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- If you want to erase a hard drive that isn't your boot disk, you can run the Disk Utility program that can be found in Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility. To do a secure erase like you want: Open Disk Utility Choose the hard drive you want to erase from the list Choose "Erase" from the bar at the top
superuser.com/questions/290403/how-to-do-a-secure-erase-on-a-macbook-promac - How to do a secure erase on a Macbook Pro? - Super User
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In Disk Utility on Mac, you can erase and reformat storage devices to use with your Mac. Erasing a storage device deletes everything on it. Important: If you have any files you want to save, copy them to another storage device before erasing a device.
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Feb 2, 2020 · This can be done from macOS Recovery without the use of a mouse and primarily using just the arrow, tab and space keys. The enter key may need to be used on some objects, depending on the selection (s) made: Boot to macOS Recovery by holding down ⌘R when starting the Mac.
Sep 27, 2024 · Use Disk Utility to erase your Mac. Start up from macOS Recovery: Press and release the power button to turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these two keys on your keyboard: Command (⌘) and R. Keep holding the keys until you see an Apple logo or spinning globe.
- How to Wipe an External Drive
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First, open Disk Utility on your Mac. You can search for it with Spotlight (click the search button in the menu bar or use the Command+Spacebar keyboard shortcut) or the search bar in Launchpad. Disk Utility can be opened in the Finder from Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Next, connect the drive you want to erase, if you haven't already. You also need the sidebar visible to see all your connected drives. If the sidebar is hidden, click the View button and select "Show sidebar."
You need to select the drive in Disk Utility, not one of the partitions on the drive. The drive is listed in the sidebar above any partitions as the top-level item. For example, in the below screenshot, "Patriot Memory Media" the drive (and is selected) and "PATRIOT" is a FAT32 partition on the drive. If you perform a wipe on a partition instead of the drive, you may not erase all the data.
With the drive selected, click the Erase button at the top of the window. Disk Utility will open a popup menu allowing you to set the new drive name, file system/format, and the partition scheme. The available options will vary depending on the drive type and size.
If this is a USB drive, SD card, or other storage that needs to be accessible on non-Apple platforms, set the scheme to Master Boot Record (or GUID if that is unavailable) and the format to MS-DOS FAT (or exFAT if that one is not available). You may need to use exFAT if the drive is too large or if you want to use files larger than 4GB, but some devices can't read exFAT drives. Mac OS Extended format is only readable/writable by Mac computers.
If you want to securely wipe the drive so the files can't be recovered, click the "Security Options" button in the popup. This will show all available wipe options, from not zeroing out the drive at all (potentially allowing recovery tools to read the erased data) to writing over the entire drive seven times for maximum security. Every wipe adds more time to the process, especially for spinning mechanical disks and flash drives. In most cases, the second option (2x write over) is enough.
If you want to wipe your Mac's internal storage so you can safely sell it or give it to someone else, you need to do a full factory reset. This will not only erase the internal drive, but also reinstall macOS from the internet so it's ready to be set up again.
We have a dedicated guide for how to factory reset any Mac, so you can follow those instructions to wipe your Mac and set it up fresh.
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- Justin Pot
- Former News Editor
Oct 2, 2024 · To both erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings, follow the steps in what to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac, but disregard the instructions for using Erase All Content and Settings. To only erase your Mac without resetting it to factory settings, learn how to erase a Mac with Apple silicon or erase an Intel-based Mac.
Feb 17, 2024 · Whether you’re selling your computer, dealing with a virus, or just want a fresh start, erasing your hard drive is the way to go. Here’s a quick overview: back up your data, restart your Mac in Recovery Mode, open Disk Utility, choose your hard drive, and click “Erase.” Voilà! Your Mac’s hard disk is as good as new.
2 Answers. Sorted by: 6. If you want to erase the boot disk, you will have to boot from the Mac OS X install CD (one should have come bundled with your Mac) and run the Disk Utility program on it.
