If you choose the fastest option, it will take a short time to wipe drive but it's not secure enough, because the data may not be removed thoroughly and could be restored with a recovery application. There are four erasing levels ranging from the fastest to the slowest. Step 6: Click the Security Options button and determine how thoroughly you want to erase your hard drive with a slider bar. It won't be clickable if you attempt to reformat your hard drive after starting your computer as you normally would. Please note that the Erase option can only be clickable after you boot up your Mac with command +R keys. Then click the Erase button at the bottom of the window. Step 5: Select the disk you want to wipe by clicking it on the sidebar. Step 4: Select the " Disk Utility" from the OS X Utilities list. Step 3: Wait until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Step 2: Press the power button and hold down the command and R keys at the same time immediately.
And if you don't want to use Time Machine, you can also use iCloud or other cloud storage service to store all your important files online. Tip: It's necessary to back up your computer regularly even if you didn't plan to wipe your hard drive, in case your Mac computer crashes suddenly or goes through other accident. It would be better to plug in an external hard drive to save the copy of all the data you want to back up. Choose the disk you want to use to save your backup data. Check Back Up Automatically and click Select Disk button in the top-middle of the window.
Open Apple Menu > System Preferences and select Time Machine icon in the System Preferences folder.
#Wipe a mac clean os x 10.4 how to#
To make a backup of your Mac data, the built-in Time Machine backup software in Mac OS X/11 can do you a great favor.Ĭheck how to back up your Mac with Time Machine in details. Even though you decide to sell your Mac, it would be a wise decision to back up your important information in case you still need them later in the future. It's necessary to make a backup of all the important data in your hard drive before you completely wipe it. Back up Important Data before Wiping Hard Drive If your hard drive is a Solid State SATA Drive (SSD), it will look like this. Click on the Apple menu and select " About this Mac", then select the Storage option to see which type of drive is in your system.įor example, the hard drive of my Mac is a SATA Disk (HDD). How to Tell the Type of Your Hard Driveīefore you start to wipe your Mac hard drive, you should firstly confirm whether you have a HDD or SSD. How to Wipe a Mac SSD with Apeaksoft Mac Cleaner To wipe the hard drive completely can avoid your personal data being recovered. You must don't want any one to access your private information after you sell your Mac. In this case it'd be a good idea to wipe the hard drive and reinstall the operating system to make your Mac clean like a new one as well as to protect your privacy. You may find that your Mac runs slower and slower than it's new, or you may need to sell or trade your Mac for something new.