You then need to create a bootable installer as mentioned above. To factory reset a lost or stolen Mac, open the Find My app on any Apple device linked to the same Apple ID as the Mac, and follow the steps below. You can use the tool to remotely erase (read: reset) your devices, too. You can always upgrade from there if you wish. Remotely Factory Reset Mac on the Find My App Find My doesn’t just help you track and locate your Apple devices. If you decide to make your own I suggest you avoid El Capitan and download the previous OS, Yosemite (OSX 10.10). I have a few of my own for emergencies.Īt the very least such a device is a quick diagnostic tool which will determine if the device is workable and if the internal drive is worth saving or hopelessly corrupted. While you can create your own portable, bootable installer it's standard equipement for most Apple repair shops. Factory reset all connected Apple devices, is the one I like the best.

A USB thumb drive with the ability to run your device while you access Disk Utility to diagnose any problems, erase whatever is on the device and instal a fresh copy of an operating system. M1 M1 Pro M1 Max Apple Silicon macOS Monterey macOS Big Sur MacBook Pro MacBook Air iMac. The easiest way is to hold down the power button until a dialog box shows up, at that point choose the Restart option. After backing up everything and shutting off all your iCloud association, the next main step is to factory reset MacBook Pro.

This is the MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009) so it's getting pretty long in the tooth but your best option would be a bootable installer. Figure 5: Click on ‘x’ to remove the paired device.

Macbook pro os x factory reset