How to Factory Reset a Mac

Before you erase: three things to do first

A factory reset is irreversible. Anything not backed up is gone, and skipping the sign-out steps can leave the Mac locked to your account. Spend a few minutes on the checklist below before you wipe anything.

1. Back up with Time Machine

Connect an external drive and let Time Machine make a full backup so you can restore your files — or move them to a new Mac later with Migration Assistant.

1. Plug in an external USB or Thunderbolt drive.
2. Open System Settings from the Apple menu (), then choose General > Time Machine.
3. Click Add Backup Disk (or the + button) — the wording Apple's own Time Machine instructions use — pick your drive, and let the first backup finish before you continue.

2. Sign out of your Apple Account and turn off Find My

On an Apple silicon or T2 Mac, Erase All Content and Settings handles this for you, so you can skip ahead. Do these steps manually only if you are erasing an older Intel Mac through Recovery, or if you simply want to sign out cleanly first.

1. Open System Settings, then click your name at the top of the sidebar (the Apple Account panel).
2. Scroll down and click Sign Out. Signing out of iCloud turns off Find My and removes iCloud data stored locally.

On macOS Monterey 12, Big Sur 11 or Catalina 10.15, open System Preferences instead, click Apple ID, choose Overview in the sidebar, then click Sign Out.

3. Deauthorize purchases

Each Apple Account can authorize a limited number of computers for purchased music, films and books. If you are giving the Mac away, deauthorize it in the Music app (and the TV app if needed): choose Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer, then enter your Apple Account details.

The easy way: Erase All Content and Settings

This is the method Apple recommends for almost every Mac sold in the last several years. It requires macOS Monterey 12 or later and either Apple silicon (an M-series chip) or an Intel Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip — the exact hardware and version requirement Apple states in the macOS User Guide, which also confirms the Erase Assistant signs you out of iCloud and turns off Find My and Activation Lock. It erases all user accounts and their data, removes your apps and settings, signs out of your Apple Account, deletes Touch ID data, and turns off Find My and Activation Lock — all without reinstalling macOS.

1. Open System Settings from the Apple menu ().
2. Click General in the sidebar (scroll the sidebar if you need to).
3. Click Transfer or Reset on the right.
4. Click Erase All Content and Settings.
5. In the Erase Assistant window, enter your administrator user name and password, then click Unlock.
6. Review the list of items that will be removed. If more than one person uses the Mac, you can expand the user accounts to confirm everything will go, then click Continue.
7. Follow the onscreen prompts. You may be asked to confirm your Apple Account sign-out and to keep the Mac connected to power and the internet. The Mac erases itself and restarts to a black screen with a progress bar, then reopens at Setup Assistant.

Older Intel Macs: erase and reinstall from Recovery

If About This Mac shows an Intel processor and your Mac has no T2 chip, the Erase All Content and Settings option will not appear. Instead you erase the disk in Disk Utility from macOS Recovery, then reinstall macOS. Make sure you have backed up and signed out of iCloud first (see the checklist above).

1. Choose Restart from the Apple menu. As the Mac starts up, immediately press and hold Command + R until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe, then release. This starts up in macOS Recovery.
2. If prompted, select a user and enter the administrator password.
3. In the Recovery window, select Disk Utility, then click Continue.
4. In Disk Utility, choose View > Show All Devices, then select your startup volume (usually named Macintosh HD) in the sidebar — the same opening move Apple's Disk Utility User Guide gives for erasing a storage device.
5. Click Erase in the toolbar. Enter a Name (for example Macintosh HD), set the Format pop-up menu to APFS, then click Erase Volume Group. If there is no volume group button, click Erase.
6. When it finishes, click Done, then choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility.
7. Back in the Recovery window, select Reinstall macOS, click Continue, and follow the prompts. The installer downloads a fresh copy of macOS from Apple, so keep the Mac connected to power and the internet.

Reinstalling this way sets up a clean system on the erased disk. When it completes, the Mac restarts to Setup Assistant — leave it there if the Mac is leaving your hands, or continue through setup to use it yourself.

Frequently asked

Does factory resetting a Mac delete macOS itself?

No. Erase All Content and Settings wipes your accounts, apps, files and settings but leaves the installed version of macOS in place, so the Mac boots straight to Setup Assistant when it finishes. Only the Recovery-mode method — where you erase the disk in Disk Utility — actually removes the system, which is why that path ends with a Reinstall macOS step.

Do I need to sign out of my Apple Account before I erase my Mac?

On an Apple silicon or T2 Mac you do not have to sign out first, because Erase All Content and Settings signs out of your Apple Account and turns off Find My and Activation Lock for you. On an older Intel Mac that you erase through Recovery, you should sign out of iCloud and turn off Find My manually before erasing, otherwise Activation Lock can leave the Mac tied to your account.

How do I know if my Mac has Apple silicon or a T2 chip?

Choose About This Mac from the Apple menu. If it lists an Apple M-series chip (such as M1, M2, M3 or later), it is Apple silicon and supports Erase All Content and Settings. Intel Macs from roughly 2018 to 2020 may include the Apple T2 Security Chip, which also supports the feature; you can confirm a T2 chip under System Information. Older Intel Macs without a T2 chip must be erased through Recovery mode.

How long does a factory reset take on a Mac?

Erase All Content and Settings usually finishes in a few minutes and restarts to Setup Assistant. The Recovery-mode route takes longer because you also reinstall macOS, which downloads the system from Apple over the internet — expect anywhere from about 30 minutes to a couple of hours depending on your connection speed and the Mac.