{"id":96920,"date":"2023-02-09T13:11:55","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T21:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/?p=96920"},"modified":"2023-02-13T00:58:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T08:58:48","slug":"how-to-factory-reset-any-mac-iphone-ipad-ipod-touch-or-apple-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-factory-reset-any-mac-iphone-ipad-ipod-touch-or-apple-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Factory Reset any Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Occasionally, you need to reset your computing devices to their original factory settings, as they were when you first took them out of the box. You may do this because the device isn’t working as it should: resetting it allows you to reinstall its software from scratch. You may also want to do this if you are selling, giving away, or recycling a device. Even if the device’s storage is encrypted, it’s a good idea to reset it to factory settings so no one can get any information that might be accessible.<\/p>\n

It’s important to reset Apple devices correctly, because they have an activation lock<\/em>, which prevents people from activating them without the Apple ID password. Correctly erasing a device removes the activation lock, so someone else can use the device.<\/p>\n

It’s easy to do this for any Apple device. Here’s how to reset any Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Apple Watch. In another article, we explain how to reset any Apple TV, HomePod, AirTag, AirPods, or Beats headphones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reset any Mac to factory settings<\/h3>\n

In the past, you used to have to manually erase your Mac’s hard drive, but Apple has added features in macOS Monterey and macOS Ventura to simplify this process. This signs out of your Apple ID, removes any Touch ID fingerprints stored, unpairs Bluetooth accessories, deletes items in Apple Wallet, and turns off Location Sharing and Find My.<\/p>\n

This simplified process works with any Mac running Apple silicon (an M1 or M2 Mac), or a Mac with a T2 security chip (certain Mac models released between 2018 and 2020<\/a>).<\/p>\n

To reset a Mac running macOS Monterey, follow these steps:<\/p>\n

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  1. Click the Apple menu, then choose System Preferences.<\/li>\n
  2. From the System Preferences menu, choose Erase All Content and Settings.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To reset a Mac running macOS Ventura, follow these steps:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Click the Apple menu, then choose System Settings.<\/li>\n
    2. Click General, then click Transfer or Reset on the right.<\/li>\n
    3. Finally, click Erase All Content and Settings.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      In both of the above cases, you’ll see a screen like this:<\/p>\n

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      You’ll have to authenticate with an administrator password, and you may be asked to make a Time Machine backup. It’s important to make a backup of your Mac before you erase it, because, if not, you may lose data. You can do this with Time Machine<\/a>, or you can use Intego Personal Backup, which is part of Mac Premium Bundle X9<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      You’ll need to enter your Apple ID password to sign out of that account, and you’ll then see a dialog asking if you’re sure you want to erase all content and settings on this Mac.<\/p>\n

      You may be asked to enter information for a Wi-Fi network, and when the process has completed, you’ll see the Setup Assistant, which you can use to reinstall macOS. If you are selling or giving away this Mac, press and hold the power button to shut it down; the next person to start up the Mac will see the Setup Assistant, and will be able to immediately install macOS.<\/p>\n

      If your Mac is running an operating system older than macOS Monterey or macOS Ventura, or you don’t see one of the options above, you’ll need to proceed differently. See our article How to Securely Dispose of Your Old Mac<\/a>. In fact, we recommend reading this article even if you can use the above process, because there are other things you may need to do to the old Mac, such as deauthorize Apple’s media apps.<\/p>\n

      How to Securely Dispose of Your Old Mac<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n