These steps apply only to Mac computers with an Intel processor. The steps to erase a Mac with Apple silicon are different.
Walk (703337) Mac Os Update
Before erasing your Mac
- Make a backup of any files that you want to keep. Erasing your Mac permanently deletes its files.
- If you want to restore your Mac to factory settings, such as to prepare it for a new owner, first learn what to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac. Then erase your Mac as the final step.
Use Disk Utility to erase your Mac
- Start up from macOS Recovery: Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these two keys until you see an Apple logo or other image: Command (⌘) and R.
- If asked, select a user you know the password for, then enter their administrator password.
- From the utilities window, select Disk Utility and click Continue.
- Select Macintosh HD in the sidebar of Disk Utility. Don't see Macintosh HD?
- Click the Erase button in the toolbar, then enter the requested details:
- Name: Macintosh HD
- Format: APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), as recommended by Disk Utility
- Click Erase Volume Group. If you don't see this button, click Erase instead.
- If asked, enter your Apple ID. Forgot your Apple ID?
- After the erase is done, select any other internal volumes in the sidebar, then click the delete volume (–) button in the toolbar to delete that volume.
Disregard any internal volume named Macintosh HD or Macintosh HD - Data, as well as any volumes in the External and Disk Images sections of the sidebar. - Quit Disk Utility to return to the utilities window.
- If you want to start up again from the disk you erased, select Reinstall macOS in the utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall macOS.
Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels has gathered together sound clips of the chimes of death played by various classic Mac models when they couldn't boot. They're fascinating, but if you experienced these a lot back in the day, beware of flashbacks! Get more done with the new Google Chrome. A more simple, secure, and faster web browser than ever, with Google's smarts built-in.
If you don't see Macintosh HD in Disk Utility
Walk (703337) Mac Os Catalina
Walk (703337) Mac Os Catalina
Your built-in startup disk should be the first item listed in the Disk Utility sidebar. It's named Macintosh HD, unless you changed its name. If you don't see it there, choose Apple menu > Shut Down, then unplug all nonessential devices from your Mac and try again.
If your disk still doesn't appear in Disk Utility, or Disk Utility reports that the erase process failed, your Mac might need service. If you need help, please contact Apple Support.
Walk (703337) Mac Os X
Learn more
For more information about using Disk Utility, see the Disk Utility User Guide.
Warning: Some people may find the sounds in the linked article alarming, or even traumatizing. Please prepare yourself emotionally by remembering that, even when Macs made these sounds, no actual hardware damage occurred. If you feel your heart racing and your stomach sinking, well, that's to be expected.
I've never had occasion to write a trigger warning for a TidBITS article before, much less an ExtraBIT that points to someone else's article, but Stephen Hackett's Mac Chimes of Death piece on 512 Pixels deserves one. It provides clips of the sounds that various classic Mac models played when they were unable to boot. I didn't think much about it when I played the first one, but by the end—and thanks particularly to the terrifying car crash sound made by the Power Mac 6100—my heart was palpitating. That said, I quite liked the ominous Performa chime of death, which I had never heard before. These clips may start you on a simple walk down memory lane, but watch out for the flashbacks.
