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How To Wipe Your Hard Drive Mac



Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these two keys until you see an Apple logo or other image: Command (⌘) and R. You may then be asked to select a user you know the password for. Select the user, then click Next and enter their administrator password. Use Disk Utility to erase your disk. Create a backup. Make sure that you have a current backup of your important files.

In this digital age, we all are pretty much acquainted with the storage media forms. From online/cloud storage to portable devices, we depend on all. However there are many reasons why you would want to erase the hard disk drive on MacBook Pro. If you don't properly delete the data, that data can be stolen. Once the data gets stolen you will regret it. The stolen data can be your personal pictures, videos, bank details etc. Sensitive data can be used for personal benefits. You would not even dare to imagine these things happening to you, so it's better not to take risk like this. Regardless of your reasons, make sure that you backup the data before wiping the drive clean.

Here are some of the ways to erase everything on MacBook pro hard drive.

Method 1: Format Your Hard Drive on MacBook Pro

Let's say you wish to erase only a particular partition volume instead of the entire hard disk. This is the simplest way to erase the hard disk on your MacBook Pro. Here is how you can do that.

1) Access Finder menu by clicking on the Dock icon. You can also access it through Spotlight.

2) On the left click Applications, scroll down a bit to the Utilities. You will need to double click on it.

3) Once the folder opens you will the Disk Utility application. Again, you will need to double click it to launch it.

Best Free Hard Drive Eraser

4) Choose the hard disk drive you wish to erase. The drive names will appear in the left sidebar.

5) Click the Erase tab as shown in the image above.

6) In the erase tab you will see the Format section. Next to this option is the dropdown from where you can choose how you wish to format the drive. For instance, if you wish to use the drive only for one of the Mac OS versions, select Mac OS Extended. If you wish to install the Windows OS on the hard drive, then choose MS-DOS (FAT).

7) You can also give the name to the partition in the Name text box (under Format option).

8) Once you have chosen the Format type and given the name to the partition, click on 'Erase..' button.

NOTE: Remember that this method can only be used to erase the hard disk drive which does not have the Mac OS installed on it. This method uses the utilities which can be run only on the Mac OS. If you need to remove the hard drive with OS files, you can use Method 2.

Method 2: Erase Everything on MacBook Pro with Data Wiper (Recommend)

The problem with the Method 1 we discussed above is that once the data has been erased it can still be recovered. The next owner can use some free or professional data recovery software to retrieve your already deleted or formatted data that may still be on your hard drive somewhere. We need to protect our data and personal information. Especially if you are giving the MacBook Pro to someone else, you will need to make sure that your information remains safe.

This is where Safewiepr Eraser for Mac comes into picture. This application not only erases the hard drive but also makes sure that it becomes unrecoverable.

Safewiper Data Wiper for Mac

  • The program includes powerful as well as fast wiping algorithms that can permanently erase everything from hard drive . Completely destroy and erase all existing data, deleted/lost data and traces on MacBook Pro
  • Wipe your MacBook hard drive and files/folder data with advanced algorithm which overwrites data with 7 times.
  • Wipe exactly what you need - hard disks, separate partitions or free space
  • Compatible with macOS Sierra and OS X 10.11 El Capitan, 10.10, 10.9, 10.8, 10.7, 10.6
Step 1 Download and Install The Safewiper Wipe Mac Application, Run It.
Free

First of all, you need to download and install the program on your MacBook Pro, then launch the program. Mac o lipstick swatch. The while installation process is very easy.

Step 2 Select the File Type You Need to Wipe

In the last update, you may have noticed that the program provides three wiping options, 'Erase File/Fodlers' and ' Wipe Drive' and 'Wipe Unused Space' . Here, to completely destroying your all data on MacBook hard drive, just select the second wiping option.and click on 'Next' option.

Before starting to wipe your MacBook pro, a window pops up asking you to choose a 'wiping method', it offers 4 wiping algorithm. 7 wipe and 35 wipe will take much time to erase your MacBook Pro. So, we recommend you select 3 wipe.

Step 3 Start to Wipe Your MacBook Pro Hard Drive Data

Upon confirming your Wiping Mode, click the Start wiping button to being wiping your MacBook Pro. After the wiping process is complete, an intimating message will be displayed.

If you need to erase everything on MacBook Pro, only formatting the hard drives separately is not a good choice. It is best to use the Data Wiper to wipe clean everything. This way the data will be rendered unrecoverable and your personal information will remain safe. You can reinstall the OS afterwards.

Call of duty 4 mac review. After wiping your MacBook Pro hard drive, you will get a totally new MacBook without any personal information in it. The software will destroy, shred your data and overwrite the disk space of the data for many times. After the process finished, the data in your hard drive will be lost permanently without recovery, you will get a totally new MacBook without any personal information in it.

You can erase your computer’s hard drive usingseveral methods. But keep in mind that when you wipe your computer hard drive,you will be resetting your device to its factory settings. You will be removingall the information on the drive. When you reboot your computer, you will beable to use it again as if it were new.

Note: Wiping a hard drive is not the same as deleting your files or formatting a drive. These are completely different processes. To be on the safe side, you should back up your files. Save your files, photos, videos, and documents in an extra drive or to the cloud. You should also save your software product keys.

Free Hard Drive Eraser

How to Wipe a Windows Hard Drive

This method will allow you to wipe your PC computerby doing a reset.

  1. Click on the Start button. This is the button located in the bottom left corner of your screen with the Windows logo.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. In the Settings panel, go to Update and Security.
  4. Then select Recovery from the left sidebar.
  5. Next, select Get Started under Reset this PC.
  6. Select Remove Everything from the pop-up. If you choose this option, your hard drive will be cleaned of all files, programs, and settings.
  7. Then select “Just remove my files” to verify the command.

    Note: This process will not remove your Windows operating system. If you select the “Remove my files and clean my drive” option, you will be removing the OS as well.

  8. Finally, select Reset. This will begin the process of wiping your hard drive. When this process is completed, you will be able to log into your Windows computer as a new user.

How to Reset and Erase a Mac Computer SSD Drive

For Mac users, the following steps show you howto wipe your hard drive clean.

  1. Restart your Mac. You can do this by holding down the power button or by going to the Apple menu and selecting restart.
  2. Hold down the Command + R keys while your Mac is restarting. When the Apple logo appears, you can release the keys.
  3. Click Disc Utility. Select continue by the bottom right area of the screen.
  4. Click View > Show All Devices.
  5. Select your Mac’s drive and then click Erase. This will be the highest option in the device tree.
  6. Click Erase and fill in the name, format, and Scheme.
    • Name: You can choose any name you want, but it’s recommended to name the disk something generic.
    • Format: You can choose either APFS (Apple File System) or macOS Extended (Journaled). The Disk Utility will show the compatible format by default. Most older computers will be Journaled, while most modern laptops that come with solid-state drives (SSD) are APFS-formatted.
    • Scheme: Choose GUID Partition Map.
  7. Select Erase by the bottom right corner of the screen. This step will start the process of wiping your Mac’s hard drive. This process will take a few hours, so make sure that your Mac is plugged in.
  8. When prompted, click Done.
  9. You can now reinstall your OS to the computer.

If your Mac is not using an SSD, you can eraseyour hard drive by following the steps below:

  1. Follow steps 1-4 from the previous guide.
  2. Select the HDD drive of your Mac and click Erase.
  3. Go to Security Options by the lower part of the screen.
  4. Select the Most Secure option and click OK.
  5. By the lower right side of the screen, click Erase. This will start the process of wiping the hard drive. This process will take several hours to finish.
  6. When prompted, click Done.

Any of the processes above will erase your computer’s hard drive. If you wish to reinstall your OS, check out our guide on how to install a Windows or Mac operating system.

Free Hard Drive Wipe Download

If you want to learn how to reinstall Windows, check out our previous article here. How to make safari my default browser on mac.

Updated on November 6, 2020

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