Factory resetting your MacBook is the best way to wipe all your personal data and get it ready for someone else.

For a MacBook, starting over would be a factory reset. A factory reset is exactly what it sounds like: erasing everything in order to restore a MacBook to how it would have been leaving the factory.

Thankfully, you’ll need to follow a few simple steps to reset your Mac or MacBook to factory settings.

How to factory reset an older Intel Mac If your Mac doesn’t offer the “Erase All Content and Settings” button don’t worry, you can still wipe the device. It’s just going to be a bit ...

To factory reset a Mac, tap the Apple Logo in the top left corner and tap System Preferences. Then, at the top of the screen, tap System Preferences again and click Erase All Content and Settings.

If you are running a Mac with macOS Catalina, it might be time to sell it or give it away, but you'll want to wipe it first. Here's how to do that.

Once you have determined whether your Mac has Intel or Apple hardware (such as the M1 chip), you can follow the steps below to factory reset your particular MacBook model.

A factory reset on a MacBook wipes the device of all personal data and reinstalls a clean, unimpeded version of macOS. Thankfully, completing a factory reset on a MacBook is painless.