For more details, see How to Back up Your Mac with or without Time Machine. Note that if you have files on your external drive, you may be asked to factory it first. To create your first backup, connect an external drive to your Mac, launch Time Machine, and then select the drive you inserted to store your backup files. Speaking of backing up Mac, we have to mention Time Machine, which is a backup tool built into your Mac. It is recommended that you back up your Mac before performing the reset steps. Nothing is more irritating than losing important data. Back Up MacBookīasically, resetting MacBook will erase everything on your Mac. The main steps include backing up your Mac, signing out of apps, deleting all your data, and reinstalling macOS. Restoring your laptop to factory settings is not difficult at all. Now that you know why you need to reset your MacBook, let's see how to do it. How to Factory Reset MacBook Air/Pro Without Losing Data You are selling, trading in or giving away your MacBook.Here are some situations where you can consider performing a factory reset. When the new owner starts up the Mac, they can use their own information to complete setup.Also Read: 3 Ways to Downgrade macOS Ventura Why You Need to Reset MacBookįirst things first, ask yourself if it is necessary to reset your MacBook. If you're selling, trading in, or giving away your Mac, press Command-Q to quit the assistant without completing setup. Your Mac might restart and show a progress bar several times, and the screen might be empty for minutes at a time.Īfter installation is complete, your Mac might restart to a setup assistant. Allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid.If the installer offers you the choice between installing on Macintosh HD or Macintosh HD - Data, choose Macintosh HD.If the installer doesn't see your disk, or it says that it can't install on your computer or volume, you might need to erase your disk first.If the installer asks to unlock your disk, enter the password you use to log in to your Mac.To begin installation, select Reinstall macOS from the utilities window in macOS Recovery, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.įollow these guidelines during installation: Reinstalling macOS does not remove data from your Mac.

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