Data Recovery » How to Reset an iMac Back to Factory Settings

How to Reset an iMac Back to Factory Settings

Are you facing issues with your iMac computer? Has it slowed down over time, crashes every now and then, and its performance has deteriorated? Well, when unnecessary programs tend to gather, along with other unwanted files and junk, then the performance of the computer gets affected. One solution is to reset iMac back to factory settings. But how do you go about the procedure?

how to reset imac to factory settings

What happens if I Factory Reset my iMac?

Resetting the iMac computer back to factory settings involves – erasing the hard drive, and reinstalling the operating system on the iMac. As a result, all personal data will be completely removed from the iMac. The iMac will reset to its original state, just like when you first bought it.

In short, resetting Mac to factory settings will erase the entire data existing on the drive. Hence, you should create a backup of crucial files existing on your Mac before you reset. Unfortunately, if you reset the files on iMac without a backup, Remo Recover Mac is one of the best possible tools using which you can recover your lost data.

Utilise Remo Recover Mac, an effective tool built with an advanced scan engine, that scans every sector of the drive to get back lost data. It can effortlessly recover data from exFAT, APFS, HFS+, HFS, etc. It supports data recovery from MacBook Pro, MacBook Air. Additionally, the tool offers a free preview feature to verify the recovery results. Download the tool now.

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Tips to Follow Before Factory Resetting iMac?

  • Make sure you first backup your important data before factory resetting iMac.
  • If you are trying to sell your iMac, for security reasons you must erase data from your Apple account.
  • Your Mac might still remember Bluetooth devices even after it is reset to factory settings. Therefore, before you sell or give away your iMac, make sure to delete the Bluetooth settings in System Preferences.
  • Your time zone, music volume, display settings, among other things, are all stored in the NVRAM of your iMac. Hence Resetting it is a good practice when erasing an iMac.

How to Factory Reset iMac (macOS Monterey)?

In case the performance of your iMac has deteriorated then factory resetting iMac is a great way to enhance the performance. Follow the simple steps to factory reset on macOS Monterey.

Note: Make sure you backup your iMac and log out of your accounts, such as iCloud and iMessage, before factory resetting.

  • Click on the Apple menu on the top left corner
  • Now from the System Preferences select Erase All Contents and Settings.
  • Enter your Password and select OK.

Your Mac will then turn black and restart (likely several times). Allow this process to run its course don’t try to turn the computer off, wait until you get the hello screen.

How Do I Factory Reset my iMac (Pre-macOS Monterey)?

So here is the guide which walks you through the process. Follow these steps to reset iMac back to its original factory settings –

  • The first step is to reboot Mac, and after the boot chime sound, hold down Command and R buttons to put your iMac into Recovery mode
  • Choose the startup disk where your recovery disk is located
  • Select Disk Utility function, and hit Continue. The list of available hard disks will be displayed.
  • Select Macintosh HD disk (if you have not changed the name of primary disk), and click on Erase button
  • Choose a name for the erased drive, and from the Format drop-down list, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) option, which is required to reinstall iMac’s OS
  • Click Erase
  • Once the drive is erased, close Disk Utility to return to the OS X Utilities screen
  • Now it’s time for a fresh installation of Mac OS. Choose Reinstall OS X option from the OS X utility screen, and click Continue
  • The system starts to install the downloaded operating system
  • Follow the instructions for the installation, including basic setup

So that’s it! Now your Mac system will finish installing the OS. And when completed, it will reboot automatically to the fresh factory reset version. Hence, you have reset iMac to factory settings. No data remains on your iMac drive. This is why backing up files is important before resetting your iMac. If you forget to backup data in a hurry, or Apple’s Time Machine failed, then don’t worry – with the iMac Data Recovery like Remo Recover Mac will help you restore the lost files. The tool is designed with an easy to use interface which makes the recovery process simple even for the novice user. The software will also help you in recovering data after factory reset of any Windows or Mac running computers.

Note: In case you want to recover data after factory resetting Windows 11 then you can check this article.

Additional Info: The resetting Mac back to factory settings procedure is almost similar for all Mac computers, including MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and so on. You can carry out the same procedure from a boot USB disk if you have it.

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