How do I completely format my Mac hard drive?

How do I completely format my Mac hard drive?

Hold down the Command and R keys as soon as you hear the Mac tone indicating a reboot. Wait for the macOS Utilities screen to appear, then click Disk Utility. Choose your Mac’s system drive, usually named Macintosh HD, then click Erase. Select the Format option Mac Extended (Journaled) or APFS.

How do I format a macOS?

Choose Apple menu > Shut Down, press and hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears, select Options, click Continue, then follow the onscreen instructions. In the Recovery app window, select Reinstall for your macOS release, click Continue, then follow the onscreen instructions.

How do you wipe a Mac hard drive to factory settings?

If you haven’t upgraded already, it’s easiest to factory reset a Mac that’s running Monterey.

  1. Make a fresh backup of your Mac.
  2. Open System Preferences.
  3. Click System Preferences in the menu bar > Erase All Contents and Settings.
  4. Follow the prompts to fully erase your Mac.

Why can’t I erase my Macintosh HD?

If you are trying to format the Mac hard drive or its volumes – Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD – Data, you will inevitably see the Erase button grayed out in Disk Utility. That’s because you can’t erase the drive you are currently running from, and you need to boot into Mac Recovery mode to format the Mac startup disk.

How do you wipe out a hard drive?

We’ve updated this with Windows 11 and Android 12 information….This process will vary depending on the phone model, but here’s how to do so on a phone running stock Android:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap System.
  3. Tap Reset options.
  4. Tap Erase all data and follow the on-screen directions.

How do you wipe a Mac computer clean to sell it?

From the Apple menu  in the corner of your screen, choose System Preferences. From the System Preferences menu in the menu bar, choose Erase All Content and Settings.

Do I erase Macintosh HD data?

Mac users can’t erase, delete, or edit this volume. That’s because Macintosh HD contains the macOS files and the Mac won’t turn on once these files are modified or deleted. The file system of Mac hard drive volume defaults as APFS or APFS (Encrypted). It can’t be reformatted to other file systems.

How do I clean hard drive before selling?

How To Effectively Clean The Hard Drive Before Selling Your PC

  1. Back Up Your Data. The first thing that you would want to do, before selling your PC, is to create a backup of all of the data stored on it.
  2. Get Rid of Authorized Software.
  3. Format Your Hard Disk.
  4. Reinstall Your Operating System.

What does erasing the hard drive on Mac do?

Make a backup of any files that you want to keep. Erasing your Mac permanently deletes its files.

How do I factory reset my iMac 2011?

After the iMac shuts down completely but before it begins to restart, hold down the Command (⌘) and R keys at the same time. The Mac will display the macOS Utilities menu, from which you can reinstall Mac OS.

How do I wipe my hard drive and operating system?

Go to Settings > Change PC Settings > Update and recovery > Recovery. Click Get Started under the Remove everything and reinstall Windows section. Click Next, then choose Fully clean the drive to ensure everything is deleted. Click the Reset button and your drive is wiped, your PC is reset, and Windows is reinstalled.

  • August 5, 2022