The fastest way to erase your Mac is through Disk Utility, built into every Mac

You can erase your Mac's hard drive in about 15 minutes using Disk Utility, the tool Apple includes with every machine. The process wipes everything on the drive — your files, your operating system, your settings — and leaves you with a blank drive. You'll need to reinstall macOS afterward if you want to use the Mac again, or you can leave it blank if you're selling it or recycling it.

The steps differ slightly depending on whether your Mac uses an Intel processor or Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, or later). Both routes start the same way: restart your Mac into Recovery Mode, which is a separate operating system stored in a protected part of your drive that lets you work on the main drive itself.

Key Takeaways

  • Restart your Mac and hold Command + R to enter Recovery Mode, where Disk Utility lives and can erase your main drive.
  • In Disk Utility, select your drive (not a partition), click Erase, and choose APFS as the format for any Mac made after 2017.
  • The erase process takes 5 to 10 minutes and removes all files permanently — there is no undo and no recovery afterward.
  • After erasing, your Mac will not start up; you must reinstall macOS from Recovery Mode or from an external installer if you want to use it again.

How to enter Recovery Mode on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs

Shut down your Mac completely. Press the power button to turn it on, then when ready hold down Command + R. Keep holding until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe. This usually takes 10 to 20 seconds. Release the keys once the Recovery Mode interface appears — you'll see a menu with options like "Restore From Time Machine Backup" and "Reinstall macOS".

If you see a login screen instead, you've entered the wrong mode. Restart and try again, holding Command + R from the moment you press power. On Apple Silicon Macs, you may see a startup options screen first; if so, select your startup disk, then click Options, then Reinstall macOS — this takes you to Recovery Mode.

Opening Disk Utility and selecting your drive

From the Recovery Mode menu, click Utilities in the top menu bar, then select Disk Utility. A window opens showing your drives and partitions. Look for your main drive — usually called "Macintosh HD" or something similar — in the left sidebar. Click it once to select it.

This is the critical step: make sure you've selected the drive itself, not a partition within it. If you see an indented item below your main drive name, that's a partition. Select the top-level drive. If you're unsure, look at the size shown in the information pane on the right — it should match the total storage capacity of your Mac, not a smaller number.

Erasing the drive with the correct format

Click the Erase button in the toolbar. A dialog box appears asking for a name, format, and scheme. For the name, type anything you want — "Macintosh HD" is the standard choice, but you can use any name. For format, choose APFS if your Mac was made in 2017 or later. If your Mac is older than 2017, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) instead.

Leave the scheme set to GUID Partition Map unless you have a specific reason to change it — this is the standard for all modern Macs. Click Erase. Disk Utility will ask you to confirm; click Erase again. The process usually takes 5 to 10 minutes. You'll see a progress bar. Do not restart your Mac or close Disk Utility while it's running.

What happens after the erase completes

When the erase finishes, Disk Utility shows your drive as empty. Your Mac will not start up on its own — the operating system is gone. You now have three options: reinstall macOS, leave the drive blank, or install a different operating system.

To reinstall macOS, go to Utilities in the top menu bar and select Reinstall macOS. This downloads and installs the version of macOS that came with your Mac originally. The read and installation take 30 minutes to an hour depending on your internet speed. If you want to sell or give away your Mac, you can stop here — the blank drive cannot be recovered by someone who finds it later.

Erasing a drive that won't start up

If your Mac won't start up normally, you can still erase it using Recovery Mode. Restart and hold Command + R as described above. Even if your Mac is damaged or corrupted, Recovery Mode usually still works because it's stored separately. Follow the same Disk Utility steps. If Recovery Mode won't load, try Command + Option + R instead, which loads Internet Recovery — this downloads Recovery Mode from Apple's servers and takes longer but works on almost any Mac.

If neither works, your Mac's firmware may be damaged beyond what you can fix yourself. At that point, you'll need to take it to an Apple Store or a certified repair shop.

Erasing an external drive or secondary drive

You can erase external drives and secondary internal drives the same way, but you don't need Recovery Mode. Just plug in the external drive, open Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities on your normal Mac, select the external drive in the sidebar, click Erase, and follow the same format and naming steps. This is much faster than erasing your main drive because you don't have to restart.

For secondary internal drives (if your Mac has more than one), restart into Recovery Mode as usual, but select the secondary drive instead of your main drive in Disk Utility. The process is identical.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo an erase after I click the button?

No. Once you click Erase the second time to confirm, the process starts when ready and cannot be stopped. The files are overwritten and cannot be recovered. If you're unsure whether you've selected the right drive, restart and check again before proceeding.

What format should I use if I'm selling my Mac to someone else?

Use APFS for any Mac from 2017 onward, or Mac OS Extended for older Macs. Both formats are standard and work with all Macs. The buyer will reinstall their own macOS after purchase, so the format doesn't matter as long as it's one of these two.

Do I need an internet connection to erase my drive?

No. Erasing the drive itself requires no internet. However, if you want to reinstall macOS afterward and you use Internet Recovery (Command + Option + R), you'll need internet to read the installer. Regular Recovery Mode (Command + R) works offline.

What if my Mac is stuck on the login screen and I can't restart?

Hold the power button for 10 seconds until the Mac shuts down completely. Then press power and when ready hold Command + R. This forces a restart into Recovery Mode even if the Mac is frozen.

Will erasing the drive remove the T2 chip security on newer Macs?

No. The T2 chip (found on Macs from 2018 to 2021) is hardware and remains on the Mac. Erasing the drive removes only the data and operating system. If you've set a firmware password, you'll need that password to erase the drive or reinstall macOS.