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User profile for user: karlssongunvor
karlssongunvor Author
User level: Level 1
34 points

How do I erase a hard drive on an iMac

I want to remove all information from the hard drive of my old 2014 iMac to give it to a friend. How do I erase the hard drive? Is there anything further that I can do to take anything out of the iMac to "clean" it besides erasing the hard drive? I don't want anything of my using it to remain in the computer. Will erasing the hard drive make it. usable by someone else?


and finally, "How do I erase the hard drive?


thanks!

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Mar 21, 2021 8:29 AM

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User profile for user: Jack-19
Jack-19
User level: Level 8
46,014 points

Posted on Mar 21, 2021 12:07 PM

Hi there,


Read: What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac - Apple Support


  1. Make sure all your data you want to save is stored elsewhere.
  2. Sign out of your Apple ID in System Preferences > Apple ID/iCloud > Sign Out
  3. Shut down the Mac.
  4. Turn on the Mac, and immediately press and hold Option + Command + R until you see a spinning globe.
  5. Once you are in macOS Recovery, verify you are connected to WiFi in the top right corner.
  6. Go to Disk Utility.
  7. Select "View" in the toolbar > "Show All Devices".
  8. Select your main hard drive. This will either be "APPLE SSD...", "APPLE HDD...", or "Fusion Drive".
  9. Click Erase, and input the following exactly: (If you cannot select erase on the main hard drive, erase the "Container".)
  10. Name: Macintosh HD
  11. Format: APFS
  12. Scheme: GUID Partition Map (if shown)
  13. Click Erase
  14. Quit Disk Utility
  15. Go to the reinstall macOS app.
  16. Follow the prompts, and install on Macintosh HD.


Cheers,


Jack


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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Jack-19
Jack-19
User level: Level 8
46,014 points

Mar 21, 2021 12:07 PM in response to karlssongunvor

Hi there,


Read: What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac - Apple Support


  1. Make sure all your data you want to save is stored elsewhere.
  2. Sign out of your Apple ID in System Preferences > Apple ID/iCloud > Sign Out
  3. Shut down the Mac.
  4. Turn on the Mac, and immediately press and hold Option + Command + R until you see a spinning globe.
  5. Once you are in macOS Recovery, verify you are connected to WiFi in the top right corner.
  6. Go to Disk Utility.
  7. Select "View" in the toolbar > "Show All Devices".
  8. Select your main hard drive. This will either be "APPLE SSD...", "APPLE HDD...", or "Fusion Drive".
  9. Click Erase, and input the following exactly: (If you cannot select erase on the main hard drive, erase the "Container".)
  10. Name: Macintosh HD
  11. Format: APFS
  12. Scheme: GUID Partition Map (if shown)
  13. Click Erase
  14. Quit Disk Utility
  15. Go to the reinstall macOS app.
  16. Follow the prompts, and install on Macintosh HD.


Cheers,


Jack


Reply

How do I erase a hard drive on an iMac

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