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Don’t see erase all content

I want to reset Mac to factory setting but I don’t see the erase all content


Posted on Jan 15, 2022 8:32 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 15, 2022 8:42 PM

Hi sanddy117,


The option to instantly erase all content and settings is only available in macOS Monterey. On macOS High Sierra, you may want to follow these instructions: Use Disk Utility to erase an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support

3 replies

Jan 15, 2022 8:47 PM in response to sanddy117

Since you posted in the High Sierra forums I assume your Mac is currently running macOS 10.13 High Sierra. In that case you need to boot into Recovery Mode (Command + R), or Internet Recovery Mode (Command + Option + R), or from a bootable macOS USB installer. After booting the macOS installer launch Disk Utility to erase the whole physical drive as GUID partition and MacOS Extended (Journaled). You may need to click "View" within Disk Utility and select "Show All Devices" so that the physical drive appears on the left pane of Disk Utility. If you end up booting into an older macOS installer, then you may need to partition and format the physical drive instead (sometimes Internet Recovery Mode will boot into the installer for the OS which was installed on the Mac from the factory instead of the latest OS).


If you are preparing this Mac for sale or recycling, then you should also perform the steps in this Apple article before performing a clean install of macOS:

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac - Apple Support

Don’t see erase all content

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