How to format Mac and reinstall MacOS from scratch

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In our guide today we will talk about how to format Macs if you want to reinstall Apple’s operating system from scratch and maybe try to solve a problem that does not allow you to perform an operation.

Content index

Preliminary operations

Before discovering the precise instructions for formatting a Mac, you need to do a couple of preliminary steps. In particular, you need to backup your data to create a backup of the most important files and have a USB stick with at least 8 GB if you want to install macOS from a pendrive.

In this case we list below some guides to be taken into consideration for backing up your data and for choosing the most suitable memory stick if you did not.

How to format a Mac using Recovery

The first solution that we propose to restore your computer as new via formatting is to use the Recovery mode called Recovery. This includes a number of tools that allow you to do many things, including restoring backups using Time Machine.

That said, let’s see the steps to follow:

  • Turn off your Mac by choosing Turn Off from the menu that appears after pressing the Apple logo on the top left.
  • After that, turn the Mac back on while holding down the Cmd + R keys until the Apple logo appears and a loading bar in the center.
  • Now, click on the word Use English as the main language and go to the next window by pressing the arrow at the bottom.
  • At this point, click on Disk Utility and click Continue to access the archive disk management tool.
  • In the window that appears, click on the icon relative to the hard disk or that of the SSD present in the computer through the left sidebar and click on Format.
  • In the next step, fill in the Name field, set Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in the drop down menu of Format and Partition Map (GUID) in the Schema drop down menu.
  • Now, all you have to do is click on the Format button to start formatting the Mac drive. Please note that the steps may be slightly different from version to version but the procedure is quite intuitive.
  • Once the formatting has been successfully completed, close the Disk Utility tool , choose the MacOS Reinstall option from the MacOS Utility window and click Continue to proceed with the download and installation of the latest version of Apple’s operating system on the PC.

How to format a Mac using a USB stick

In case you would prefer to use an alternative solution to the Recovery tool, then you can rely on a simple pendrive and the DiskMaker X program. It is a completely free application that allows you to create a bootable USB stick in order to install macOS in just a few simple steps.

Let’s see how to make the most of the program:

  • The first operation to do is to download the latest version of macOS (eg macOS Mojave ) from the Mac App Store to copy it later on the pendrive. To do this, simply type macOS in the Search field of the store and proceed with the download or go to the Purchased tab and choose Install that you find in correspondence with the previously downloaded operating system.
  • At this point, log onto the official website of DiskMaker X using a simple browser (ie. Chrome, Firefox, or Safari ) and click Download DiskMaker X.
  • After installing the free software, connect the USB stick to one of your Mac’s USB ports and start the app.
  • Now, from the window that appears, select the version of macOS downloaded from the Apple store just before to copy it to the pendrive.
  • Then, click on the Use this copy button and confirm the formatting of the USB stick by pressing on An 8 GB USB Thumb Drive.
  • In the next step, select the name of the pendrive on which you want to copy macOS, press the Erase keys then create the disk and Continue and type in the password of the Apple account to start copying the files.
  • After completing the previous operation, restart the computer by holding down the Alt key on the keyboard.
  • From the menu that appears, select the icon of the USB stick containing the operating system (which should be called Install macOS).
  • From here, start the Disk Utility tool, select the Mac disk icon on which to install the OS via the left sidebar and press Format.
  • After setting the Name, Format and Scheme (following the instructions given earlier), click on Format to start formatting.
  • Once the operation is complete, close the tool and press the Install MacOS icon.

How to install macOS

Since we have already written and published a guide on the installation of the Apple operating system, we advise you to read it to properly perform this procedure. Find it below.

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