How to RESET MAC to FACTORY SETTINGS (New & Old Macs) Erase All Data.

In this video, I show you the correct and safe way to reset your Mac to the original factory settings and erase all your data. Be sure to do this before you sell, trade, give away, or return your mac. After following these easy steps all your files and personal data will be deleted and erased. It's super easy!
This works for MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Studio, and Mac Mini computers.

✅ ITEMS IN THIS VIDEO:
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ME SOCIALLY:

0:00 – Start
0:19 – Intro
0:29 – Backup your data
0:52 – Deauthorize the computer
1:36 – Sign out of Messenger
2:17 – Intro to Sean
2:32 – Log out of Find My
3:17 – Delete Bluetooth connections
3:53 – Restart and erase data
5:45 – Pack up your computer
6:00 – Sean funnies

[studios]

IF YOU'RE NOT RETURNING OR SELLING YOUR COMPUTER.... I'm guessing you want to keep using it with a new OS installed. Not to worry. Here are the steps to bring it back from the dead:
*Force Shut Down:* Hold the Power button for 10 seconds until your Mac shuts down completely.
*Boot into Recovery Mode:* Press the Power button again and immediately press and hold the Command (⌘) + R keys. Keep holding them until you see the Apple logo appear.
*Release Keys:* Once you see the Apple logo or a loading bar, release the keys. You should now see the macOS Utilities screen, indicating successful entry into Recovery mode.
From here, you have a few options depending on the cause of the boot issue:
*Repair the Startup Disk:* Use Disk Utility to diagnose and potentially fix disk errors that might be preventing your Mac from booting normally.
*Reinstall macOS:* If repairing the disk doesn't work, you can reinstall macOS, effectively giving your Mac a fresh OS installation.
That should reinstall the OS and get you going again. Please let me know how it goes.
By chance, did you subscribe to my channel? :)
Have a great day!

[isoawe]

Followed all your steps exactly. When computer restarted, there was just a blinking picture of a folder with a question mark inside.

[imadbeydoun]

I searched on the internet for 4 hours trying to reset to original factory settings on old Macbook pro 13, and you showed how to do it in less then 5 minutes. your awesome

[jeffreyglenellen]

Im glad that I read the comments before trying this too

[garthera]

What a revelation! Others are recommending a protracted and probably impossible procedure that requires downloading El Capitan to a USB drive. Thanks so much! (Great sticker!)

[sherylsidery]

hi each time i click restart - nothing happens when i control R - it just restarts - any tips?

[harrysingh]

thank you for showing me this, I really liked when you helped me when I have trouble doing something on my computer!

[PhotosRFunMe]

This was helpful and easy to follow along. I could not find anyone else showing all of the log out and deauthorize steps, except your video! I wish you would make a newer version, though, as I am doing this a year later and a number of things have changed. I had already upgraded the laptop from Ventura to Sonoma to sell it. However, after erasing it, now I have to reactivate it and reinstall Ventura. I will then have to log back into Apple to upgrade it to Sonoma, again. Now, I am not sure how to just wipe it to sell without erasing the hard drive, again. But, super helpful, as I mentioned with all of the first steps you have to do! Thanks!

What if in Disc Utility Macintosh HD doesn’t have the erase option to be activated? Isn’t this weird? It says that the operation can’t be performed because I can’t unmount the startup volume.

[jamieowen]

Hi Sean, I followed these steps on my MacBook Air (about 2014 era) and now I am getting an error when the laptop is loading after the restart. The loading screen starts and there is a little ghostbuster 🚷 sign instead of the Apple and it is stuck on this screen. Any advice?

[danmelese]

Thank you so much. It's so helpful!

[brianaevans]

Ok I’m locked out of mine I want to reboot and clean to give to my kids but I’m stuck. OS X 10.8 mountain lion

[Michael_RareZebra]

I have an Apple iMac "Core i7" 4.2 27" (5K, Mid-2017 Intel chip) that I plan to keep but just want to start fresh with factory reset. Just have a few questions please:

1. After pressing erase mac - will it automatically revert back to the original OS (Sierra 10.12)? While my intention is to upgrade to the latest version of Ventura after reset I worry about the original OS being inaccessible during the process because it's old?
2. Will the bluetooth icon be hidden or in plain site during the set up process? Or is it better to use an ethernet cable?

Thanks so much....

[Duchesse_Justice]

Hmm. I followed you until delete and disk utility. After pressing "done", it didn't magically start over. It stayed on the Mac OSbase system page, mocking me.

What if in Disc Utility Macintosh HD doesn’t have the erase option to be activated? Isn’t this weird?

[hooyaholton]

Great Video! I thoroughly enjoyed how clean and concise these steps were, and you didn't draw it out like other “how to” videos for Apple. Muy bueno mí amigo

[SuzSSE]

I followed all the steps - super easy and clear! But after the erase and restart, the screen is showing a 'recovery install' option. Prompted me to connect to wifi and then the utility disk option popped back up. I'm currently updating the OS. Am I on the right track?

[EricaaBrown]

Wow this was extremely helpful thank you !!! 🙏🏻

[ryeleighlawler]

Thank you so much!
I bought my MacBook (an old model) from Amazon because I can’t afford a new one and it had weird data on it so I had to erase everything because it had “admin” account on it

[jaikritsinghrawat]

Thanks for sharing.
PS - You forgot to add a step to Reinstall macOS for older macbooks.