How to format my MacOS computer in any version easily and quickly? step by step guide

When your Mac computer reaches a certain usage time, one of the main ways to keep it working is by formatting the operating system. However, this is not a process that should be done right off the bat, since it carries certain risks.

To get started, formatting a computer involves the deletion of all data stored on the hard driveso if you find yourself in the need to carry out this process, you must take the necessary precautions and considerations to do it safely.

For this, it is recommended that you read this note, in which we will teach you what you need to know about formatting your Mac’s hard drive in different versions of OS Xin addition to the factors that you must take into account before doing so.

Considerations before formatting MacOS

To perform the format process on your Mac, It is necessary to take into consideration certain factors that involve data, files and applications stored on the hard drive.

Among the points to which you should pay attention, the following stand out:

All saved files will be deleted

The first thing you should keep in mind is that formatting your Mac’s hard drive will delete all files stored on it, so all unbacked data will be completely lost. For this reason, It is best to make a backup of all the essential files stored on your Maceither in the cloud, on a USB stick or an external hard drive.

Installed apps and plugins will be removed

This point is often overlooked, but it can be really important. Plugins are small packages that are installed on your computer and add functionality to your system. When a format is performed, these packages are completely removedso it is necessary to keep track of installed plugins in order to download them again once formatting is complete.

All factory settings will be restored

Formatting the hard drive restores the system to factory settings, so If you have made any changes to adapt the system to your preferences, these changes will be completely removed. Since these configurations cannot be backed up, it is always useful to review how these settings are adjusted so that you can leave them to your liking, once the formatting is done. It is also convenient to perform this review in applications whose settings you have edited.

All stored account data will be deleted

All the data of the applications and accounts to which they are registered, are stored in the cache of the applications, which means that it will also be deleted during the formatting process. These dates are of the utmost importance to maintain continuous access to all your accountsso it is necessary to confirm and back them up before formatting your Mac, in order to start your sessions again without a hitch.

Reinstalling Mac OS X requires patience

Regarding this point, the main recommendation is to be patient, since unless you have the CD to install the operating system, the reinstallation process is quite slow, not including additional procedures such as partition “restore” and the formatting itself. The process is fairly simple, since it does not require much user interventionhowever, is quite time consuming, so it is recommended to do it in advance.

Format or restore to factory values ​​What are the differences and when to do one or the other?

While these actions can have similar effects on an operating system, the reality is that formatting is a very different procedure than restoring factory settings, Mainly because of the thoroughness of the removal of the content. Formatting a computer is not exactly the action of deleting its content, but to assign a new file system to a partition of the hard disk that, as a consequence, deletes all the data stored in this.

You will need to manually reinstall all drivers, plugins and applications. Factory restoration, on the other hand, is a function of the operating system that allows you to return to the original installation of the computerwhich results in the removal of all downloaded content, keeping the drivers and applications preset on the Mac. Both options have their uses for different types of situations.

Factory reset is useful for removing accumulated junk from your computer, and solving minor software performance issues, at the cost of some backed up data. Formatting is complete. eliminating all the data and the content of the hard disk in its entirety, forcing the user to install the programs from scratch. This cleaning depth makes it particularly useful for resolving serious problems, such as viruses on the hard drive.

Learn how to format Mac OSX from scratch

Though the procedure to format your Mac computer is relatively simpleit is necessary to point out that there are certain differences in the process when it comes to different versions of the operating system, so we will teach you how to do it in the most recent version, as well as in older versions.

Let’s see below:

On macOS Monterey

Is about the latest version of Mac OSfrom which it is no longer necessary to carry out the entire formatting process to recover a clean operating system and without any type of file installed, or stored data of any owner.

In order to carry out this process, you must meet the following requirements:

• A Mac with a chip Apple Siliconeor with Intel chip and T2 security chip
• macOS Monterey installed

These requirements are mutually exclusive, as if you do not have the required chips, you will not be able to perform this process even if you have macOS Monterey installed.

If you meet the requirements, follow the steps below:

• follow the route “Menu > System preferences > Erase content and settings”
• Enter your admin password and click “Continue”
• Enter your Apple ID password, click “Erase contents and settings”
• Wait for the progress bar to complete, after which the Mac home screen will appear, with its classic “Hello” in multiple languages

You must bear in mind that when carrying out this process, You must have your Mac computer connected to the power to prevent it from downloading during the procedure.

On an old version of Mac

Earlier versions of Mac OS X have a standard procedure for deleting data of the hard drive. Since they do not have the functionality that the Monterey version provides, it will be necessary to carry out the procedure for a correct elimination of the data.

You should be guided by the following steps:

• Connect the power adapter to your Mac to prevent it from downloading
• Make sure it’s connected to Internet, preferably through a wired connection.
• Click on the Apple logo, at the top left and select the option “Restart” in the drop down menu
• Once your Mac restarts, press the keys “CMD + R” simultaneously, and keep them pressed until is displayed the Apple logo, a spinning globe, or an alternate home screen, depending on the version you are using
• When prompted, enter your password and select “Continue”
• You will see the pop-up window “macOS Utilities”where you select the option “Disk Utility” on the list. Then click on “Continue”
• You will be able to see your Mac’s startup disk, which will appear on the left side and is called “MacintoshHD” by default. You’ll also see your Mac’s data drive labeled “Macintosh HD – Data”
• Select the data drive, click “Edit” and click on “Delete APFS volume” in the dropdown menu. Then, confirm the option by clicking “Remove”
• Choose “MacintoshHD” click on “Edit” and select the option “Erase”. You can then modify the name if you wish, and you must select a format. Make sure this is “APFS” either “macOS Extended”, note that disk utility will display the recommended format.
• click in “Erase”, and enter your Apple ID information if prompted.

You may come across cases where Disk Utility doesn’t show Mac data drivenevertheless, this is not a problem. All you have to do is skip this step and skip to the next.

Find out how to restore macOS data

To reset Mac data, We will use an integrated tool called Time Machine, through which you will be able to make an automatic backup of all the data on your computer, from apps and music, to photos and documents.

The first thing you should do is create a backup, for which you just have to follow these steps:

• Connect an external storage device to your Maceither a USB or an external hard drive
• follow the route “Apple Menu > System Preferences > Time Machine”
• Click on “Select backup disk”select the name of the disk and click “Disk”

Once this is done, Time Machine will make backups every certain periodwhich you can use to recover the most important data on your Mac when necessary.

Once the backup is done:

• Connect the Time Machine backup disk to your Mac and turn it on
• follow the route “Applications > Utilities > Migration Assistant”
• When you open the Migration Assistant, select the option “From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk”.
• Select the Time Machine backup you want to upload and click “Continue”
• Check the information you want to Transfer and select “Continue” to start the data transfer.

Disable Apple Music, iCloud and iMessage on Mac before selling or giving it away

If the case arises where you want to sell, give away, or transfer your Mac, the first thing you should think about is certain applications from which you must unlink your accounts before handing over the devicesince if you don’t, the modifications made on this computer will affect the operation of your account on other computers.

Here’s how to disable basic features of Apple Music, iCloud, and iMessage:

AppleMusic

You Apple Music account is linked to iTunes and it is through this that you can listen to all the songs you have purchased. Since it is a personal list, you need to sign out of your iTunes account before transferring ownership of your Mac, so that your playlists are not altered by external intervention. To do this, all you have to do is follow the path “Music > Account > Sign Out”.

iCloud

It is a set of tools in the cloud, in the form of a storage services platform, which allows all the information of a user to be centralized so that it can be shared between different Apple computers when necessary. The data this feature stores is highly personal, so before you transfer ownership of your Mac, you need to sign out of this account from your device.

You can do it in a very simple way:

• follow the route “Apple Menu > System Preferences”
• Enter in “Apple ID” and select the option “Summary”
• click on “Sign off”

iMessage

The iMessage app stores all text messages that you send from other devices that have the same account, so it’s a particularly sore spot, and you want to make sure you remove the information completely.

To do this, all you have to do is follow these steps:

• Enter the application of messages from your Mac
• Select the option “Preferences” and enter iMessage
• click on “Sign off”