Accidentally pushed erase - now computer is locked

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Accidentally pushed erase - now computer is locked

I made a very dumb mistake and accidentally started an erase on my son's iMac through find my devices on iCloud. The Mac used to be mine and I just wanted to remove it from my iCloud account so he wouldn't be getting my messages, but mistakenly started an erase. It has been a good 18 hours and the erase continues -- all he sees is a black screen with a progress bar. What should I do to get him back on there? How long will it take?

iMac 24″, macOS 12.0

Posted on Jan 3, 2023 6:16 AM

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Answer 1

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Gena_D

Community Specialist

Jan 4, 2023 11:29 AM in response to Cathy Buday

Hello Cathy Buday,

This process can take a bit, but not 18 hours. It sounds like it might be stuck. We'd advise that you restart the Mac (forcefully if needed) and allow the process to restart.

See this article for instructions: Shut down or restart your Mac. Also remember: "You can force a shutdown if necessary—for example, if your Mac becomes unresponsive—by pressing and holding the power button until your Mac shuts down. "

Let us know if we can help with anything else at all or if this doesn't settle your issue so we can look into this further with you. Thanks and have a fabulous day!

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Answer 2

Cathy Buday Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 4, 2023 11:43 AM in response to Gena_D

Thank you, Gena. We did re-start and while we had to physically connect a mouse (for some reason our Magic Mouse was doing no magic), we were able to re-install the OS 10 system and move forward. But now my son is the proud owner of a computer with none of his mom's stuff on there. Really appreciate your responsiveness. Have a great day! Cathy

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Accidentally pushed erase - now computer is locked

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