How to Format a MacBook

Format your MacBook to protect your data.

Apple regularly upgrades its MacBook line of laptop computers. If you have an older model MacBook and decide that it's time to get a new model, you need to format the hard drive of your current MacBook to completely erase your personal information. This is especially important if you decide to sell your MacBook to a complete stranger. Use the Disk Utilities feature in Mac OS X to format your MacBook.

Instructions

1. Insert the Mac OS X installation disc into your MacBook, then restart the laptop.

2. Press the "C" key on the keyboard and hold it after you hear the startup sound when the MacBook restarts. The Installer screen appears.

3. Click "Installer," then select "Open Disk Utilities." Select your hard drive, then click the "Erase" tab.

4. Select a volume format from the list on the Volume Format menu, then click "Security Options."

5. Click the check box next to "Zero Out Data," "7-Pass Erase" or "35-Pass Erase." The Zero Out Data option writes zeros over the MacBook hard drive's data. This 7-Pass Erase option writes data over the hard drive 7 times while the 35-Pass Erase option writes over the hard drive 35 times. Use the option that you think is adequate for your MacBook.

6. Click the "OK" button, then click "Erase." Wait for the formatting process to complete. The time it takes for your MacBook's hard drive to format depends on the amount of data on your hard drive and the option you choose to erase the hard drive. For example, the 35-Pass Erase option lasts 35 times longer than the Zero Out Data option and the 7-Pass Erase option lasts 7 times longer than the Zero Out Data option.

References

• Apple: How to Zero All Data on a Disk
• Apple: Mac OS X 10.4: About Disk Utility's Secure Erase Options
• Apple: Erasing Disks Securely