macOS Factory Reset

Having used Linux and Windows systems for a couple of decades, I’m used to formatting my computers and reinstalling their OS whenever I need a clean machine. I also did this with Macs in a not-so-distant past, out of habit. To my surprise, I realized that newer Macs can perform a factory reset with a single button, similar to how an iOS device or Android phone does it.

It’s still necessary to connect to Wi-Fi during the process to activate the Mac, but the end result is the same as reinstalling it from scratch. When the process is complete, it returns to the “Hello” setup assistant as if it were a new machine.