How to Factory Reset a Mac (With or Without Password)

To factory reset a Mac, back up anything you need, erase the startup disk with Erase Assistant or macOS Recovery, and reinstall macOS. If you do not know the Mac login password, Recovery may still help, but Activation Lock cannot be removed without the linked Apple Account or Apple’s verification of ownership.

What should you do before you factory reset a Mac?

A factory reset permanently removes local accounts, files, settings, and installed apps. Complete these checks before erasing the Mac:

• Back up important files with Time Machine or copy them to another storage device.
• Make sure the Mac has a reliable internet connection and connect a laptop to power.
• Sign out of your Apple Account, previously called an Apple ID, when the reset method does not handle sign-out automatically.
• Turn off Find My Mac before transferring the computer. Find My enables Activation Lock, which prevents someone else from activating the Mac without the linked Apple Account.
• Sign out of services such as iMessage if Apple’s instructions for your model tell you to do so.
• Check whether the Mac uses Apple silicon or an Intel processor. Select About This Mac from the Apple menu and look for an entry labeled Chip or Processor.

Erase Assistant automatically signs out of Apple services and turns off Find My and Activation Lock when it completes successfully. You will need administrator credentials and may be asked for the linked Apple Account password.

How do you factory reset a Mac with Apple silicon?

On a Mac with Apple silicon running a supported version of macOS, Erase Assistant is the preferred factory-reset method. It removes user accounts, installed apps, personal information, Find My, and Activation Lock while keeping the installed operating system ready for setup.

1. Start the Mac normally and open System Settings.
2. Select General, then Transfer or Reset.
3. Select Erase All Content and Settings.
4. Enter the administrator information requested by Erase Assistant.
5. Review what will be removed, continue, and enter the linked Apple Account password if requested.
6. Allow the Mac to erase and restart. Do not interrupt the process.
7. When the Hello screen appears, leave the Mac there for its next owner or continue through Setup Assistant if you are keeping it.

If Erase Assistant is unavailable or fails, shut down the Mac. Press and hold the power button until startup options appear, select Options, and continue into macOS Recovery. Recovery is the Mac’s built-in environment for erasing storage, repairing disks, and reinstalling macOS. Use Disk Utility to erase the startup volume, quit Disk Utility, and select Reinstall macOS.

How do you factory reset an Intel-based Mac?

An Intel Mac with the T2 Security Chip and a supported macOS version may offer Erase All Content and Settings. If that option appears under General and Transfer or Reset, use Erase Assistant. For an Intel Mac without that option, erase and reinstall macOS through Recovery:

1. Restart the Mac and immediately hold Command-R until the startup screen appears.
2. If requested, select a volume or administrator account and enter its password.
3. Select Disk Utility from the Recovery window.
4. Select the macOS startup volume, normally named Macintosh HD, and choose Erase.
5. Choose APFS as the format when Apple’s current Disk Utility instructions offer it, then select Erase Volume Group.
6. When erasing finishes, quit Disk Utility.
7. Select Reinstall macOS and follow the prompts. Keep the Mac connected to power and the internet.

Command-R reinstalls the current macOS version in most cases. Apple also documents Internet Recovery combinations for installing the latest compatible version or the closest available version originally supplied with the Mac. Use Apple’s current instructions if ordinary Recovery does not start.

How do you factory reset a Mac without a password?

A factory reset without the Mac login password may be possible through macOS Recovery, but Recovery can still request the password of an administrator account. Erasing the disk also does not bypass Activation Lock.

1. Try Apple’s onscreen password-reset options at the login window. If offered, follow the prompts to reset the password with the linked Apple Account or recovery key.
2. If login recovery is unavailable, start macOS Recovery using the Apple-silicon power-button method or the Intel Command-R method.
3. Use the password-reset guidance shown in Recovery if Apple provides it for that Mac.
4. If Recovery permits access to Disk Utility, erase the startup volume and reinstall macOS.
5. If activation later requests the previous owner’s Apple Account, that owner must remove the Mac from their account. There is no authorized shortcut around this requirement.

If you forgot the Apple Account password, use Apple’s official account-recovery process. If the Mac belongs to someone else, ask that person or the organization that managed it to release it. Apple may consider an Activation Lock support request when you can provide acceptable proof of ownership.

What happens to your data and accounts after a Mac factory reset?

A factory reset erases files stored locally on the Mac, including user accounts, downloads, settings, installed apps, and other data on the erased volumes. Files without a backup generally cannot be recovered afterward.

Erasing a Mac does not erase information already stored in iCloud. Photos, contacts, notes, and documents that finished syncing remain in iCloud and on other devices using the same Apple Account. Signing out or completing Erase Assistant unlinks the Mac; it does not delete the cloud account.

For a Mac being transferred, confirm that Find My and Activation Lock are removed. A simple disk erase without account sign-out can leave the next user unable to activate the computer.

What should you do after the Mac has been reset?

During macOS installation, the Mac may restart several times, display a progress bar, or briefly show a blank screen. Keep it connected to power and do not close a laptop’s lid until installation finishes.

If you are selling or giving away the Mac, stop when Setup Assistant displays the initial Hello screen and shut it down. Do not create an account for the next user.

If you are keeping the Mac, complete Setup Assistant. You can set it up as new or restore your information from a Time Machine backup when the setup process offers that choice.

When should you contact Apple Support about a factory reset?

Contact Apple Support when Recovery will not load, Erase Assistant repeatedly fails, the internal disk does not appear in Disk Utility, or macOS cannot be reinstalled after network and power checks. These symptoms can indicate storage, firmware, or other hardware trouble that a factory reset cannot repair.

Apple Support is also appropriate when Activation Lock remains after a legitimate account recovery attempt. Open {site} to find current support options. Be ready to provide the Mac’s serial number, details of the error, and proof of ownership if Apple requests it.