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Resetting a Mac: the method for your model
Resetting a Mac is not the same operation on an Apple chip as on an older Intel processor. One takes five minutes from settings, the other goes through Recovery. Here is which applies to you, and the order to follow if the machine is going to someone else.
First of all: back up, then sign out
- A reset erases everything, with no confirmation once started. Make a Time Machine backup or a manual copy of your folders, and check it is readable before going further.
- Sign out of your Apple account and turn off Find My before erasing. Without that the machine stays locked to your name and its next owner can do nothing with it.
Which method for your Mac
It all depends on whether a security chip is present. Check under Apple menu, About This Mac: if you read an Apple chip, you are in the first case. Recent Intel Macs with a T2 chip too.
- Apple chip Mac, or Intel Mac with a T2 chip: System Settings, General, Transfer or Reset, then Erase All Content and Settings. The system handles everything, including signing out of accounts.
- Older Intel Mac: restart holding Command + R to enter Recovery.
- In Recovery, open Disk Utility, select the startup volume, click Erase, and choose the APFS format.
- Quit Disk Utility then choose Reinstall macOS. Leave the machine plugged in throughout.
If you are selling the machine, stop once the setup assistant appears. Do not create an account: that is for the buyer to do, and it proves to them the Mac is genuinely blank.
The checklist before selling or giving it away
In this order, before any erasing. A skipped step cannot always be recovered once the machine is wiped.
- Back up, and check the backup by opening two or three files at random from it.
- Turn off Find My: System Settings, your name, Find My, then switch off Find My Mac.
- Sign out of your Apple account, then of your other accounts — mail, online storage, password manager.
- Unpair the Bluetooth accessories you are keeping: keyboard, mouse, headphones. Otherwise they will keep connecting to a machine that is no longer yours.
- Note the serial number before erasing: you will need it for the invoice, the warranty or a theft report.
The special cases
Four situations that do not fit the standard procedure, and what to do instead.
Forgotten password
cannot get into the system → erase from Recovery
Second-hand machine, locked
seller's account still active → only the seller can release it
You are keeping the machine
no need to erase everything → reinstalling macOS on top is enough
Drive failing during the erase
errors, operation never completes → the SSD is at fault, not the system
Resetting does not make a Mac faster
That is the most common disappointment afterwards. A fresh system starts clean, but it runs on the same hardware — and if the slowness came from the drive or the battery, it returns within days.
- Still slow after a reset: it is the drive. A mechanical disk or a full SSD stays the bottleneck whatever the system.
- Shutdowns or laughable battery life: the battery, which a reset does not touch.
- Noisy fan from the moment it boots: dust or thermal paste, not software.
If you are resetting in order to resell, know that a healthy battery and a decent SSD make a visible difference to the resale price — often well above the cost of the part.
FAQ
Does resetting really erase everything?
Yes, with no way back. Erase All Content and Settings removes data, accounts, settings and fingerprints. With a Recovery erase, the whole volume is reformatted. Hence the backup beforehand, which is not a formality.
How long does it take?
Allow five to ten minutes for Erase All Content and Settings, and from thirty minutes to two hours for an erase followed by a reinstall, depending on the connection and the age of the machine.
Can I reset without an internet connection?
The erase, yes. Reinstalling macOS, no: the system is downloaded from Apple's servers. Plan for a stable connection and keep the machine on mains power.
I bought a second-hand Mac that is still locked, what now?
Contact the seller: only they can remove the machine from their account, remotely and in seconds. No workshop, ours included, can bypass that lock — which is exactly its purpose.
