How to Wipe a Mac Clean

This wikiHow teaches you how to delete all the data, files, applications, and settings on your Mac computer.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

OS X 10.7 or Later

  1. Image titled Wipe a Mac Clean Step 1
    1
    Back up any data you want to save. Wiping your Mac will erase everything, including your operating system, so keeping a backup on an external hard drive or DVD is a good idea.[1]
  2. Image titled Wipe a Mac Clean Step 2
    2
    Open the Apple menu. It's the black apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
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    Click on Restart…. It's near the bottom of the menu.
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    4
    Click Restart to confirm. This immediately shuts down and reboots your Mac.
    • Wait for your Mac to shut down.
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    Press and hold ⌘+R as the Mac restarts.
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    6
    Release the keys when you see the Apple logo. The "macOS Utilities" window will appear.
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    Click on Disk Utility. It's at the bottom of the list.
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    Click on Continue. It's in the lower-right corner of the window.
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    Click on your Mac's hard drive. It's in the upper-left of the window, under "Internal."
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    Click on Erase. It's a button at the top-center of the window.
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    Name your disk. Type it in the "Name:" field.
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    Click on the "Format:" drop-down menu.
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    Select a format. To reinstall a MacOS system, select:
    • Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for the fastest wipe.
    • Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) to encrypt the disk after wiping.
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    14
    Click on Erase. It's in the lower-right corner of the dialog box. The wipe process will begin.
    • The time to erase your disk will vary based on disk size, the amount of data stored, and whether your chose an encrypted format.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

OS X 10.6 or Earlier

  1. Image titled Wipe a Mac Clean Step 15
    1
    Back up any data you want to save. Wiping your Mac will erase everything, including your operating system, so keeping a backup on an external hard drive or DVD is a good idea.
  2. Image titled Wipe a Mac Clean Step 16
    2
    Insert your installation disc. Insert the installation DVD or CD that came with your computer into the computer's disc drive and wait for the computer to recognize the disc.
    • If you are using a USB drive instead of an installation disc, insert the USB drive.
  3. Image titled Wipe a Mac Clean Step 17
    3
    Open the Apple menu. It's the black apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
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    4
    Click on Restart…. It's near the bottom of the menu.
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    5
    Click Restart to confirm. This immediately shuts down and reboots your Mac.
    • Wait for your Mac to shut down.
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    6
    Press and hold C as the Mac restarts.
    • If you are using a USB drive instead of an installation disc, hold down ⌥ Option instead.
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    7
    Open Disk Utility. It's located in the "Utilities" section of the Installation menu.
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    8
    Click on your Mac's hard drive. It's in the upper-left of the window, under "Internal."
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    9
    Click the Erase tab. It's at the top of the page.
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    10
    Name your disk. Type it in the "Name:" field.
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    11
    Click on the "Format:" drop-down menu.
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    12
    Select a format. If you plan to reinstall OS X, select: Mac OS X Extended (Journaled).
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    13
    Click on Erase. It's in the lower-right corner of the dialog box. The wipe process will begin.
    • The time to erase your disk will vary based on disk size and the amount of data that was stored on your hard drive.
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Expert Q&A

  • Question
    How do you make sure there's no data left on your computer?
    Luigi Oppido
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.
    Luigi Oppido
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Do a secure erase under your Disk Utility. Instead of just marking files for deletion, that will write over the hard drive with a series of ones and zeros at the machine level.
  • Question
    What should I do - when I turn on my Mac, nothing is left, only the drive?
    Lucian Lees
    Lucian Lees
    Community Answer
    You didn't re-install OSX. You have to go to Safari (default app on a Mac), and get a browser, like Chrome. Go to the Command+R menu, and click Re-Install OSX.
  • Question
    Will this not affect my other laptop which has the same data?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If the data is located/stored in the cloud, and the laptop is not accessing the data directly from the cleaned Mac, the other laptop should not be affected.
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References

  1. ↑ Luigi Oppido. Computer & Tech Specialist. Expert Interview. 24 February 2021.
  2. ↑ Luigi Oppido. Computer & Tech Specialist. Expert Interview. 24 February 2021.

About This Article

Luigi Oppido
Co-authored by:
Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
This article was co-authored by Luigi Oppido. Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years. This article has been viewed 1,056,257 times.
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Co-authors: 24
Updated: March 29, 2021
Views: 1,056,257
Categories: System Maintenance and Repair | Mac
Article SummaryX

1. Restart your Mac.
2. Press Command Key + R as it restarts.
3. Run Disk Utility.
4. Select a drive.
5. Click Erase.
6. Name the drive and select a format.
7. Click Erase.

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