on your Mac, it’s finally time to wipe the drive.
Step 5: Reinstall macOS
You’ve wiped your hard drive, but you’re not free to sell or set up your Mac just yet – the last step is to install a clean version of macOS. If you don’t do that, your Mac won’t do anything when you turn it on!
For more handy Mac tips, take a look athow to downgrade from macOS Catalina, andhow to use an iPad as a second displaytoo.
Author: Lewis Painter, Contributor
Lewis Painter was once a Tech Advisor Senior Staff Writer. He covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware.
