What does a factory reset do on a Mac? A factory reset, also called a hard reset or master reset, can help you return your Mac to its original operating system and erase all the data stored on your Mac.

When might you need to factory reset your macOS, whether it's Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, or Big Sur? We've listed some scenarios where you might opt to erase and reset your Mac.

• Your Mac is under a virus attack, and you want to know how to format MacBook Pro or other Mac devices to remove the virus.
• Your Mac is running very slowly, and you want to speed it up.
• You encounter too many errors on your Mac that cannot be automatically resolved by the system.
• You're planning to buy a new MacBook or iMac and intend to sell your old one to someone else.
• When you need to downgrade from macOS Ventura to Monterey, you can factory reset your Mac and reinstall the operating system.

Please note that performing a factory reset on macOS Big Sur may result in the loss of important data. It's recommended to backup your data in advance using a tool like the Mac Data Recovery Software. This all-in-one utility can help you effectively back up and recover your macOS data.

Since you didn't provide specific English content, I can't directly translate it. However, here's a general rule: when translating English HTML code into Chinese, the HTML tags usually remain the same, and only the text content within the tags needs to be translated. For example: English: ```html

Welcome to our Website!

Welcome to our website!

The tag stays the same, but the text "Welcome to our Website!" translates to "欢迎来到我们的网站！". If you need a specific content translated, please provide it for an accurate translation.

Hello, World!

Hello, world!

Backup Your Mac and Never Lose Data

Back up and restore your MacBook/iMac without Time Machine, iCloud, or an external hard drive.

There may be different scenarios where you need to factory reset your Mac on macOS Ventura, Monterey, or Big Sur. We provide you with a brief video guide first, with timestamps below to jump straight to the important parts:

• 00:13 Back up your data to an external drive
• 00:24 How to reset a 2018 or later Mac
• 01:24 How to reset an older Mac

# Protect Your Data Before a macOS Big Sur Factory Reset

If you've watched our video, you might know one way to prevent data loss – by backing up your data to an external hard drive. Forgotten to create a backup on the external hard drive? No worries. We have another method that can help you recover lost data after factory resetting your Mac on macOS Ventura, Monterey, or Big Sur.

tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is a professional and user-friendly Mac data recovery tool that even tech novices can use with ease. This tool can help you retrieve your important files even if you erased everything and reset your Mac to its factory settings, or you lost some crucial data before the reset.

If the deleted videos and photos are corrupted or damaged, the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac also serves as a Mac Video Repair and photo repair tool.

Step 1: Select the drive to scan

On the main interface of the tool, all drives connected to your Mac will be listed. Select the drive from where you need to recover lost/deleted files and hit the “Search Lost Files” button.

**Note:** Before you proceed with data recovery, we recommend that you click on the “Disk Backup” feature on the left sidebar to create a backup of your Mac. This is to prevent any potential data loss. After the backup is done, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can continue to write new data.

Step 2: Choose the lost data/files

tools Data Recovery Wizard immediately scans the disk volume you select and displays the results in the left pane. You can sort the results if you're looking for a specific file.

Select the lost data/files to recover

Step 3: Recover Lost or Deleted Data

Once you locate the file, preview it and click “Recover” to start restoring the deleted or lost Mac files.

What to do before resetting macOS Big Sur

If you're running a version of macOS earlier than Monterey and you're selling your Mac, consider logging out of your account, disabling iCloud, and disconnecting any Bluetooth devices before erasing it for added privacy.

**Tip:** If you unfortunately forgot your login password and found the keyboard backlight abnormal, you need to reset your Mac password (How to Reset Mac Password) and may also need to reset the MacBook SMC (How to Reset MacBook SMC).

Step 1: Log out of your macOS account

If you signed in with an Apple ID on Apple TV, Music, or another app, remember to sign out of your account.

Step 1: Open the app for which you have an account.

Step 2: Click on “Account” in the menu bar.

Step 3: Click “Authorize” and then “Deauthorize This Computer.”

Step 4: You can log out of the account by entering your Apple ID.

Step 2: Disable iCloud on macOS Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur

Your iCloud syncs your notes, reminders, photos, bookmarks, and other personal information across different Apple devices. Here's how to turn off iCloud:

**Step 1**: Click the Apple menu and select “System Preferences” or “System Settings.”

Step 2: Tap “Apple ID.”

Step 3: Click "Sign Out" to turn off iCloud on this Mac.

3. Unpair a Bluetooth device on macOS

If you've given your old Mac to a sibling, we recommend that you unpair Bluetooth devices so they don't accidentally connect to the wrong Mac.

Step 1: Click on the Apple menu and select "System Preferences" or "System Settings."

The next sentence only needs to be translated into American English: ""

Step 2: Tap "Bluetooth."

Click on Bluetooth.

Step 3. Tap the cross icon to unpair your Bluetooth device.

We hope you're ready to factory reset your macOS Ventura, Monterey, or earlier, and don't forget to share this tutorial with your friends!

How to Reset Your Mac: Big Sur/Ventura/Monterey

Suppose you want to factory reset your Mac on macOS Ventura or Monterey. You'd need to use the "Erase All Content and Settings" option on your Mac without manually logging out. If your Mac device runs macOS Big Sur, you can download macOS Ventura or Monterey to utilize this method. Just follow the prompts, and you'll be able to factory reset your Mac on macOS Ventura or Monterey.

Step 1: Click the Apple menu and select “System Preferences.”

Step 2. Tap “Erase All Content and Settings.”

Step 3. Type your password and click OK.

Step 4: You'll be asked to back up with Time Machine. If you don't want to, click Continue.

Step 5: Click “Continue” to remove the following items.

Step 6: Confirm your request.

How to Reset Your Mac to Factory Settings: Big Sur and Earlier

If you need to factory reset your Mac on macOS Big Sur or an earlier version, the process is a bit more complicated than on macOS Ventura and Monterey. Don't worry – we'll walk you through it all below:

First, you'll need to enter your Mac's Recovery Mode.

For those using a Mac with an Apple M1 chip:

Step 1: Turn off your Mac and hold down the power button until you see an option on the screen.

Step 2: Click Continue and enter your password.

Step 3: You'll see the macOS Utilities window.

For Intel Macs:

Step 1: Restart your Mac while holding down the Command and R keys to enter Recovery Mode.

Step 2: Enter the administrator password to confirm.

Step 3: You should now see the macOS Utilities window.

If your Mac won't boot into Recovery Mode, click the anchor text for troubleshooting.

Then we'll show you how to erase your hard drive:

Step 1: Start by choosing Disk Utility.

Click "Disk Utility."

Step 2: Then select the disk you want to boot from.

Step 3: Tap “Erase.”

Step 4: Select the journaled version of “Mac OS Extended” from the menu, then click “Erase.”

Step 5: Exit Disk Utility.

Step 6: The system will prompt you to confirm that you want to reinstall macOS. Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with the reinstallation.

How to reset a MacBook to factory settings? macOS Big Sur FAQ

Here are three questions to help you learn more about factory resetting your Mac on macOS Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur:

How do I reset my Mac on the Monterey system?

Erasing your Mac is easy with the “Erase All Content and Settings” option in Monterey.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences. 2. Click Erase All Content and Settings. 3. Enter your password, then click OK. 4. Your Mac asks if you want to back up with Time Machine. If you don't want to back up, click Continue. 5. Click Continue to remove the items. 6. Confirm your request.

How to factory reset MacBook Big Sur?

Resetting your Mac to its factory settings is more involved on macOS Big Sur than it is on Monterey or Ventura.

1. **Shut down your Mac and boot into Recovery Mode.** 2. **Select “Disk Utility” first.** 3. **Then select the disk you use to start up from.** 4. **Click “Erase.”** 5. **Choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from the Format menu, then click “Erase.”** 6. **Quit Disk Utility.** 7. **When prompted, confirm that you want to reinstall macOS.** You can reinstall macOS as directed.

How do I erase everything on a MacBook with Ventura?

You can follow this tutorial to erase everything from your MacBook in the Ventura system:

1. Choose Apple menu > “System Preferences.” 2. Click “Erase All Content and Settings.” 3. Enter your password, then click “Continue.” 4. Your Mac asks if you want to back up with Time Machine. If you don't, click “Skip this backup.” 5. Click “Continue” to remove the items. 6. Confirm your request.