Download the macOS Sonoma install files (don’t install it!).If you are currently running Ventura and want to do a clean install of macOS Sonoma, for example, then you can download the installation package via System Settings. How to download the installer via Software Update If you’re reinstalling the latest version of macOS, or installing a new version of macOS, the next step is relatively easy although the process for obtaining the installer will be different. However, following Monterey Apple has made it easy to get a factory-fresh installation.Īn Erase All Content and Settings option arrived with macOS Monterey that allows you to reset your Mac to factory settings without having to work through the many steps to wipe and format your drives. Option 1: Erase All Content and Settings (macOS Monterey and later)īefore the arrival of Monterey, it was necessary to create a bootable USB drive or use Recovery Mode to wipe your disk. You could alternatively sync all your Documents and Desktop with iCloud rather than run a full backup, but make sure that everything you need is in the cloud and be aware that you may lose your settings and applications. Note that with regard to backups, you probably won’t want to recover a Time Machine backup if you don’t want to copy over all the settings and preferences associated with your old system. It’s entirely possible that there will be something on your Mac that you thought was in the cloud but was in fact on your Mac (we speak from experience!) Full instructions here: How to back up a Mac. Speaking of which, if an old version is what you’re looking for, it may be worth taking a look at another article where we focus on that entirely: How to download and install old versions of OS X on a Mac.īefore you begin we recommend that you make a backup, just in case something goes wrong. There is also the even trickier business of installing a clean copy of an older version of macOS on your Mac (Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Mojave, Yosemite or an even old version of OS X). Not only are there three different methods (which we’ll run through below) the methods depend on the version of macOS that you are running. Use the Erase All Content and Settings option setting in System Preferences (available if you are running macOS Monterey and later on a M1 or M2 Mac, or an Intel Mac with a T2 chip).Use macOS Recovery to reinstall macOS via the web.Make a copy of the macOS installer on a USB stick, reformat your drive and then install the macOS on to your Mac from the installer.If you are happy to take the risk and still want to wipe your Mac and reinstall macOS – which you should definitely do if you are selling or passing on your Mac – read on! Three ways to clean install macOSĪs we explained above, there is more than one way to wipe your Mac and reinstall macOS: Again, the seal guarantees that everything is fine and that nothing untoward has crept in. All components are checked after installation, then signed and finally the entire system is sealed again. As long as your Mac works (which can be determined on the basis of the seal), the Mac is considered to be in working order as it complies with Apple’s specifications.įor that reason, even if you do encounter problems on Macs with T2 chip or Apple Silicon while running macOS it makes no sense to reinstall the system yourself.įor those who want to do a clean install so that no leftovers that belong to an old system are carried along, this no longer applies because none of this information is carried over. However, if your Mac boots up without issue then it indicates that there are no problems with the system. Should this happen you will have to reinstall the system. Should a problem occur with macOS during a restart, perhaps because a storage space on the SSD is defective and thus a system component is no longer intact, this will be recognized by the startup process since the seal will now be invalid. So macOS itself cannot be changed by any software that you install as a user.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |