How to factory reset and reboot MacBook Pro?

If you're looking to sell your MacBook Pro or give it away, it's important to wipe your device clean before handing it over. MacBooks rarely have system crashes so severe that they would require a factory reset. So, the need for one arises mainly when there's a change in ownership.

Unlike Windows laptops, resetting your MacBook Pro is a little different. The process is rarely simple and takes a few minutes to complete. However, properly erasing your data is crucial while handing over your device.

For a simple system freeze, you can opt to reboot the device to get rid of most of the persistent problems. Read along to learn to clear the MacBook Pro of your data and also how to reboot it.

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Factory resetting and reinstalling macOS on your MacBook Pro

Signing out of your MacBook Pro

If you are resetting the device to reuse it yourself, then you can skip this step. But in case you sell it, or give it away, signing out of your device is imperative. Make sure that you have backed up your data prior to attempting any of this since the process will erase it from the MacBook Pro.

Follow the steps below to properly sign out of the apps on your device:

1) iTunes: Go to iTunes and select Account from the top bar. Next, click on the sign-out option to deauthorize the device from using your account.

2) Messages: Click on Messages from the dock. Go to Account from the Menu bar at the top and select Preferences. This will pull up the accounts where you can sign out by clicking on the Sign Out button.

3) iCloud: Go to system preferences and find iCloud. Click on the Sign Out button to start the process. Select all the options that will follow to completely sign out of iCloud Drive, Contacts, Calendars, and Reminders.

The macOS will ask if you want to delete various data from the device. Choose to delete it and type in your password when prompted. This will successfully sign you out of your device completely.

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Factory resetting your MacBook Pro and reinstalling the macOS

Once you are done logging out of your Apple account, follow these steps to erase your data from the device. Make sure your MacBook Pro has internet access before starting and that it is plugged into a power supply:

• First, shut down your device.
• If your laptop has an Apple Silicon chip, turn it on and continue holding down the power button to bring up the startup options window. Click on options (a gear-shaped icon) to continue.
• If you are working with an Intel processor, then turn on your laptop and immediately press and hold Command + R. You can also hold this button combo before hitting the power button if the boot speed is too fast to catch.
• When the macOS Utilities window shows up, select the Disk Utility option to start wiping your drive.
• Select Macintosh HD and click on erase. There are various format options, you can select the "AP FS" format to continue.
• Click on Done once the erasure procedure is complete.
• Go back to the macOS Utilities window and select Reinstall macOS and click on Continue. Follow the on-screen directions to reinstall the OS on the drive.
• After the installation is done, you will be directed to the Welcome page to complete the setup just like on a device.

Utilities window in the macOS Recovery (Image via apple.com)

You can go ahead and sign back in if you want to. To sell or change ownership of the device, do not complete the setup and press Command + Q to quit the window. Click on Shut Down to turn off the device.

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Rebooting your MacBook Pro

The steps to reboot your Apple laptop are simple. There are three ways you can go about it as stated below:

1) Go to the Apple menu and select the Restart option. If you want to get right back into the apps and documents after logging in, check the "Reopen windows when logging back in" box.

Restarting the device from the Apple menu (Image via Sportskeeda)

2) Press and hold the Control + Command + Power buttons until the screen turns off. An audio alert will notify you when the device restarts.

3) If your MacBook Pro has become unresponsive, you can go for a force restart. To do that, press and hold the Control + Option + Command + Power button.

This will force your system to reboot and possibly take care of the system freeze.

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Your MacBook Pro is now ready to be sold or handed over to a new user with no traces of your data on the laptop. New users can complete the setup process from where they left off, just like on a new device.

Do not power off or close the lid during the reinstallation or rebooting process. Also, make sure you have backed up all your data from the drive before factory resetting it as it will erase all saved data from the drive.