How to Erase Your Mac Without Reinstalling the OS
Sometimes you need to restart your Mac to fix things. Perhaps it’s too slow for your liking, or you’re dealing with an annoying software glitch.
Of course, the process of resetting and reinstalling the entire macOS operating system from scratch may seem daunting. Previously, you had to have a disk, a USB drive, or wait for hours for the macOS Recovery Assistant to re-download the entire macOS installation file. But now, with the release of the latest versions of macOS, everything has changed. You can erase your Mac and restart it just like you do with an iPhone or iPad, without having to restart the entire OS.
Is your Mac supported?
If you have a modern Mac, this will likely work for you. All Apple Macs with Apple Silicon (M1, M2 and M3) are supported. Even older Intel Macs with the Apple T2 security chip are supported (all models from 2017 to 2019).
On the software side, this feature is supported starting with macOS Monterey . However, when Apple released macOS Ventura with the new System Preferences app, the way the feature works changed a bit. Below we’ll share steps that work for macOS Ventura, macOS Sonoma , and later. Before you do this, we recommend that you first update your macOS software by going to System Settings > General > Software Update . And above all, be sure to take a complete backup of all important data.
How to Erase and Restart Your Mac Without Reinstalling macOS
Now that you are ready, let’s get started with the process itself. When you wipe your Mac, Apple will automatically sign you out of your Apple ID, FaceTime, and also delete your Touch ID fingerprint data.
First, open the System Preferences app on your Mac and select General from the sidebar. Here, open Transfer or reset , click the Erase all content and settings button , and sign in using your account password.
The Erase Assistant will open in a new window. Here, select your primary administrator account if you have more than one. The Mac will now tell you that your account and all associated data, such as login information, files, and biometrics, are ready to be deleted. Click Continue and watch as macOS closes all open applications, restarts, and cleans up your Mac.
The steps are slightly different for macOS Monterey because this feature is hidden. Open the System Preferences app, then click the System Preferences drop-down in the menu bar and select the Erase all content and settings option to open the Erase Assistant. Then follow the instructions to erase your Mac.