Performing a factory reset on your Mac computer will indeed delete everything on it. When you initiate a factory reset, your Mac’s software is restored to its original state, just as it was when you first purchased or turned on the device. This means that all your personal files, documents, photos, videos, and any other data stored on your Mac will be completely erased.
It is important to understand that a factory reset is a drastic measure that should be taken with caution, as it is essentially a last resort for troubleshooting or preparing a Mac for resale. Before proceeding with a factory reset, it is crucial to back up all your important data to an external storage device or a cloud service to ensure you don’t lose anything important.
To perform a factory reset on a Mac, you can follow these steps:
1. Make sure you have a backup of all your important files. This can be done by manually copying them to an external hard drive or using a cloud backup service like iCloud or Google Drive.
2. Restart your Mac and hold down the Command + R keys on your keyboard while it is booting up. This will boot your Mac into Recovery Mode.
3. In the macOS Utilities window that appears, select “Disk Utility” and click “Continue.”
4. In the Disk Utility window, select your Mac’s internal hard drive or SSD from the list on the left side.
5. Click on the “Erase” tab at the top of the Disk Utility window.
6. Choose a name for your Mac’s hard drive, select the format you want (usually “APFS” for newer Macs or “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” for older Macs), and click on the “Erase” button.
7. Once the erasing process is complete, close the Disk Utility window to return to the macOS Utilities window.
8. In the macOS Utilities window, select “Reinstall macOS” and click “Continue.”
9. Follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall the macOS operating system. This will download and install a fresh copy of macOS on your Mac.
10. After the reinstallation process is complete, your Mac will restart, and you will be presented with the setup assistant to set up your Mac as if it were new.
It is important to note that a factory reset will not only delete your personal files but also remove any installed applications, settings, and configurations on your Mac. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure you have backups of any important data or files before proceeding with a factory reset.
Performing a factory reset on your Mac will indeed delete everything on it, returning it to its original state when you first purchased or turned it on. It is a drastic measure that should be taken with caution, and it is important to back up all your important data before proceeding.