How to Reset a MacBook Pro or Air to Factory Settings (Erase a MacBook)

Whether you're selling your MacBook, experiencing unusual behavior, or dealing with bugs that are taking up too much of your internal hard drive space, you may need to reset your MacBook Pro or Air to its factory settings. If you're new to macOS or have never reset a MacBook Air or Pro before, this can seem daunting. Resetting a MacBook Pro or Air wipes all content and settings, and you risk losing important data. Don't worry! We've got a backup plan and detailed instructions for how to recover your data. First, back up your files with a data recovery tool; we'll provide recovery options later:

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Backup Your Mac Data and Never Lose It

Easily backup and restore your MacBook/iMac without Time Machine, iCloud, or external hard drive.

We'll also guide you through the steps to take to prepare your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air for sale or trade-in and how to reset MacBook Pro/Air to factory settings. Read on!

Preparing Your MacBook Pro or Air for Sale or Trade-In

If you're upgrading your MacBook or selling your old one, there are a few things you should manually turn off before parting ways with it. They are:

• iCloud
• iMessage
• Unpair Bluetooth devices

Before you sell or trade in your MacBook Pro, you might suddenly find your MacBook won't turn on. Some users may also need to know how to reset SMC on MacBook Pro when they encounter issues like irregular keyboard backlight. You can find the detailed solutions via the links.

Preparation Steps: 1. Sign out of your iCloud account.

Sure, here's how you can turn off iCloud: 1. **On iPhone or iPad:** - Open the "Settings" app. - Tap on your Apple ID at the top of the screen. - Tap on "iCloud." - Scroll down and find the service you want to disable. - Toggle the switch next to the service to the off position (it will turn from green to white). - If prompted, confirm that you want to turn off the service. 2. **On Mac:** - Click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen. - Select "System Preferences." - Click on "Apple ID" (or "iCloud" in older versions). - From the sidebar, select the service you wish to disable. - Uncheck the box next to the service to turn it off. - You may be asked to confirm your decision; click "Turn Off" or "Delete" as appropriate. Remember, disabling iCloud for a specific service will remove the associated data from that device. Make sure to back up any important information before turning off the service.

Step 1. Open System Preferences.

Step 2: Click on “Apple ID,” then “Overview,” and then “Sign Out.”

Step 3: Uncheck the box, then click "Continue."

Step 4: You'll exit iTunes on your MacBook.

2. Disable iMessage

1. Open **Messages**.

Step 2. Then click on “Messages” from the top menu bar.

Step 3: Select "Preferences."

Click on Preferences.

Step 4. Tap the “@” icon with “iMessage” written on it.

Step Five: Click “Exit.”

Optional: Unpair the Bluetooth device

1. Open "System Preferences," then choose "Bluetooth."

Then choose “Bluetooth” .

**Step 2:** Hover over the paired Bluetooth device under the "Devices" tab, and click the "X" button.

**Step 3:** Repeat this step for all devices paired with the Macbook.

How to Reset Your MacBook Pro or Air Without Losing Data

If you plan to factory reset macOS, you risk losing valuable data in the process. This section will teach you how to reset MacBook Pro and Air without losing important files. Let's begin with the MacBook Pro and Air factory reset tutorial.

How to Reset MacBook Pro or Air to Factory Settings: 2 Effective Ways

When you come across a stubborn bug or need to sell or give away your MacBook Pro, you might want to learn about how to format or reset it to factory settings.

If you're new to Mac, resetting your MacBook isn't as straightforward as you'd think – it's hidden away in the System Preferences menu, rather than being a separate option. But we're here to help you reset your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

But before we delve into the various ways to reset a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, we have a video that makes it even easier to follow along.

For your convenience, we provide a timeline that we think will be helpful for you to consult easily.

• 00:30 Back up your data
• 01:22 Turn off Find My
• 02:35 Reinstall macOS

Reset a MacBook Pro or Air to factory settings using the "Erase All Content and Settings" option

Here's how to reset your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro:

Step 1: Open System Preferences by clicking on the System Preferences icon in the Dock.

Step 2: Next, choose Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 3: Type your MacBook password and click “OK.”

Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions from here.

Step 5: Once you've made your selection and confirmed the reset, your MacBook will restart.

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Step 6. After the MacBook restarts, click the Apple icon in the menu bar.

Step 7: Click "Shut Down."

We also recommend that you close your MacBook, rather than just putting it to sleep, as it will continue to draw power otherwise. By closing your MacBook, you'll not only stop any background processes but also fully power down your machine.

To reset your MacBook Pro or Air, you need to enter Recovery Mode. Here's how: 1. First, make sure your Mac is fully turned off, not in sleep or standby mode. 2. Press and hold the `Command` and `R` keys while pressing the power button to start your Mac. Keep holding these keys until you see the Apple logo or the Recovery Mode interface. 3. Release the keys when you see the "macOS Utilities" window. This indicates that you've successfully entered Recovery Mode. 4. In this window, select "Disk Utility" and click "Continue." 5. Within "Disk Utility," choose your startup disk (usually named "Macintosh HD" or a related name). 6. Click the "Erase" button. Then, select a new name, format ("Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" is typical), and scheme (default to "GUID Partition Map"). 7. Confirm the action and click "Erase." This will delete all data and format the disk. 8. After formatting, close "Disk Utility" and return to the "macOS Utilities" window. 9. Here, choose "Reinstall macOS" (or the latest version of macOS) and click "Continue." 10. Accept the license agreement and select your startup disk as the installation target. 11. Click "Install" to initiate the reinstallation process. You may be prompted for an administrator password if applicable. 12. Wait for the installation to complete, which can take some time depending on your internet speed and your Mac's performance. 13. Once the installation finishes, your Mac will automatically restart, and you can set it up as if it were new. Please note that performing this operation will erase all personal files and settings. Before resetting, ensure you have backed up any important data.

There's a different way to reset your MacBook in Recovery Mode, though. Here's how:

Step 1: Click the Apple icon in the menu bar and select “Shut Down.”

Step 2. Now, turn on your Mac and press and hold Command + R until you see the Apple logo.

For M-series Macs, the procedure is different: press and hold the power button until you see the Startup Options window, then click on “Options” to proceed to the Utilities window.

Step 4. In the macOS Utilities window, select Disk Utility, click Continue, and then choose the Internal disk/Startup Disk.

Click Disk Utility.

5. Click the “Erase” tab at the top of the Disk Utility window.

Step 6. Give the disk a new name, and choose APFS as the format.

Step 7: Click “Erase Volume Group,” and let Disk Utility take a few minutes to complete the drive reset.

Step 8. Once complete, you'll be redirected to the macOS Utilities window. If not, restart your computer and press and hold CMD+R again to boot your MacBook into Recovery Mode.

Step 9. In the Utilities window, click “Reinstall macOS,” then follow the onscreen instructions to install macOS.

Step 10: When the installation is complete, you'll see the Setup Assistant. Quit the Setup Assistant, then turn off your Mac.

Recover Deleted Data after Factory Reset on MacBook Pro, Air

The easiest way to backup files on a Mac is by using Time Machine and then recover files after reinstalling Mac OS X. If you had set up a backup on your Mac using Time Machine, the steps to recover data after factory reset Mac would be as follows:

Step 2: Scroll through the timeline using the up and down arrows to view your backups.

Step 3. Find the backup you want to restore and click on “Restore.”

Step 4. You will restore your data from this backup.

Step 5. After the restore is complete, restart your computer to finish the process.

While Time Machine can help you recover your data, it's not an ideal solution. Also, to set up Time Machine, you'll need to connect an external hard drive or USB drive.

Unfortunately, if you didn't set up Time Machine initially, you won't be able to recover your MacBook after factory reset. But with the help of tools like Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, you can quickly restore all your data.

Download data recovery software to retrieve lost files

Tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac has been proven to recover over 90% of data. Normally, data recovery can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars and take weeks. With a tool like Tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, you can save on costs and get your data back within minutes.

What can tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac do? Let's find out:

• Recover deleted pictures on Mac. In fact, you can retrieve photos, music, videos, audio, and documents from MacBook.
• Restore lost partitions on Mac. It's also a practical Mac partition recovery tool to help you get back lost or deleted partitions with one click.
• Retrieve data from a non-starting MacBook Pro. It's a bootable data recovery utility allowing you to access data from a non-bootable MacBook Pro. Learn how to create a bootable USB on Mac here.

How to use this Data Recovery program? Please refer to the steps below:

Step 1: Search for the missing file

On macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and the latest Sonoma, select the disk location where you want to search for the lost file (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device). Then, click the "Search Lost Files" button.

Note: It is recommended that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup of your Mac before data recovery to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can write new data again.

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Step 2: Check the scan results.

"Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will instantly scan the disk volume you select and display the scan results."

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Step 3: Select the files and recover them.

In the scan results, select the file(s) you want to preview, then click the "Recover" button to get them back.

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FAQs: Resetting a MacBook Pro to Factory Settings

We've compiled a list of frequently asked questions about factory resets and more, and we think you'll find it interesting.

How do I reset my MacBook Pro to its factory settings?

We recommend that you use the Erase Assistant to factory reset your MacBook Pro.

1. Open "System Preferences," then click "System Preferences" in the menu bar. 2. Now, select "Erase All Content and Settings." 3. Enter your MacBook's password and click "OK." 4. Follow the on-screen instructions. 5. After confirming the reset, your MacBook will restart. 6. Once your MacBook restarts, click the Apple icon in the menu bar. 7. Click "Shut Down."

We also recommend that you close your MacBook, or it will go into sleep mode and continue to draw power. By closing your MacBook, you'll not only stop all background processes, but you'll also fully power down your computer.

How do I reset my MacBook Air and erase everything?

To factory reset a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, or Mac Mini, follow these steps:

1. Click the "Apple" icon in the top-left corner of the screen, then click "System Preferences" in the drop-down menu. 2. Click "Reset My Mac" (or "Erase All Content and Settings" on a newer version of macOS). 3. Enter your MacBook's password, then click "Continue." 4. Follow the on-screen instructions. 5. After selecting and confirming the reset, your MacBook will restart. 6. After your MacBook restarts, click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen. 7. Click "Shut Down."

What happens if you erase "Macintosh HD" on your MacBook Pro?

You would lose all your data, but you can use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to retrieve files, even if they've been permanently erased.

1. Scan the target disk.
2. Preview the lost files.
3. Retrieve them.

How can I reset my MacBook Pro to factory settings without a password?

You can do this by resetting the MacBook Pro to its factory settings in Recovery Mode.

1. Click the Apple logo in the menu bar, then select “Shut Down.”
2. Now turn on your Mac and hold down Command + R until you see the Apple logo. Release the keys.
3. If you have an M-series Mac, the process is slightly different: Press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window. Then click “Options” and select “Continue” to open the Utilities window.
4. In the macOS Utilities window, select “Disk Utility,” then click “Continue” and choose your “Internal Hard Drive/Startup Disk.”
5. Click the “Erase” option at the top of the Disk Utility window.
6. Name the disk something new and choose APFS as the format.
7. Now, click “Erase Volume Group” and let Disk Utility take a few minutes to reset your drive.
8. You'll be redirected back to the macOS Utilities window. If not, restart your computer and hold down CMD+R again to boot your MacBook into Recovery Mode.
9. In the Utilities window, click “Reinstall macOS” and follow the prompts to reinstall macOS.
10. Once macOS has finished installing, the Setup Assistant will open. Close the Setup Assistant and shut down your Mac.