• How to reset MacBook or Mac to original factory settings
  • Clone your hard drive and securely erase the original
  • Remove all your personal data and set up a clean install of Mac OS X

How do I reset my Mac to factory settings? This is the question many Mac OS X users ask before selling or giving away their favorite Mac. It's safer to transfer a Mac with personal information removed, and a clean Mac OS X looks healthier for the buyer.

Our guide to clearing all your information and data from Mac lets you reset Mac OS X to a flawless factory state. It's the same as if you got a Mac for the first time. Learn how to erase all of your personal information from Mac OS X.

Following are the general steps to reset a hard drive (detailed below):

Make sure you are connected to the Internet so you can download the latest copy of Mac OS X.

  1. Use an application like Super Duper or to clone your internal hard drive to an external drive. This allows you to access all of your old files and the drive can be re-cloned to the internal drive if you want to restore your Mac.
  2. Unauthorize your iTunes store account. (You must also deauthorize any third-party applications like Photoshop that are locked on your Mac.)
  3. Disable FileVault (if you are using it).
  4. Sign out of iCloud.
  5. Reboot your Mac into recovery mode (hold down the Command + R key while restarting).
  6. Use Disk Utility to erase your hard drive. Click Disk Utility> Continue. Select the main volume and click Disconnect, then Erase). Close the disk erasing utility (Disk Utility> Quit Disk Utility).
  7. Click Reinstall OS X and Continue. Follow the instructions to reinstall Mac OS X.

Step 1: cloning a hard drive

The process of resetting your MacBook to factory settings saves you all of your data from your Mac. obviously you should transfer data from your old Mac to your new one, but it's worth cloning the entire hard drive and saving it for a while. The best way to do this is to use a program like Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper along with an external hard drive. Select the main hard drive at the source and the external hard drive at the destination. Now click on Clone.

You should be able to boot from a cloned external hard drive. To test this reset your Mac and hold Option during the boot process. Use the arrow keys on your Mac to select the external drive and press Enter. This cloned drive can be re-cloned back to the master drive if you decide to restore your Mac, or it can be used to access all of the original files from your computer after you've removed the internal hard drive.

(Even though the software ships with Mac OS X, it's worth noting that Carbon Copy Cloner is now a paid app.)

Step 2: Revoke iTunes Authorization

You must deauthorize your computer from iTunes. This means it will no longer be associated with your iTunes account. You can use up to five Macs to play music and movies that are locked out of your iTunes account, so you shouldn't pass it on to another person. Open iTunes and click Save> Unauthorize This Computer. Enter your Apple ID and password and click Remove Authorization.

Step 3: disable FileVault

FileVault encrypts files on your hard drive and it's best to disable them before going any further (you'll be wiping files out soon, so security shouldn't be an issue). Open System Preferences and click on Security & Privacy and FileVault. Make sure FileVault is disabled for the drive [primary hard drive]. If you do not click on the lock icon in the lower left corner, enter your password and click “Unlock”. Now click on Disable FileVault.

Step 4: disable iCloud

Open System Preferences and click iCloud and click Sign Out Now. To remove all of your personal data, click Remove from Mac on each pop-up window (although you will still be wiping your hard drive in the next step).

Step 5: reboot your Mac into recovery mode

First of all, make sure you are connected to the Internet (open Safari and browse). An Internet connection is required to install Mac OS X. Restart your Mac by clicking on Apple> Restart and holding the Command and R keys until the Recovery Mode utility window appears.

Step 6: removing the disk

Select "Disk Utility" and click "Continue". Now select your main runlevel (commonly referred to as Macintosh HD in the sidebar on the left and click Disable. Now select the Erase tab and click Erase to erase the hard drive. Note that this will permanently erase all data on the hard drive so don’t do this unless you have cloned a disk or are happy to never get something from that disk again. When finished, exit the program by selecting Disk Utility and Quit Disk Utility.

Step 7: choose "Reinstall Mac OS X"

Now click on "Reinstall OS X" and continue following the instructions on the screen. This will download and install a blank copy of Mac OS X Yosemite on the Mac. However, do not enter your Apple ID and password during setup; Allow the person buying the Mac (if so) to complete the setup process itself.

MacBook Pro or MacBook Air sometimes crashes. The same thing often happens with software. In both situations, it becomes necessary to return to the original settings. In general, Mac OS is stable, but even it is not immune from troubles. Anything can happen.

In a MacBook situation, a factory reset involves a complete reinstallation of the system. This will erase all data. The device will become empty, as if you just purchased it. Therefore, before performing a full reset, a backup is required. It is advisable to save a copy on a separate medium. The operation itself is simple, but a stable network connection is required. How to reset your MacBook to factory settings - see this manual.

Most experienced iOS device owners probably make copies regularly. But if you forgot about this important procedure, start it immediately. Only after completion can you click on the reset item.

Why is backup so important? Yes, simply because if you do not keep a copy of all the data that is important to you, then in the future you will not be able to return it. That is, you will irrevocably lose your data.

The Apple company recommends checking for updates first, and then updating and connecting the device to a PC / laptop to create a copy manually. Or you can do even easier - enter the "cloud", and the service itself will do its job.

Mac OS reinstallation method

Make sure the network is connected before performing a factory reset. The MacBook also needs to be connected to the network. Further, the algorithm of actions will be as follows:

  • We send the device to reboot.
  • In the process, we clamp the set of elements Cmnd + R.
  • We are waiting for the download of the recovery mode operating system.
  • Select the disk utility section in the utilities window.
  • Select the boot disk and move on to the additional erase section.
  • Select the operating system from the selected disk and confirm its erasure.
  • When formatting is complete, return to the utilities section.
  • We select the point of reinstalling the operating system.

Further, the download of the operating system will take place fully automatically through the network. After that, following the instructions on the display, you can re-install the operating system. This operation will not take much time. The main thing is to monitor the stability of the network connection. A sudden rupture can occur due to the battery running out of charge, which will cause trouble.

Even ahead of time, it would be good to attend to the creation of a bootable USB flash drive. Or a disk - if it came in the original configuration. And to create a backup from the hard drive, you can use external software.

Factory reset: steps

Sometimes problems with the "braking" of the device are easily solved by resetting the system settings and eliminating errors. Usually this method is suitable when there are problems with the download speed of the system. If this method turns out to be useful, then a factory reset is not required. Of course, knowing how to do it is essential - just in case.

So, to reset, we perform the following steps:

  • Turn off the MacBook.
  • Clamp the set of elements Cmnd + Opt + P + R (including the battery).
  • We keep all this from the moment when the sounds of the switch-on will play two times.
  • We check the download speed and system settings.

That's all. But if the problem persists, try resetting to the original settings.

Password characters are required to log into the PC. It can also be requested when installing some software. And these symbols are generated during the initial setup of the PC. Also, the password can be generated when adding a new account. However, the situation when the owner of an iOS device does not remember the password characters and log in is quite common.

If this happened to you, try returning the password through:

  • Recovery procedure via ID.
  • Using a boot disk.
  • Reset by means of recovery mode.

And the very first thing to do in such an unpleasant situation is to refer to the hint about the set password symbols. Maybe it will work out, return it yourself? For this purpose, deliberately incorrect characters are hammered in three times, and then the hint recorded by the owner of the MacBook (or other "apple" device) will pop up on the display.


We work with Apple ID

How the operation of resetting password characters via ID is performed is described in detail on the company's technical support resource. On operating systems from version 10 and older, the system is tied to an ID, therefore, at the step of setting up a PC, it is better to check the box next to the password reset section using your ID.

You need to drive in the wrong password characters three times. After the system will be prompted to perform a recovery (a prompt will also pop up). You will need to give consent, drive in the identifier and click on the password reset section. A new set of keys will be generated, but the old one will not disappear anywhere. But if you ever remember your old password, you can use it without any problems.

Using a boot element

To change the password characters through the boot disk, you will need access to it. Modern lines of MacBooks are not equipped with such in principle. So this method is only for those owners of "apple" laptops who had a disk and did not go anywhere. You can also prepare a bootable USB flash drive in advance in case of any troubles during cleaning.

You can drop the password in this way through the following steps:

  • We insert the disc.
  • When loading the PC, hold down the "C" element.
  • We are waiting for the installer to appear.
  • We open the utilities section.
  • Choose "Password Reset".
  • We stop on the disk with the system and the user profile on which you want to reset.
  • We drive in "resetpassword".
  • Click on "Enter".
  • We drive in new password characters.

Now you can safely reboot the device and generate new password characters.

Turning to MacBook recovery mode

The procedure for resetting macbook password characters through recovery mode does not require binding to an ID or installation disk. The algorithm of actions will be as follows:

  • During the reboot, hold down the Command + R set of elements.
  • Wait for the transition to the recovery mode.
  • Select the bootloader language.
  • Go to the terminal section using the utility panel.
  • Driving in (double) new characters in the pop-up window.
  • Confirmation of the change of characters.

Shutting down or restarting your Apple iMac resets the contents of memory, including items copied to the clipboard and leftover operating system data and other software. A special form of memory called non-volatile memory, or NVRAM, stores your iMac's startup parameters. To reboot the system and restore factory settings, you need to reset the NVRAM.

If you need to restore your iMac to its original configuration or delete sensitive personal and business data, such as preparing your computer for sale, restart your iMac using the system recovery utilities built into Mac OS. In addition, this may be required if you want to take the computer to a service center to replace the drive http://applefix.ua/service/zamena-cd-privoda-na-imac, or any other repair.

To return your computer to factory settings, follow a simple step-by-step guide.

Reset NVRAM

  1. Open the Apple menu and choose "Restart". A dialog box appears with a minute countdown timer, and the option to cancel or restart the process. If you let the countdown timer run to zero, your iMac will automatically restart.
  2. Press and hold the Command and Option keys, along with the P and R, until a gray screen appears on the monitor.
  3. Continue to hold down the four key combination until your system executes this command and restarts the system again. Release the keys and let your computer finish the restart procedure.

OS X recovery

  • Make sure your computer can access the Internet. The OS X Recovery feature wipes your hard drive and reinstalls a fresh copy of OS X, restoring your computer to factory settings. The process requires a high speed internet connection.
  • Open the Apple menu and choose "Restart". A dialog box appears with a minute countdown timer. Give it a chance to count to the end, your MAC will automatically reboot.
  • Press and hold the Command button and the R KEY. You must hold them while your monitor is displaying a gray screen. Release them when the Apple logo appears.
  • Click on the "Disk Utility" button in the Mac OS X Utilities window that appears after you restart your computer. Click on the "Continue" button at the bottom of the window.
  • The system will notify you that the installer will send MAC configuration information to the Apple server to ensure that your computer can run on the OS you intend to install. Click on the "Continue" button in the dialog box.
  • Run "Disk Utility" from the set of options that appear after confirmation. Select your startup disk from the list of available disks and partitions on the left side of the Disk Utility interface. Go to the Erase tab.
  • Install the Extended (Journaled) format for Mac OS. Rename the boot disk, (the default will be “Macintosh HD”), which will appear on the new system. Click on the "Delete" button to start the process. When prompted, enter your Apple ID and password. The installer will download the required data and reinstall.

The NVRAM settings include the date and time that you need to set in your system settings, the time zone, the hard drive that will be used as the boot drive, the screen resolution, and the sound system setting. In addition, you can set the speed of double-clicking the mouse and the speed of its movement.

After resetting NVRAM, your PC may lose data on which disk to use as a boot disk. To avoid startup problems, open the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, and choose Startup Disk from the options menu. In the settings panel Boot disk, re-select the boot drive by clicking on the icon that represents it.

Quite often, Mac users are faced with the following problem - how to return the computer to factory settings, resetting all user information, and reinstall the operating system "clean". Instructions for this process are presented below.

Mac, like most other devices from Apple, is designed for personal use. And this means that usually computer owners fine-tune the system for themselves and another user will not be entirely comfortable working with it. If there is a need to completely get rid of the existing data and settings, then you need to follow the simple steps described below.

Clean install macOS: preliminary steps

IMPORTANT: Before you clean install (reinstall, flash, factory reset) your Mac, be sure to check:

  • Is the Mac tied to yours and not to someone else
  • Do you remember the credentials (login and password) of your Apple ID. You can check, for example, by logging in on this page (from a computer).

The fact is that in case the function was activated on the Mac (located along the way: System settingsiCloud), then after reinstalling the system (resetting to factory settings), the system will ask you to enter the Apple ID to which the device is linked.

ON THIS TOPIC:

How to factory reset Macbook, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro (how to reinstall macOS)

Boot Mac into Recovery Mode

1. Make sure you have an internet connection (to install macOS later), as well as an electrical connection in the case of a MacBook.

Attention! Further actions will lead to the complete deletion of ALL data on the Mac - save the necessary information on an external medium in advance;

2. Restart your computer (or turn it on if it was turned off) using the menu  → Reload;

3. During the reboot process, press and hold the keyboard shortcut that suits you best:

⌘Cmd + R- installing the version of macOS that was running on the computer before the problems occurred. Those. your Mac will install exactly the same version as before.

⌥Option (Alt) + ⌘Cmd + R- update to the latest macOS version your Mac is compatible with. For example, if the Mac was running on High Sierra, and the breakdown occurred after the final macOS Mojave build was released, the system will download and install Mojave from the Web.

⇧Shift + ⌥Option (Alt) + ⌘Cmd + R- installation of the version of macOS that was originally installed on the computer (or the closest available version to it).

Note: macOS Sierra 10.12.4 or higher is required.

4 ... Then the window “ MacOS Utilities "(May be referred to as macOS Utilities on versions below macOS High Sierra). Here you need to choose " Disk Utility " and click " Proceed";

1 ... Select in Disk Utility your drive in the menu on the left (usually the Macintosh HD, it's at the very top).

2 ... Click on the inscription First aid.

3 ... Click on Run... The application will check the boot disk for "health status", ie. performance and will correct any errors. This process may take some time.

4 ... After completing the check, press Done.

Erasing a boot disk

1. In the application Disk utility, select a verified boot disk, go to the section "Erase"(at the top of the screen);

2. On the menu "Format" select APFS (for computers with macOS Sierra and older OS, select Mac OS Extended) and press " Erase ";


3. When the disk formatting process is complete, click " Complete" to exit Disk Utilities.

Reinstalling the macOS Operating System (Factory Reset)

Reinstall macOS using the appropriate item (screenshot below) and follow the instructions. The latest version of macOS will be downloaded from the Internet and the process of reinstalling macOS will begin. During this time, the computer may restart.

Note: if you install from scratch, you will have to re-configure your Mac and program settings.

Fair, not overpriced or understated. There should be prices on the Service website. Necessarily! without "asterisks", it is clear and detailed, where it is technically possible - the most accurate, final.

With the availability of spare parts, up to 85% of complex repairs can be completed in 1-2 days. Modular repairs take much less time. The website lists the approximate duration of any repairs.

Warranty and liability

Any repairs must be guaranteed. Everything is described on the website and in the documents. The guarantee is self-confidence and respect for you. A 3-6 month warranty is good and sufficient. It is needed to check quality and hidden defects that cannot be detected immediately. You see honest and realistic terms (not 3 years), you can be sure that they will help you.

Half of the success in Apple repair is the quality and reliability of spare parts, so a good service works with suppliers directly, there are always several reliable channels and a warehouse with proven spare parts of current models so that you do not have to waste extra time.

Free diagnostics

This is very important and has already become a good form for the service center. Diagnostics is the most difficult and important part of the repair, but you shouldn't pay a dime for it, even if you don't repair the device as a result.

Repair in service and delivery

A good service appreciates your time, which is why it offers free shipping. And for the same reason, repairs are carried out only in the workshop of the service center: correctly and according to technology, it can only be done at a prepared place.

Convenient schedule

If the Service works for you, and not for itself, then it is always open! absolutely. The schedule should be convenient so that you can be in time before and after work. Good service works both on weekends and on holidays. We are waiting for you and working on your devices every day: 9:00 - 21:00

The reputation of professionals consists of several points

Age and experience of the company

Reliable and experienced service has been known for a long time.
If a company has been on the market for many years, and it has managed to establish itself as an expert, people turn to it, write about it, recommend it. We know what we are talking about, since 98% of incoming devices in the SC are being restored.
We are trusted and passed on by other service centers for difficult cases.

How many masters in directions

If you are always waiting for several engineers for each type of equipment, you can be sure:
1. there will be no queue (or it will be minimal) - your device will be taken over immediately.
2. You are handing over your Macbook to a Mac repair expert. He knows all the secrets of these devices

Technical literacy

If you ask a question, a specialist must answer it as accurately as possible.
So that you have an idea of ​​what exactly you need.
They will try to solve the problem. In most cases, the description tells you what happened and how to fix the problem.