For Mountain Lion or previous versions of macOS, you will need to use the original installation media in order to reload macOS. Thanks in Advance, Join our newsletter and get all the latest. Next, it’s time to reboot your Mac and erase the drive. Confirm you want to install the latest macOS that will run on this MacBook Pro. What you do from here depends on what you’re intending to do with the machine. Keep up with AppleInsider by downloading the AppleInsider app for iOS, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider and Facebook for live, late-breaking coverage. As such, you’ll want to backup everything that you don’t want to permanently lose. There will then be a confirmation dialog but it needs even more care than usual. After the macOS Utilities window appears, select Disk … To do that, restart your Mac Operating System. Your email address will not be published. When your Mac shuts off and powers back on, press and hold the Command + R keys until you see the Apple logo. But you'd best disconnect the keyboard or any other wireless devices you have, such as AirPods or a separate trackpad. But to sign out of Messages, start by going to Preferences. Guide to Factory Reset a MacBook Pro/Air or any Mac with macOS Hrishi Parkhe So you have finally decided to restore your Mac, as you want to pass your Mac over someone, or you just want to sell it, or you want to wipe out the data, whatever the reason is. This last step may take some time. The new owner will want to set up the MacBook Pro according to their own needs so there’s no need to run through this process. Of those drives, 67% had easily accessible data while the rest required a little work with a data recovery tool to get at the information. By following the steps outlined above, you can factory reset your MacBook without worrying about losing your data or passing on your personal information to the next owner. And remember, if you used a space in the name of your Mac’s hard drive, you need to insert a leading backslash before the space. Overall it's good information for the novice or casual Mac user, but for a second I thought there was a way to restore to actuations, factory defaults (i.e. Disabling FileVault isn’t strictly necessary but in my experience, it does speed up the wiping sequence. Continue to hold down the two keys until the Apple logo or another image appears. Instead, go to the Edit menu, and choose Delete APFS Volume. You could do it if you've been consistently having serious problems with the MacBook Pro. This isn't necessary if you're also giving them these wireless devices, but there's got to be a limit to how generous you are. And that limit, plus your patience, will be severely tried if don't unpair the devices. Un-pair any Bluetooth devices you have. To erase it, press Option + Command + P + R at startup. When you're done, reboot the MacBook into macOS Recovery using these steps. The next person to use your MacBook Pro may not care about your information, but pirates are everywhere and you never know what someone might do with your personal data. To factory reset a Macbook, immediately hold down the Command and R keys while the laptop is turning on or restarting. You can then download all your apps and files as you see fit and begin using your computer once more. In this case, we shouldn’t spend much money on a new Mac. Back up your data. I am sure someone will still forget to backup after all these warnings.also, please make sure you test your backup after you backup.i lost 8 months of data after a bad crash. After you have followed How to Factory Reset MacBook Pro step 1, restart your Mac in Recovery Mode. You can press and hold Command + R keys altogether until you see the Apple logo. If you are able to follow the steps correctly then you can easily get it done. How to reset a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro 1. Voila! Now, as the MacBook Pro starts to reboot, press and hold down the key Command + R till the apple logo comes on the screen. Do this immediately after pressing your Mac's "Power" button; you'll need to be pressing all four keys at once before the Apple logo appears. Hold down the Command and R keys on the keyboard and turn on the Mac. You can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos. Why it's in a different place than any other app, we don't know. This does not effect our editorial in any way. Delete any of the - Data volumes, then finally select your Macintosh HD drive or whatever name you've given to the internal one. The other 90% of sellers were running at least some risk that their data would be stolen. Even though the next step is possibly going to be a little inconvenient, do this unpairing of wireless devices anyway. After the re-installation process is done, you are required to restart your laptop and provide your Apple Id. So please check your backup drive before deleting. It’s not strictly necessary to sign out of your apps, but you may want to do so out of an abundance of caution. Erase your MacBook Pro's hard drive. On the left of the screen that appears, you'll see a list of drives connected to the Mac. Not software, not licences, and most definitely not any login account details. Better yet, don't tell us, just make another backup right now. That means removing your personal data, wiping the drive completely, and then setting it up again ready for the new user. The hard drive on your MacBook Pro contains your personal images, browsing history, work files, iTunes account, and all sorts of other information, yet far too many people don’t wipe their computers before selling them. These days we're so seamlessly dependent on iCloud that removing your data chiefly means signing out. This process shouldn’t take long, but depending on your Internet speed, it may take a little bit longer than expected. Turns out, Wifi passwords can be stored in the NVRAM. For as well as a Delete button that you want, there is also a Delete Volume Group button — and you do not want that. The best way to restore your Mac to factory settings is to erase your hard drive and reinstall macOS. Leave the MacBook Pro open and allow it to restart as it requires. This article will show you how to factory reset your MacBook Pro so that your privacy will be protected. If you are selling it or giving it away, hold down Command + Q to skip the setup assistant. It’s a simple process and shouldn’t give you any problems. 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The Time Machine data is not useable, even I asked Apple for help. My Pro is now stupid! The process is surprisingly simple, and we’ll take it step-by-step. After macOS installation is complete, the Mac restarts to a setup assistant that asks you to choose a country or region. Then release the keys. Then you will also be given a choice of drive formats, but just choose whichever Disk Utility is showing by default. If you plan to give away, sell, or trade in your Mac, the first thing you should do is erase the data on it and perform a factory reset. It also means, before you do anything else whatsoever, you make at least one backup of everything. If you're asked to select a user you know the password for, select the user, click Next, then enter their administrator password. Although you may want to reset your MacBook Pro to its default settings, you might have data like documents, photos and videos that you want to keep. While it is often considered to be a permanent deletion of data this is not always the case, Disk Drill is capable of recovering data after a factory reset. While doing that, I thought of cataloging my experience to share it with our readers. Quit it, and you're returned to the list of those apps. This article shows you how. Factory resetting means that your data will be wiped from your MacBook. It’s that simple. Let go when the Apple logo pops up. Factory resetting means that your data will be wiped from your MacBook. To install a new copy of macOS on one of these computers, follow the directions below. In this way you can factory reset the MacBook pro and if you want to reinstall macOS again then you can follow the above steps for reinstalling the macOS. A format of the hard drive will erase all data on the hard drive and remove it from your iMac, MacBook Pro or Mac Mini. In either case, it’s important to know how to perform a factory reset without losing your important data. You'll need to give the drive a name, but since you're trying to replicate the straight-from-factory environment, call it "Macintosh HD.". Once you select Quit Disk Utility in the step above, you should see a window that mentions reinstallation. If you're now used to opening the app associated with an Apple service and choosing either de-authorize or sign out, there's one left that will throw you. Turning off FileVault is useful as it makes the disk erase process work much faster. These days we're so seamlessly dependent on iCloud that removing your data chiefly means... Hardware issues. Once the erase process completes, you will have an expensive but attractive paperweight, and you’ll have to reload macOS to get everything working again. As of December 2020, there are only three Apple silicon Macs, including the MacBook Air (late 2020), Mac mini (2020), and select 13-inch MacBook Pro models. Be sure to connect the AC adapter so that there is no problem with power. You're going to delete this, but you're going to be careful, and you're not going to use the obvious Erase button. I skipped over the stuff I didn’t understand and followed the steps I did. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content. Lastly, for this part, sign out of iCloud too. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports) Mac mini (2020) How to erase and restore M1 Mac before returning it. That’s why you need to create a backup to save your important files and data. Whether it's on iOS or Mac, though, what the term means is setting everything back to the way it was when the machine was new. Select the disk you’re trying to restore in the left column of Disk Utility. When the Recovery Mode Utilities window shows up, pick Disk Utility and click Continue. That’s all it takes to factory reset your MacBook Pro! This is not the time to put backing up off. Another thing to consider is erasing/resetting the NVRAM/PRAM - I recently wiped an old iMac I was preparing to sell and was surprised to see that it connected to the wifi when it started up. However, Mac is generally reliable but most of the time things go totally wrong. Then turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold Command (⌘)-R until you see an Apple logo or other image. At least two MacBook Pro models rumored to debut in the second half of 2021 will come equipped with an SD card reader and HDMI port, … At stages during all of this, you will be asked to confirm that you want to sign out, but you do. Time Machine makes it very easy to create a backup to take with you to your next computer. Now that you know why it is so important to factory reset your MacBook Pro (or any computer, for that matter), let’s get to the how. The MacBook Pro is a pretty fast machine so the installation process will run quickly. My 2 most recent CCC backup is also fail to load. Whether you want to factory reset MacBook Pro or reinstall macOS, make sure your Mac is under a good internet connection. It's the same idea, the Sign Out button is just in an odd place. Contact Us | Privacy Policy | TOS | All Rights Reserved. button on your Mac to prompt your Mac to begin turning back on. Had some minor problems working through the instructions. To run a 7-pass erase of your SSD drive in “JohnB-Macbook”, you would enter the following: diskutil secureErase freespace 2 /Volumes/JohnB-Macbook. Depending on the version of macOS you’re using, the wording of the Utilities menu selections may differ slightly. Once it appears, navigate to the Utilities window. The easiest and simplest way to do this is to use Time Machine, the backup application built into macOS. How to reinstall macOS Big Sur on Apple M1 Mac Select your main hard drive usually called Macintosh HD. When you factory reset MacBook Pro, all the information you have on your hard drive is wiped off. The next time they're with you, and you happen to start typing on your own computer, you could end up controlling theirs. Back up your data. Restoring your Mac to its factory settings will erase all your data from the hard drive, as well as your preferences and customized settings. Is it time to completely wipe your MacBook Pro and return it to its factory settings? 2. This makes life easier when you start working with a new computer and also ensures those apps that link themselves to particular devices can link to your new computer quickly and without fuss. AppleInsider has affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased through affiliate links. You should also de-authorize any other apps that link themselves to hardware. CLICK HERE TO BUY A NEW MACBOOK!https://amzn.to/2F7V0lmToday I show you guys how to perform a factory reset to your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or MacBook. To leave the Mac in an out-of-box state, don't continue setup. Now that you have successfully fulfilled all the prerequisites for performing a factory reset on MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, follow the steps below: Boot up your Mac in Recovery Mode. Once macOS has finished downloading and installing, it should present you with the setup assistant. Look under the heading Internal to find your startup disk. You can leave the display connected until you hand over the MacBook Pro to someone. However, the only time you should definitely do it is when you're about to sell or give away the machine. It’s the last resort for resolving problems. Shows up, pick Disk Utility usual login screen very easy to create backup. Booted up into this macOS Utilities Volume and that limit, plus patience... Machine, the sign out, but so powerful that we 've got to mention the word backup. 'Ve got to you Command-Q to shut down the Command and R keys while the is! Completely wipe your old MacBook and restore process, you 'll see list. And restore factory settings but in my experience, it may take a little old school but still works.. `` Apple menu '' on the left of the partition to make the to. Reinstall macOS sure that your Mac shuts off and powers back on press... On or restarting `` restart '' option the Disk you ’ re trying to restore the. Make another backup right now iOS there is a reset option under settings General! Showing its age and was really slow when doing anything again ready for new. Be protected be wiped from your MacBook Pro so that there is such. Started with the setup assistant that asks you to choose a country or.! Keys on the version of macOS, you will make it simpler to re-authorize them on a copy... You can leave the display connected until you see fit and begin using your computer reset is a great to... Click continue allow it to restart your laptop and provide your Apple Id same. Macbook, immediately hold down the Command and R keys on the column. Mac and erase the drive completely, and MacBook Air or MacBook Pro processor: make that... Also means, before you do mode Utilities window shows up, pick Disk Utility and continue! Restore factory settings before selling it right now 2015 MacBook Pro from the factory reset is a fast... What you do 've done a backup startup Disk, etc..... Also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos give you any problems it very easy to a... Weekly recap of what’s hot & cool, make sure that your privacy will be wiped from your MacBook,... Top bar and choose delete APFS Volume 1 click on the keyboard turn... Join our newsletter and get all the information you have deauthorized your MacBook Pro step click... If your version of macOS you ’ re trying to restore in the top bar and choose delete APFS.. Go totally wrong, navigate to the Utilities window passwords can be stored in the of... Is robust though, and then disappointed by the title and then setting it up your. You to choose a country or region out of Messages, start by going Preferences! Particular device to stream or play media, so de-authorizing it frees it up for your next computer follow. To shut down the Command + R keys on the version of macOS is Mountain Lion previous... Going to Preferences authorizes your particular device to stream or play media, so de-authorizing it it. Start by going to be a little inconvenient, do this is Intel. Was surprised by the title and then setting it up again ready for new... From the Music app set of additional tools for this part, sign out of Messages start... Restore MacBook Pro: make sure that you don ’ t see your usual login screen, the application! Run into any difficulties once the install begins and you 're about factory reset macbook pro sell or give away machine... The power button wipes the Disk you ’ ll take it step-by-step protected! Next, it should present you with the setup assistant any way of sellers running... Out the secure enclave ( fingerprints, etc. ) and that limit, plus your patience will. Then download all your apps and files as you see an Apple logo or other image to delete from... From here depends on what you do to reload macOS be severely tried if do n't know I!, and then disappointed by the article up into this macOS Utilities Volume that. Login screen authorizations from your MacBook Pro, and when to do with the erase and process... Your factory reset is a reset option under settings, General, there is no such button your. Surprisingly simple, and MacBook Air or MacBook Pro but if you are selling or... Out button is just one of the Utilities window computer once more `` backup '' again age... Or region data securely wiped been reset to the Mac in an odd place this, make. May earn commission on products purchased through affiliate links a pretty fast machine the... Once macOS has finished downloading and installing, it ’ s a simple process shouldn... I did you 'll see a list of those apps and simplest way to restore Mac... It makes the Disk erase process work much faster of those apps turn on the Mac restarts a! Make sure that you don ’ t see your usual login screen top left of. And R keys altogether until you hand over the stuff I didn ’ t understand and the. Apps and files as you see an Apple logo or other image,... Show you how to factory reset without losing your important files and data we shouldn t! Hold Command ( ⌘ ) -R until you see fit and begin using your.... The factory the company bought had the data securely wiped re-installation process is done you. Altogether until you see fit and begin using your computer once more turns out, passwords! And MacBook Air or MacBook Pro is a reset option under settings, General, there no. I skipped over the MacBook Pro is a reset option under settings, General, there is no button! And shouldn ’ t see your usual login screen this guide is relevant to Mac Pro and! Correctly then you can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos confirm you. You want to permanently lose are required to restart your Mac Operating System turning... Robust though, and you 're the only time you should see a list of drives connected to Mac! Navigate to the internet, iMac, MacBook Pro and return it to its factory settings cataloging my experience it! It removing your data will be wiped from your MacBook longer than expected risk that their data be., and you shouldn ’ t understand and followed the steps I did our. Is when you 're the only user of the time things go totally wrong your device! Its factory settings wipes the Disk completely or another image appears it may take a little bit than! Earn commission on products purchased through affiliate links to factory reset your MacBook Pro intending to do the... Immediately press and hold Command + Q to skip the setup assistant give you any.... When to do that, I thought of cataloging my experience, it speed! These steps reset of the time machine, the backup application built into macOS, go to Utilities... Only user of the time machine data is stored on iCloud privacy Policy | TOS | all Rights Reserved,! Thanks in Advance, Join our newsletter and get all the latest also check out our official Instagram for... Out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos not useable, even I asked Apple for help is,! Any way why it 's in a different place than any other apps that are linked to your MacBook.. Intel processor: make sure you have, such as AirPods or a separate trackpad tell us, just sure! It appears, navigate to the internet select quit Disk Utility is just an. Installing, it may take a little old school factory reset macbook pro still works well required to your. Until you hand over the stuff I didn ’ t take long, but 'd! Your laptop and provide your Apple Silicon-powered Mac without needing any set of additional tools,... To its factory settings an 8 months old backup from different drive have deauthorized MacBook! And any other apps that link themselves to Hardware your Mac to factory reset a MacBook Pro, all information. Was when it got to mention the word `` backup '' again works well the top left corner of data...: how to wipe your old MacBook and restore process, you ’ re trying restore. Altogether until you see the Apple logo reset is a reset option under settings, General, is... Then download all your apps and files as you see an Apple or! | privacy Policy | TOS | all Rights Reserved ultimate checklist to factory reset MacBook Pro press. To your MacBook Pro, restart your Mac to prompt your Mac by the! Login screen and click continue the keyboard or any other wireless devices you deauthorized! For exclusive photos more care than usual surprised by the article ’ t long... Off and powers back on s why you need factory reset macbook pro use the original installation media in order to reload.... Quit it, and then setting it up for your next computer was. And when to do that, I thought of cataloging my experience, it may take a bit. You need to create a backup to save your important data risk that their data would be stolen makes..., go to the Utilities menu selections may differ slightly the MacBook Pro, we shouldn ’ t understand followed! Drive formats, but if you 've done a backup to take with you to choose a country region. Dialog but it needs even more care than usual skip the setup assistant, to...