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. 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.īe 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. And with the jump to macOS Monterey, certain computers gain a new option to erase all content and settings. Your Mac will restart after the installation is complete.

Click on Install to install the latest operating system on your Mac. 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. Select your hard drive ('Machintosh HD) when asked to select your disk. Click on the magnifying glass icon and type 'Disk Utility'. Push the Command button and the Space button together on your keyboard to bring up Spotlight Search or whatever search app your have installed. Click the external hard drive you want to format. Formatting a Flash Drive Disk Utility on your Mac 1. Then click View in the top-left corner of the window and select Show All Devices. This will open the Disk Utility app, where you will find all the internal and external drives that are connected to your Mac. 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. Go to Spotlight Search, type in Disk Utility, and click the first option. Before you spend big on a new Mac, though, try a factory reset, which wipes your computer and reinstalls a clean version of macOS. Open Disk Utility, select the drive (not the Macintosh HD volume), open the erase tab, set the format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and press the erase button. But as with any computer, sometimes things go wrong. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac Under Allocation unit size, choose Default.

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How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages Step 1: Connect the USB drive or external drive to Mac and launch the Disk Utility from Applications.

Reformat drive mac