If you want to sell or donate your old Mac, it’s important to completely erase your hard drive to protect your personal data. Erasing your hard drive will also ensure that the new owner will have a clean and fresh start with their new Mac.
Here are some methods you can use to erase your Mac hard drive:
- Built-in Mac utility: Disk Utility Disk Utility is a built-in utility in macOS that allows you to erase and format disks. To use Disk Utility to erase your hard drive, follow these steps:
- Launch Disk Utility from the Utilities folder in Applications.
- Select your hard drive from the list of disks on the left.
- Click on the “Erase” tab.
- Choose a format for your hard drive. If you’re going to sell your Mac, it’s recommended to choose the “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” format.
- Click on the “Security Options” button to choose the level of security for the erase. If you’re going to sell your Mac, it’s recommended to choose the “Most Secure” option, which will overwrite your data with zeros seven times.
- Click on the “Erase” button to start the erase process.
- Third-party utility: CCleaner CCleaner is a popular third-party utility that can be used to erase your Mac hard drive. CCleaner offers several erase options, including a “Secure Erase” option that overwrites your data with random data multiple times.
To use CCleaner to erase your hard drive, follow these steps:
- Download and install CCleaner from the official website.
- Launch CCleaner and select the “Tools” tab.
- Click on the “Drive Wiper” option.
- Select the hard drive you want to erase and choose the level of security you want.
- Click on the “Wipe” button to start the erase process.
- Bootable USB drive: DBAN DBAN is a bootable USB drive that can be used to completely erase all data from your hard drive. DBAN uses several erase algorithms, including DoD 5220.22-M, which is a widely used data wiping standard in the United States.
To use DBAN to erase your hard drive, follow these steps:
- Download DBAN from the official website and create a bootable USB drive.
- Insert the DBAN USB drive into your Mac and restart your Mac.
- Press and hold the Option key while your Mac is starting up to boot from the USB drive.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to start the DBAN erase process.
It’s important to note that using DBAN will completely erase your hard drive, including the operating system and all your files. You will need to reinstall macOS after using DBAN.
In conclusion, there are several methods you can use to erase your Mac hard drive, including built-in utilities like Disk Utility, third-party utilities like CCleaner, and bootable USB drives like DBAN. It’s important to choose the method that best fits your needs and follow the instructions carefully to ensure that all your personal data is completely erased.
