How to Wipe a Mac Clean

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methods

1OS X 10.7 or Later

2OS X 10.6 or Earlier

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Article Summary

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This How.com.vn teaches you how to delete all the data, files, applications, and settings on your Mac computer.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

OS X 10.7 or Later

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1. 
   1
   Back up any data you want to save. Wiping your Mac will erase everything, including your operating system, so keeping a backup on an external hard drive or DVD is a good idea.
2. 
   2
   Open the Apple menu. It's the black apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
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3. 
   3
   Click on Restart…. It's near the bottom of the menu.
4. 
   4
   Click Restart to confirm. This immediately shuts down and reboots your Mac.

   • Wait for your Mac to shut down.
5. 
   5
   Press and hold ⌘+R as the Mac restarts.

   • Alternately, turn the computer off, then hold ⌘+R as you hit the power button to turn it back on.
6. 
   6
   Release the keys when you see the Apple logo. The "macOS Utilities" window will appear.
7. 
   7
   Click on Disk Utility. It's at the bottom of the list.
8. 
   8
   Click on Continue. It's in the lower-right corner of the window.
9. 
   9
   Click on your Mac's hard drive. It's in the upper-left of the window, under "Internal."
10. 
    10
    Click on Erase. It's a button at the top-center of the window.
11. 
    11
    Name your disk. Type it in the "Name:" field.
12. 
    12
    Click on the "Format:" drop-down menu.
13. 
    13
    Select a format. To reinstall a MacOS system, select:

    • Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for the fastest wipe.
    • Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) to encrypt the disk after wiping.
14. 
    14
    Click on Erase. It's in the lower-right corner of the dialog box. The wipe process will begin.

    • The time to erase your disk will vary based on disk size, the amount of data stored, and whether your chose an encrypted format.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

OS X 10.6 or Earlier

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1. 
   1
   Back up any data you want to save. Wiping your Mac will erase everything, including your operating system, so keeping a backup on an external hard drive or DVD is a good idea.
2. 
   2
   Insert your installation disc. Insert the installation DVD or CD that came with your computer into the computer's disc drive and wait for the computer to recognize the disc.

   • If you are using a USB drive instead of an installation disc, insert the USB drive.
3. 
   3
   Open the Apple menu. It's the black apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
4. 
   4
   Click on Restart…. It's near the bottom of the menu.
5. 
   5
   Click Restart to confirm. This immediately shuts down and reboots your Mac.

   • Wait for your Mac to shut down.
6. 
   6
   Press and hold C as the Mac restarts.

   • If you are using a USB drive instead of an installation disc, hold down ⌥ Option instead.
7. 
   7
   Open Disk Utility. It's located in the "Utilities" section of the Installation menu.
8. 
   8
   Click on your Mac's hard drive. It's in the upper-left of the window, under "Internal."
9. 
   9
   Click the Erase tab. It's at the top of the page.
10. 
    10
    Name your disk. Type it in the "Name:" field.
11. 
    11
    Click on the "Format:" drop-down menu.
12. 
    12
    Select a format. If you plan to reinstall OS X, select: Mac OS X Extended (Journaled).
13. 
    13
    Click on Erase. It's in the lower-right corner of the dialog box. The wipe process will begin.

    • The time to erase your disk will vary based on disk size and the amount of data that was stored on your hard drive.
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  How do you make sure there's no data left on your computer?

  

  Luigi Oppido
  Computer & Tech Specialist

  Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

  

  Luigi Oppido

  Computer & Tech Specialist

  Expert Answer

  Do a secure erase under your Disk Utility. Instead of just marking files for deletion, that will write over the hard drive with a series of ones and zeros at the machine level.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
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  YesNo

  Not Helpful 0Helpful 1
• Question

  What should I do - when I turn on my Mac, nothing is left, only the drive?

  

  Lucian Lees

  Community Answer

  You didn't re-install OSX. You have to go to Safari (default app on a Mac), and get a browser, like Chrome. Go to the Command+R menu, and click Re-Install OSX.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If How.com.vn has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support How.com.vn

  YesNo

  Not Helpful 5Helpful 13
• Question

  Will this not affect my other laptop which has the same data?

  

  Community Answer

  If the data is located/stored in the cloud, and the laptop is not accessing the data directly from the cleaned Mac, the other laptop should not be affected.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If How.com.vn has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support How.com.vn

  YesNo

  Not Helpful 2Helpful 10

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