• These two methods can help you wipe a Mac hard drive volume (other than the system volume) or physical external hard drive with DoD 5220.22-M standard. Thus, if you want to permanently delete or secure erase individual or only a few selected files from Mac drives, skip to the last steps to permanently delete files on Mac with secure file.
• Restart a Mac and hold down Command-R after the startup chime sounds, and the computer boots into the recovery mode. Select Disk Utility from the startup menu, and you can erase your startup drive.

• How To Wipe Out A Mac
• How To Wipe A Mac Clean
• How To Completely Wipe A Mac Hard Drives
• How To Wipe A Mac Hard Drive Completely

You can erase your computer’s hard drive usingseveral methods. But keep in mind that when you wipe your computer hard drive,you will be resetting your device to its factory settings. You will be removingall the information on the drive. When you reboot your computer, you will beable to use it again as if it were new.

Restart a Mac and hold down Command-R after the startup chime sounds, and the computer boots into the recovery mode. Select Disk Utility from the startup menu, and you can erase your startup drive. Wait for the macOS Utilities screen to appear, then click Disk Utility. Choose your Mac's system drive, usually named Macintosh HD, then click Erase. Select the Format option Mac Extended.

Note: Wiping a hard drive is not the same as deleting your files or formatting a drive. These are completely different processes. To be on the safe side, you should back up your files. Save your files, photos, videos, and documents in an extra drive or to the cloud. You should also save your software product keys.

How to Wipe a Windows Hard Drive

Sharpdesk network scanner tool v3.31 for windows 7. This method will allow you to wipe your PC computerby doing a reset.

1. Click on the Start button. This is the button located in the bottom left corner of your screen with the Windows logo.
2. Go to Settings.
3. In the Settings panel, go to Update and Security.
4. Then select Recovery from the left sidebar.
5. Next, select Get Started under Reset this PC.
6. Select Remove Everything from the pop-up. If you choose this option, your hard drive will be cleaned of all files, programs, and settings.
7. Then select “Just remove my files” to verify the command.

   Note: This process will not remove your Windows operating system. If you select the “Remove my files and clean my drive” option, you will be removing the OS as well.

8. Finally, select Reset. This will begin the process of wiping your hard drive. When this process is completed, you will be able to log into your Windows computer as a new user.

How to Reset and Erase a Mac Computer SSD Drive

For Mac users, the following steps show you howto wipe your hard drive clean.

1. Restart your Mac. You can do this by holding down the power button or by going to the Apple menu and selecting restart.
2. Hold down the Command + R keys while your Mac is restarting. When the Apple logo appears, you can release the keys.
3. Click Disc Utility. Select continue by the bottom right area of the screen.
4. Click View > Show All Devices.
5. Select your Mac’s drive and then click Erase. This will be the highest option in the device tree.
6. Click Erase and fill in the name, format, and Scheme.
   • Name: You can choose any name you want, but it’s recommended to name the disk something generic.
   • Format: You can choose either APFS (Apple File System) or macOS Extended (Journaled). The Disk Utility will show the compatible format by default. Most older computers will be Journaled, while most modern laptops that come with solid-state drives (SSD) are APFS-formatted.
   • Scheme: Choose GUID Partition Map.
7. Select Erase by the bottom right corner of the screen. This step will start the process of wiping your Mac’s hard drive. This process will take a few hours, so make sure that your Mac is plugged in.
8. When prompted, click Done.
9. You can now reinstall your OS to the computer.

If your Mac is not using an SSD, you can eraseyour hard drive by following the steps below: https://truelfil800.weebly.com/sqlpro-studio-1-0-172-powerful-database-manager-training.html.

1. Follow steps 1-4 from the previous guide.
2. Select the HDD drive of your Mac and click Erase.
3. Go to Security Options by the lower part of the screen.
4. Select the Most Secure option and click OK.
5. By the lower right side of the screen, click Erase. This will start the process of wiping the hard drive. This process will take several hours to finish.
6. When prompted, click Done.

Any of the processes above will erase your computer’s hard drive. If you wish to reinstall your OS, check out our guide on how to install a Windows or Mac operating system.

If you want to learn how to reinstall Windows, check out our previous article here.

How To Wipe Out A Mac

WhatsaByte may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.

If you’re selling your computer or trading it in for something newer, you’ll probably want to wipe your hard drive.

After all, you don’t want to give it to its new owner with all your pictures and documents on it — or lose those things!

But how do you wipe it? How do you erase everything on your Mac and restore it to factory settings, so the next person gets a clean computer with none of your documents?

We’ve got all the answers right here!

Read on to find out how.

Jump To:

Backup Your Computer Using Time Machine

Before you even think about wiping your hard drive, make sure that you have everything backed up.

After all, even if you don’t want the computer anymore, you probably want all of the stuff on it. Mac hdmi ps4.

Fugees the score album free mp3 download. And once you restore your computer to factory settings, all your photos, videos, documents, and downloads are going to be gone.

Whether you’re getting rid of the computer or wiping your hard drive to fix an error, the best way to back up your Mac is to use Time Machine.

Essentially, this is a tool that Apple created to help people create a “copy” of their computer that could be accessed at a later date.

Read Related Article: Hard Disk Drive vs. Solid-State Drive (SSD)

Here’s how you use it to back up your computer:

1. Open System Preferences, located on the Apple Menu bar.

2. Select the Time Machine icon in the System Preferences folder.

3. Click Select Backup Disk, located in the top-middle of the window.

4. Choose the disk you’d like to use to back up your computer. Typically, you’ll want to plug in an external hard drive and select that. This will create a copy of your internal hard drive and write it onto the external one.
5. It’s a good idea to do this regularly even if you don’t plan on wiping your hard drive. By plugging in an external HD and backing everything up to Time Machine on a regular basis, you’ll create a copy of it that you can use in case you lose your data for any reason (it happens, believe us).
6. If you’d prefer not to use Time Machine for any reason, you can use alternative methods. For example, you can use iCloud or another cloud storage solution to store all of your files online.

Click here to learn how to back up your computer to iCloud.

Deauthorize Your iTunes Account

If your iTunes account is connected to your computer, then the next owner will be able to access it.

So, you need to deauthorize the account. That way, your account will no longer be linked to the machine.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Open iTunes on your computer

2. Select Account from the options on the Menu bar.
3. Scroll down to Authorizations and select Deauthorize This Computer.

4. iTunes will ask you for your Apple ID and your password. Once you enter that, it will give you the option to Deauthorize your account. Click that, and you’re all set.

Log Out of iCloud and iMessage

Similar to iTunes, you have to sign out of your iCloud account, too. Otherwise, the next owner may be able to access it.

Luckily, it’s pretty simple.

Here’s what you do:

1. Select System Preferences from the Menu bar.
2. Click on the iCloud icon.

3. Click the Sign Out option on the bottom-left side of the window.

Once you do that, you’ll be signed out!

Reformat Your Hard Drive Disk (HDD)

“Reformatting” is a fancy tech word for wiping the hard drive clean and reinstalling the operating system. Once you reformat it, everything will be gone, and the computer will be restored to factory settings.

The first step in the reformatting process is erasing the drive.

You can erase your computer by using the Disk Utility feature in any version of Mac OS.

Here’s how you do it.

1. Turn your computer off entirely.
2. Boot it up again by pressing and holding the power button, just like you would if you were starting it up for normal use.
3. This time, however, you want to hold the command and R keys down simultaneously. Press and hold them as soon as you hit the power button.
4. An Apple logo should appear on your screen. Once that appears, you can let go of the buttons.
5. The Apple logo should be followed by a Mac OS X Utilities Menu with several different options. Select Disk Utility (it’s a little hard drive with a stethoscope) from the Menu and click Continue.

   Screenshot via Macworl

6. Once you enter the Disk Utility, you’ll have to select the drive you want to erase.

In this case, you’ll want to choose Macintosh HD to wipe the entire drive.

7. Then, click the Erase button at the bottom of the window.

Note: The Erase option will only appear as a clickable button when the computer is booted up using the command + R keys. If you attempt to reformat your hard drive after starting your computer as you normally would, this option won’t be clickable.

8. Once you click the Erase button, you’ll have the opportunity to choose from a range of different security options. The security options window contains a sliding bar that allows you to select the comprehensiveness of the erasure.

There are four different levels you can choose from, ranging from fastest to slowest. If you select the slowest option, you’ll erase the maximal amount of data. But, the process takes a little longer.

If you choose the fastest option, however, the process goes quite quickly. But, the data is not removed as thoroughly (and could be restored through a file recovery application).

9. After you’ve determined the level at which you want to erase your computer, click Erase. The operating system will proceed with the erasing process.

Read Article: Apple Watch Review (Full Breakdown)

How to Secure Erase a Mac SSD

Newer MacBooks don’t have a traditional hard disk drive. Instead, they have a solid state drive or SSD.

Now, the process for wiping your solid state drive is the same as erasing a hard drive.

So, if you want to clean it, go ahead and follow the steps outlined in the section above.

It’s important to note, however, that erasing an SSD completely is not recommended.

Here’s why:

Solid state drives can only be rewritten a certain number of times. In other words, the more times you rewrite your drive, the worse it’s going to function.

So, even if you reformat your drive just once, you may notice that it functions slightly worse afterward.

Of course, there may be cases in which you have no choice but to erase your drive. If you’re getting rid of your Mac, for example, and you want to be sure that every tiny bit of data is wiped clean from it, then you’ll probably want to erase it.

But, if you’re erasing the entire thing with the intention of restoring it afterwards — don’t.

It’s going to do more harm than good. You can either erase as many files as possible on your own or take it to the Apple store directly (provided that it’s still under warranty) and ask them to help you with whatever problem you’re experiencing.

Read Article: The 5 Best Gaming Monitors of 2018

Don’t know if your computer has a solid state drive or not?

Here’s how to figure it out:

1. Press the F4 key on your keyboard (the one with the six little squares on it).
2. Select the Other icon.

3. Click the System Information icon.

4. Select the ATA option from the Hardware drop-down menu on the left side of the window.

5. A profile of your device should appear on the right-hand side of the window.
6. Look for the row that reads “Model.” The corresponding product number should have either an HDD or an SSD in it.

These letters will let you know whether your device is equipped with a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

You should approach the erasure process accordingly.

Reinstall the Mac OS

The second half of the reformatting process is the reinstallation of the operating system.

When you erase your data, you also delete the OS that allows you to use the computer.

So, you’ve got to install it again if you want the computer to work.

Even if you’re selling the computer to someone else, it’s a nice courtesy to reinstall it beforehand so that they don’t have to do it themselves. After all, not everyone will be able to figure out how.

Here’s what you do:

1. You’ll need internet access to do this. It’s going to be impossible otherwise, so make sure that the wifi connection is turned on.
2. Boot the computer up by pressing the power button.
3. Hold command + R, the same way you did when you erased your drive.
4. Let go once the Apple logo appears.
5. In the Mac OS Utilities Menu, select Reinstall MacOS.

6. Click Continue.
7. You may need to enter your Apple ID upon installation. Only do this if you intend to use the computer yourself. If you plan on selling it or handing it off to another person, you can end the process here.
8. Once the installation is done, you’ll be free to start using your freshly-cleaned Mac.

FAQS

Can you reset a MacBook without losing data?

The only way to reset your computer without losing data is to back it up first. Once you’ve erased your hard drive, that data is gone.

You might be able to use a recovery app to restore your files if you ran a fast, low-level erasure. But most of the time, the data is completely cleared from the device.

Do you have to wipe a Mac’s hard drive before you sell it?

No law says you have to. But it’s smart. Unless you erase it (and erase it thoroughly), the next owner could get access to your files.

Can you erase your hard drive and keep the same programs?

Once you reinstall the OS, your computer will be loaded with all of the programs that come with that software. Any programs you installed on your own before erasing the drive will be gone.

Of course, if you’ve backed up your drive, you can reinstall them using Time Machine.

Can you wipe a Mac without the password?

No. To erase the hard drive, you’ll have to enter the owner’s Apple ID and password. Otherwise, you will not have the option to wipe the drive.

Can you install Windows on a Mac after you erase it?

Yes. You can use Boot Camp to install Windows on your Apple computer if you’d like to. Please note, however, that not all Apple products support Windows.

Wiping Your Hard Drive is Simple

Clearing the hard drive may seem confusing at first, especially for the average Mac user, but it’s not.

Just a few clicks and you’ll have your computer restored to factory settings in no time.

How To Wipe A Mac Clean

Always remember to back up your data.

How To Completely Wipe A Mac Hard Drives

Whether you’re using the computer again in the future or moving onto a new model, you’ll probably want to hold onto those files.

How To Wipe A Mac Hard Drive Completely

Read Article: What is VSync (And Should You Use It)?