How to reset your Mac

Introduction:

A reset can be incredibly helpful in fixing issues with your Mac, but it's not always necessary. Here we'll walk you through the steps needed to reset your Mac, and when it's the best course of action.

These are the steps you'll need to take before finding your Mac a new owner.

Before you sell your Mac, you'll need to take a few extra steps to reset it. First of all, you'll need to make sure all your data is wiped. This used to be a simple process- just deleting files and emptying the trash would do the trick. However, with iCloud and Find My installed on most Macs, it's not that simple anymore. Your device may be backed up to the cloud, which could mean your data is still accessible by the new owner. To make sure your data is actually inaccessible, you'll need to reset your Mac to its factory settings. This will erase everything from your hard drive, including photos, music and documents. It's a good idea to do this before you sell your device online, as it will ensure that your personal information is not accessible to the new owner.

Remove your Mac from Find My

So you've just sold your Mac and the new owner can't get it to start up. They've tried all the normal things-turn it off, unplug it, restart it-but nothing seems to be working. Panic begins to set in as they think they've just paid for a brick. First things first, and this is the big one: remove the Mac from your Find My account. Please, you'll need to do this, and here's why. If your Mac is ever lost or stolen, the original owner can remedy the situation remotely by logging into iCloud on a web browser and selecting Find My. From there, they can see all of their devices and choose the one they want to remote erase. All they need to do is go online and visit the web browser version of iCloud. Once there, tap on Find My and at the top of the screen you'll see a list of all your devices. Select your Mac and then hit Erase.

Resetting NVRAM

If you're selling or giving away your Mac, or if it's just not working right, you might need to reset the NVRAM. This is a simple process that can be done in a matter of moments. First, restart your Mac and hold down Command-Option-P-R until you hear the startup sound for a second time. Release all the keys and let your Mac restart. That's it—you've just reset your NVRAM!

Turn off your Mac

Turning off your Mac is a fairly straightforward process. Once off, turn it back on while holding the Option, Command ⌘, ""P"", and ""R"" keys down for about 20 seconds. After a few moments, you should see a gray screen with an apple logo and a progress bar. When that's done, your Mac will start up as usual.

That was easy! The NVRAM on your computer, which relates to certain security features, has been reset.

Transferring data and wiping your Mac

Once you're signed out, next you need to erase your device. To do this, go to the Apple menu at the top left of your screen and select 'Restart'. Hold down Command-R until you see the Apple logo. This will take you to the Recovery HD screen. From here, go to Utilities > Terminal. In Terminal type ' diskutil eraseDisk "External Name" "Master Password" /dev/rdiskX' (where 'External Name' is the name of your external drive and 'Master Password' is the admin password for your Mac). Once that's done, type 'reboot'. Your Mac will restart and be completely wiped.

Turn off your Mac entirely.

There are occasions when a Mac needs to be reset. Maybe an app is frozen and unresponsive or your cursor is stuck. Or maybe you've decided to give your Mac to someone else and want to erase all of your personal data. Whatever the reason, resetting your Mac is easy--you just need to know how.
 
Turn off your Mac entirely. To do this, press the power button while holding both the Command ⌘ and ""R"" keys. Don't let go for at least five to 15 seconds .
 
From the macOS Utilities menu, select Disk Utility .Select the topmost drive from the menu on the left, then hit Erase .It's worth noting before signing off, however, that Apple seems to be aware of the cumbersome nature of device transferring

Conclusion:

When it's time to let go of your Mac, it's important to erase all your personal data and settings before giving it to a new owner. By following these simple steps, you can be sure that your personal information is completely wiped and inaccessible.