4 Ways to Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac

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Erase and reformat a storage device or hard drive for your computer
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This wikiHow teaches you how to restore your Windows or macOS computer’s hard drive to its original factory settings.

How do you wipe and reset a hard drive on PC or Mac?

  • You can wipe and reset a hard drive to factory settings by going to "Settings > Recovery > Get Started" in Windows.
  • Using a Mac, restart, and press "Cmd + R" as it's restarting, then click "Disk Utility > Your Drive > Erase."
  • Reformat a storage or secondary drive using Disk Management or Disk Utility.
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Resetting a Windows 10 Drive to Factory Settings

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    It’s usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
    • This method will delete all of the data on your hard drive and replace it with its original factory settings.
    • Make sure to back up your data before you begin.
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    It’s near the bottom of the menu.
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    [1]
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    It’s in the left column.
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    This ensures that all of your apps and personal data will be deleted from the hard drive.
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    • If you’re resetting the PC because someone else will be using it, click Remove files and clean the drive to ensure that they won’t be able to access your data.
    • If you plan to keep the PC, click Just remove my files . [2]
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    Another confirmation will appear.
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    Windows will now begin the reset process. Once the process is complete, follow the prompts to set up Windows as new.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Formatting a Second Hard Drive in Windows

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    This opens the Windows search bar.
    • This method will help you delete the data from a hard drive on your computer that isn’t your primary drive.
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    It’s in the left column. You may have to click the arrow next to “Storage” to see Disk Management. A list of hard drives connected to your PC will appear.
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    You can select any drive other than the one on which Windows is installed.
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    The data on the hard drive will be deleted.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Resetting a macOS Drive to Factory Settings

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    You’ll need a way to access your Mac’s factory settings once your hard drive is erased, so your computer must be online. [3]
    • This method will delete all of the data on your hard drive and replace it with its original factory settings.
    • Make sure to back up your data before you begin.
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    It’s at the top-left corner of the screen.
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    Your Mac will now shut down and restart. You’ll have to perform the next step before the login screen appears so act quickly.
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    This screen appears after the computer shuts down and begins to restart. The Utilities panel will appear.
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    The name varies by Mac but it will appear in the left panel. Look for a drive with a name like “startup disk.”
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    It’s in the main panel.
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    The data on your hard drive will now be erased and re-formatted. This may take several minutes to several hours. Once the process is complete, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process and set up your Mac as new.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Formatting a Second Drive in macOS

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    It’s at the top-right corner of the screen.
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    A list of results will appear.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-29.jpg\/v4-460px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-29.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d5\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-29.jpg\/v4-728px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-29.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/21\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-30.jpg\/v4-460px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-30.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/21\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-30.jpg\/v4-728px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-30.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This cannot be the drive on which macOS is installed.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-31.jpg\/v4-460px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-31.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-31.jpg\/v4-728px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-31.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It’s at the top of the window.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/4b\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-32.jpg\/v4-460px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-32.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/4b\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-32.jpg\/v4-728px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-32.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  7. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/9a\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-33.jpg\/v4-460px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-33.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9a\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-33.jpg\/v4-728px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-33.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The options you select will vary depending on your needs.
  8. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-34.jpg\/v4-460px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-34.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-34.jpg\/v4-728px-Reset-a-Hard-Drive-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-34.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The selected hard drive will now be erased and reformatted.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12415/windows-10-recovery-options
      2. ↑ https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/reset-windows-10-pc
      3. ↑ https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-restore-a-mac-to-factory-settings/

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