How to Reset a MacBook Pro to Factory Settings Without a Disc

By Jane Williams

The iMac can perform a factory reset over USB or the Internet.
i Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images News/Getty Images

There may come a time when you decide to sell your MacBook Pro or just have the urge to start fresh. Wiping the hard drive and returning the computer to factory default settings gives you this fresh start, and Apple makes this possible even without reinstallation discs. You just need an Internet connection to complete the reinstall process.

Step 1

Set the MacBook Pro to restart. Hold down the “Command” and “R” keys when the gray screen appears during the boot process. Select a Wi-Fi network from the menu in the top right corner of the screen, if required.

Step 2

Select “Disk Utility” from the next screen and click “Continue.” Choose your hard drive in the list and click “Erase.”

Step 3

Click the “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” option in the new dialog. Type a new disk name and click “Erase.” One the drive is wiped, click “Disk Utility” and then “Quit Disk Utility.”

Step 4

Choose “Reinstall OS X” and click “Continue.” Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reinstallation of the operating system.

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