Resetting your MacBook Pro to its original factory settings can be useful if you are selling or giving away your computer, or if you are experiencing performance issues. Resetting deletes all data and restores the MacBook Pro to the state it was in when you first took it out of the box. This process is also known as a factory reset.
When should I reset my MacBook Pro?
Here are some common situations when performing a factory reset on your MacBook Pro can be useful:
- You are selling or giving away your MacBook Pro – Wiping the computer will delete all of your personal data and applications.
- You are experiencing performance problems – Resetting can help eliminate software issues causing crashes, slowdowns, or bugs.
- You want to start over from scratch – Factory resetting erases all data and customization on the MacBook Pro.
Resetting deletes all files, applications, accounts, and settings, including your user account and any macOS customization. It’s important to backup any data you want to keep before resetting your MacBook Pro.
How to backup your MacBook Pro
Before wiping your MacBook Pro, be sure to properly backup your data. Here are some options for backing up your files:
- Time Machine – Time Machine is the built-in macOS backup utility. It automatically saves copies of your data to an external hard drive.
- Cloud storage – Services like iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive allow you to backup files to the cloud.
- External drive – Manually copy important files to an external hard drive or flash drive.
- Data migration software – Use data migration apps like Migration Assistant to transfer files to another computer.
Double check that your important files, documents, photos and other data are saved elsewhere before resetting your MacBook Pro. Otherwise, they will be permanently deleted.
How to wipe a MacBook Pro
Here are the steps to fully erase and reset a MacBook Pro to factory settings:
- Backup your MacBook Pro – As mentioned above, properly backup all important data before wiping.
- Sign out of Apple services – Sign out of iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime and other Apple services and accounts.
- Restart your Mac – From the Apple menu, choose Restart.
- Erase your disk – On startup, your Mac will display the macOS Utilities window. Select Disk Utility, click Continue, select your disk from the left sidebar, press Erase, enter a name, select Mac OS Extended format, then press Erase.
- Reinstall macOS – After wiping the disk, quit Disk Utility, then choose Reinstall macOS from the Utilities window and follow the prompts to reinstall the operating system.
- Set up your Mac – The Setup Assistant will launch. Follow the instructions to set up macOS from scratch as a new MacBook Pro.
This process will completely erase your MacBook Pro then reinstall a fresh copy of macOS from Apple’s servers. Your MacBook Pro will be like new again!
How to erase specific data from a MacBook Pro
If you just want to selectively erase certain data or accounts from your MacBook Pro, here are some options:
- Reset user account – From System Preferences > Users & Groups you can delete a user account to erase all associated files and settings.
- Sign out of account – Sign out of accounts in apps like Safari, Mail, Messages to delete account data.
- Clear browser history – Use the Clear History menu option in Safari or other browsers to delete visited sites, searches, cookies and more.
- Empty trash – Permanently delete files by emptying the Trash.
- factory resetting erases all data and customization on the MacBook Pro.
For individual documents and files, you can manually select and delete them as needed. Use the Finder to locate files and drag them to the Trash.
Also make sure to look for and remove any online backups of files you want to erase by deleting them from associated cloud storage accounts and external drives.
How to factory reset a MacBook Pro using Recovery Mode
For a more thorough factory reset, you can also boot your MacBook Pro into Recovery Mode and restore the operating system’s original factory settings.
Here are the steps to factory reset with Recovery Mode:
- Backup your MacBook Pro – Backup all important data before wiping the computer.
- Restart your Mac – From the Apple menu, choose Restart.
- Enter Recovery Mode – After restarting, hold down Command+R keys simultaneously until you see the Recovery screen appear.
- Select Reinstall macOS – Choose the option to reinstall or restore macOS from the Utilities window.
- Erase your disk first – In the installer, select Disk Utility and erase your disk before reinstalling macOS.
- Reinstall macOS – After erasing, quit Disk Utility. Click Reinstall macOS and follow prompts to restore original factory settings.
- Set up MacBook Pro – The Setup Assistant will launch. Follow instructions to set up your wiped MacBook Pro as a new device.
Recovery Mode boots your Mac into a special troubleshooting environment. From there, you can fully erase and reinstall the operating system to reset everything.
How to reset a MacBook Pro without password
If you forgot your MacBook Pro login password and cannot access the computer, you can still factory reset by following these steps:
- Enter Recovery Mode – On restart, hold Command+R until Recovery screen appears.
- Unlock with Apple ID – At the macOS Utilities screen, select Disk Utility. When prompted, enter your Apple ID to unlock the computer.
- Erase your disk – In Disk Utility, select your disk, press Erase, then choose Mac OS Extended format.
- Reinstall macOS – Quit Disk Utility, choose Reinstall macOS and follow prompts to restore MacBook Pro.
- Create a new account – The Setup Assistant will open. Create a new administrator account and password to reset the MacBook Pro.
Even without your password, your Apple ID allows you to unlock the Macbook Pro in Recovery Mode and erase the disk. This lets you factory reset the device and set a new password.
How to reset a MacBook Pro with Apple FileVault enabled
Apple FileVault encrypts all user data on a MacBook Pro for added security. If FileVault is enabled, take these steps to factory reset:
- Enter Recovery Mode – On restart, hold Command+R until the Recovery screen appears.
- Select Disk Utility – Go to Disk Utility from the macOS Utilities menu.
- Turn off FileVault – In Disk Utility, select the disk icon at left. Choose the FileVault tab and turn off encryption.
- Erase your disk – With FileVault disabled, select your disk name again. Press Erase to wipe the drive.
- Reinstall macOS – Quit Disk Utility, select Reinstall macOS and follow prompts to restore the MacBook Pro.
With FileVault enabled, you need to first decrypt the disk before it can be erased. Turn off encryption in Recovery Mode, then factory reset as usual.
How long does a MacBook Pro reset take?
The time it takes to fully reset a MacBook Pro depends on a few factors:
- Erase time – Erasing the hard drive takes 15-60 minutes depending on disk size and speed.
- Reinstall time – Downloading and installing a new macOS copy takes about 20-45 minutes typically.
- Setup time – The new user account Setup Assistant process takes about 5-15 minutes.
In total, expect the whole factory reset process to take between 45 minutes to over 2 hours from start to finish. An SSD drive will be much faster than an older HDD model. The reinstall part also depends on your internet speeds.
Tips for resetting your MacBook Pro
Here are some useful tips to keep in mind when wiping your MacBook Pro:
- Reset from Recovery Mode for best results.
- Use a wired internet connection for faster reinstall.
- Double check backups – data will be deleted!
- Sign out of Apple services before erasing.
- Update to the latest macOS beforehand.
- Disable Find My Mac and FileVault encryption.
- If selling, obtain proof of deletion certificate.
Following these best practices will help ensure the reset process goes smoothly and safely. Take your time and be careful when wiping your MacBook Pro!
FAQs about resetting a MacBook Pro
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about resetting a MacBook Pro:
Does factory reset delete everything?
Yes, a factory reset will delete all user files, applications, accounts, settings, customization, and restore the original macOS software. Be sure to backup first.
Can I reset without losing data?
No, there is no way to factory reset a MacBook Pro without deleting all data. You must backup files you want to keep.
Will reset improve performance?
Resetting can potentially help improve performance by removing accumulated data and fixing software issues. But hardware problems would remain untouched.
How do I restore after resetting?
You can use a full Time Machine backup to restore specific files and settings after resetting. Sign into Apple services to sync account data again.
Can I reset if I forgot my password?
Yes, by entering Recovery Mode you can factory reset a MacBook Pro without your password by erasing the drive.
Is there a way to recover erased files?
No, files deleted from a reset MacBook Pro cannot be recovered unless you have a backup. That’s why backing up beforehand is essential.
Conclusion
Completely wiping and resetting your MacBook Pro erases all data but can fix issues and restore performance. Make sure to fully backup your files first and use Recovery Mode for the most thorough reset.
After resetting, you’ll need to reinstall applications and restore your data from backup. Take time to cleanup your MacBook Pro before selling or disposing. With proper precautions, resetting can make your MacBook Pro good as new!