Part 2: How to Restore a Mac to Its Factory Settings? 1- Back up your data. If you are planning to factory reset your mac device then the foremost step is to create a backup. 2- Deauthorize iTunes. De-authorizing or logging out from the apps with limited license is mandatory. I'm using OS X 10.4.5 on an Intel Mac mini, if it makes a difference. Posted by EatenByAGrue to Computers & Internet (6 answers total) I would prefer a solution that can be accomplished through the OS X interface, but if you can tell me where Terminal stores its configuration files, that'd be useful as well. MacBook Pro (From $1,299 at Apple) How to reset Safari on a Mac. Resetting your Safari browser consists of several steps (like clearing your cache and history), rather than a simple button. This reset and restore method is the same with every Mac computer out there, including iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook, MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro, as long as the Mac is running a somewhat modern version of Mac OS system software with recovery mode support. Reboot the Mac and right after the boot chime sound, hold down the COMMAND + R keys together to boot into Recovery Mode. Once in Recovery Mode and at the “macOS Utilities” (or “OS X Utilities”) screen, select “Disk Utility”. Choose “Macintosh HD” (or what the Mac drive is named), then select the “Erase” button.
The Terminal app allows you to control your Mac using a command prompt. Why would you want to do that? Well, perhaps because you’re used to working on a command line in a Unix-based system and prefer to work that way. Terminal is a Mac command line interface. There are several advantages to using Terminal to accomplish some tasks — it’s usually quicker, for example. In order to use it, however, you’ll need to get to grips with its basic commands and functions. Once you’ve done that, you can dig deeper and learn more commands and use your Mac’s command prompt for more complex, as well as some fun, tasks.
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How to open Terminal on Mac
The Terminal app is in the Utilities folder in Applications. To open it, either open your Applications folder, then open Utilities and double-click on Terminal, or press Command - spacebar to launch Spotlight and type 'Terminal,' then double-click the search result.
You’ll see a small window with a white background open on your desktop. In the title bar are your username, the word 'bash' and the dimensions of the window in pixels. Bash stands for 'Bourne again shell'. There are a number of different shells that can run Unix commands, and on the Mac Bash is the one used by Terminal.
If you want to make the window bigger, click on the bottom right corner and drag it outwards. If you don’t like the black text on a white background, go to the Shell menu, choose New Window and select from the options in the list.
If Terminal feels complicated or you have issues with the set-up, let us tell you right away that there are alternatives. MacPilot allows to get access to over 1,200 macOS features without memorizing any commands. Basically, a third-party Terminal for Mac that acts like Finder.
For Mac monitoring features, try iStat Menus. The app collects data like CPU load, disk activity, network usage, and more — all of which accessible from your menu bar.
Basic Mac commands in Terminal
The quickest way to get to know Terminal and understand how it works is to start using it. But before we do that, it’s worth spending a little time getting to know how commands work. To run a command, you just type it at the cursor and hit Return to execute.
Every command is made up of three elements: the command itself, an argument which tells the command what resource it should operate on, and an option that modifies the output. So, for example, to move a file from one folder to another on your Mac, you’d use the move command 'mv' and then type the location of the file you want to move, including the file name and the location where you want to move it to.
Type lsthen Return (you type Return after every command).
You should now see a list of all the files in your Documents folder — ls is the command for listing files.
To see a list of all the commands available in Terminal, hold down the Escape key and then press y when you see a question asking if you want to see all the possibilities. To see more commands, press Return.
Unix has its own built-in manual. So, to learn more about a command type man [name of command], where 'command' is the name of the command you want find out more about.
Terminal rules
There are a few things you need to bear in mind when you’re typing commands in Terminal, or any other command-line tool. Firstly, every character matters, including spaces. So when you’re copying a command you see here, make sure you include the spaces and that characters are in the correct case. Run mac as a pc.
You can’t use a mouse or trackpad in Terminal, but you can navigate using the arrow keys. If you want to re-run a command, tap the up arrow key until you reach it, then press Return. To interrupt a command that’s already running, type Control-C.
Commands are always executed in the current location. So, if you don’t specify a location in the command, it will run wherever you last moved to or where the last command was run. Use the cdcommand, followed by a directory path, like in Step 1 above, to specify the folder where you want a command to run.
There is another way to specify a location: go to the Finder, navigate to the file or folder you want and drag it onto the Terminal window, with the cursor at the point where you would have typed the path.
Here’s another example. This time, we’ll create a new folder inside your Documents directory and call it 'TerminalTest.'
Open a Finder window and navigate to your Documents folder.
Type cd and drag the Documents folder onto the Terminal window.
Now, type mkdir 'TerminalTest'
Go back to the Finder, open Text Edit and create a new file called 'TerminalTestFile.rtf'. Now save it to the TerminalTest folder in your Documents folder.
In the Terminal window, type cd ~/Documents/TerminalTest then Return. Now type lsand you should see 'TerminalTestFile' listed. Mac unzip command line.
To change the name of the file, type this, pressing Return after every step:
cd~/Documents/Terminal Test
mv TerminalTestFile TerminalTestFile2.rtf
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That will change the name of the file to 'TerminalTestFile2'. You can, of course, use any name you like. The mv command means 'move' and you can also use it to move files from one directory to another. In that case, you’d keep the file names the same, but specify another directory before typing the the second instance of the name, like this:
Terminal can be used for all sorts of different tasks. Some of them can be performed in the Finder, but are quicker in Terminal. Others access deep-rooted parts of macOS that aren’t accessible from the Finder without specialist applications. Here are a few examples.
Copy files from one folder to another
In a Terminal window, type ditto [folder 1] [folder 1] where 'folder 1' is the folder that hosts the files and 'folder 2' is the folder you want to move them to.
To see the files being copied in the Terminal window, type -v after the command.
Download files from the internet
You’ll need the URL of the file you want to download in order to use Terminal for this.
cd ~/Downloads/
curl -O [URL of file you want to download]
If you want to download the file to a directory other than your Downloads folder, replace ~/Downloads/ with the path to that folder, or drag it onto the Terminal window after you type the cd command.
Change the default location for screenshots
If you don’t want macOS to save screenshots to your Desktop when you press Command-Shift-3, you can change the default location in Terminal
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location [path to folder where you want screenshots to be saved]
Hit Return
killall SystemUIServer
Hit Return
Change the default file type for screenshots
By default, macOS saves screenshots as .png files. To change that to .jpg, do this:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type JPG
Press Return
killall SystemUIServer
Press Return
Delete all files in a folder
The command used to delete, or remove, files in Terminal is rm. So, for example, if you wanted to remove a file in your Documents folder named 'oldfile.rtf' you’d use cd ~/Documents to go to your Documents folder then to delete the file. As it stands, that will delete the file without further intervention from you. If you want to confirm the file to be deleted, use -i as in rm -i oldfile.rtf
To delete all the files and sub-folders in a directory named 'oldfolder', the command is rm -R oldfolder and to confirm each file should be deleted, rm -iR oldfolder
Just because you can use Terminal to delete files on your Mac, doesn’t mean you should. It’s a relatively blunt instrument, deleting only those files and folders you specify.
Another way to free up space
If your goal in removing files or folders is to free up space on your Mac, or to remove junk files that are causing your Mac to run slowly, it’s far better to use an app designed for the purpose. CleanMyMac X is one such app.
It will scan your Mac for files and recommend which ones you can delete safely, as well as telling you how much space you’ll save. And once you’ve decided which files to delete, you can get rid of them in a click. You can download CleanMyMac here.
As you can see, while Terminal may look scary and seem like it’s difficult to use, it really isn’t. The key is learning a few commands, such as those we’ve outlined above, and getting to know the syntax for those commands.
However, you should be careful when using Terminal, it’s a powerful tool that has deep access to your Mac’s system files. Check commands by googling them if you’re not sure what they do. And if you need to delete files to save space, use an app like CleanMyMac X to do it. It’s much safer!
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Find yourself searching how to wipe your Mac clean and restore it to factory settings? You may be interested in selling your computer and needing to delete all the contents of the hard drive. Without erasing the contents of your computer, you could potentially open yourself up to identity theft. Another reason to reset your Mac to factory settings is it may just be getting too slow because of many years of use. You may find that you’ve run out of disk space if your computer speed is lagging.
This guide will help you restore your computer to its original factory settings. A factory reset will allow your machine to function as if it were brand new, with a new installation of the Mac operating system. You’ll find the process relevant to any Mac, whether desktop or laptop.
Why and How to Factory Reset a Mac
When you choose to factory reset a Mac, you are performing a series of low level operations. First, a full hard drive formatting. Second, you’ll be reinstalling the Mac operating system (macOS). A formatting of the hard drive is equal to a permanent deletion of data — everything is erased and removed from your computer.
Having issues with the computer file system is one of the most common reasons to reset your Mac to its original factory settings. If there are lost or damaged files, random errors may occur or the computer may act slow and sluggish.
Whether you are planning to sell or speed up your computer, wiping your hard drive clean and installing a fresh operating system is a good idea.
What to Do Before You Restore a Mac to Factory Settings
Before we run through the instructions on how to wipe a Mac clean, you’ll want to take care of a few things, such as protecting your data with a backup, disabling certain applications, and making sure you have an active internet connection.
1. Protect your data
You probably know that it’s important to back up your data before performing a factory reset of your Mac. You wouldn’t want to lose any important data, such as the videos or photos stored on your MacBook from years ago.
To prevent any kind of data-loss mishap, you should use backup software, such as Get Backup Pro, to help you back up and protect your data before you continue wiping your hard drive clean and completing a factory reset.
Here’s how to do a back up using Get Backup Pro:
Create a new project by clicking the “+” button in the Backups tab
Select a destination for the backup
Click on File+ to add files you want to back up
2. Log out of and deauthorize iTunes or apps with limited licensing
Did you know that you can only play your iTunes content on 5 devices? This means that iTunes will only let you authorize your account on up to 5 different Macs. If you’re looking to pass on your Mac, make sure your computer isn’t linked to your iTunes account. Some apps with limited licensing such as iTunes use an authorization system to limit the number of devices connected. It’s a good idea to prevent future issues by deauthorizing these apps, which also include purchased Adobe products (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.), before completing a factory reset.
Deauthorizing your iTunes account is easy:
In the iTunes menu bar, click Account
Click Authorizations and choose Deauthorize This Computer
Enter your Apple ID and password
Choose Deauthorize
3. Disable iCloud
Make sure any bookmarks, reminders, notes, or other stored cloud data are not visible to new users by signing out of iCloud. Without signing out of your iCloud account, certain features, such as theft prevention tool, Find My Mac, may still allow you to interact with a computer that has been wiped clean. You don’t want to find that you have access to your old computer once it has a new owner.
Choose System Preferences in the Apple menu
Pick iCloud
Click Sign Out and confirm the data removal
4. Sign out of iMessage
If your Mac uses OS X Mountain Lion or later, be sure to sign out of iMessage before you complete a factory reset of a Mac. If your computer has been configured to send and receive iMessage chats, you’ll definitely want to ensure a new owner doesn’t have access to your private messages.
Open iMessage on your computer
In the menu bar on the top left corner of the screen, click Messages
Choose Preferences
Find your iMessage account
Click Sign Out
5. Erase Touch Bar data
Following the same rationale, make sure to perform these steps so your Touch Bar data won’t be passed onto the new Mac owner.
Restart your Mac device
Hold down the Command + R keys as the Mac begins to restart
Choose Utilities and Terminal from the macOS Utilities window
Type: xartutil --erase-all and press Return
Type yes and press Return once more
Choose Terminal and click Quit
6. Make sure you have an active internet connection
Check for a stable and active internet connection throughout the factory reset procedure. Most data, including the files required to reinstall your macOS, are stored on Apple’s servers. Without an active internet connection, you may not be able to use your computer temporarily.
How to Restore a Mac to Factory Settings
Have you completed your data backup and signed out of everything? If the answer is yes, you are ready to wipe your Mac and have it ready for a fresh start.
1. Restart your Mac in Recovery Mode
This step is quite simple. In the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen, choose Restart. As the system is restarting, hold both the Command and R keys on the keyboard at the same time — you’ll see the Recovery Mode window.
2. Erase the hard drive
Here’s what you need to do to erase your hard drive.
Choose Disk Utility in the Utilities window
Choose your startup disk
At the top of the Disk Utilities window, choose Erase
Choose Journaled version of Mac OS Extended from the menu
Click Erase
Once the process has been completed, go to the Disk Utility menu in the top left corner of the screen and click Quit Disk Utility.
3. Reinstall the operating system
Now that the hard drive has been wiped clean, you can confirm that you want to reinstall a fresh Mac operating system by following the instructions on the screen.
The computer will complete a new installation of the operating system with factory settings.
If you are passing your Mac to a new owner, you can quit the process and let the new owner complete any necessary information by holding down the Command + Q keys. Choose Shut Down to turn the Mac off and leave it ready for the next person. If you are keeping your Mac computer, you’ll need to download any applications that you previously had on your computer.
Now that your Mac has been wiped clean, your computer shouldn’t have any remnants of your personal data. It’s now ready for a new beginning with you or a new life with someone else.
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Mac Terminal Reset To Default
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