How to Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac

This wikiHow teaches you how to restore your Windows or macOS computer’s hard drive to its original factory settings.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Resetting a Windows 10 Drive to Factory Settings

  1. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 1
    1
    Click the
    Windows Start
    menu.     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.
  2. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 2
    2
    Click
    Windows Settings
    Settings.     It’s near the bottom of the menu.
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 3
    3
    Click Update & security.[1]
  4. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 4
    4
    Click Recovery. It’s in the left column.
  5. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 5
    5
    Click Get started under “Reset this PC.”
  6. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 6
    6
    Select Remove everything. This ensures that all of your apps and personal data will be deleted from the hard drive.
  7. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 7
    7
    Select a drive-cleaning option.
    • 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]
  8. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 8
    8
    Click Next. Another confirmation will appear.
  9. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 9
    9
    Click Reset. Windows will now begin the reset process. Once the process is complete, follow the prompts to set up Windows as new.
    10. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Formatting a Second Hard Drive in Windows

  1. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 10
    1
    Press ⊞ Win+S. 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.
  2. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 11
    2
    Type management.
  3. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 12
    3
    Click Computer Management.
  4. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 13
    4
    Select Disk Management under “Storage.” 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.
  5. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 14
    5
    Right-click the disk you want to reset. You can select any drive other than the one on which Windows is installed.
  6. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 15
    6
    Click Format.
  7. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 16
    7
    Click Yes. The data on the hard drive will be deleted.
    8. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Resetting a macOS Drive to Factory Settings

  1. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 17
    1
    Make sure your Mac is connected to the internet. 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.
  2. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 18
    2
    Click the
    Mac Apple
    menu.     It’s at the top-left corner of the screen.
  3. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 19
    3
    Click Restart…. Your Mac will now shut down and restart. You’ll have to perform the next step before the login screen appears so act quickly.
  4. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 20
    4
    Press ⌘ Command+R on the slate gray screen. This screen appears after the computer shuts down and begins to restart. The Utilities panel will appear.
  5. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 21
    5
    Click Disk Utility.
  6. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 22
    6
    Select your hard drive. The name varies by Mac but it will appear in the left panel. Look for a drive with a name like “startup disk.”
  7. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 23
    7
    Click the Erase tab. It’s in the main panel.
  8. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 24
    8
    Click Format.
  9. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 25
    9
    Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
  10. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 26
    10
    Click Erase. 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.
    11. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Formatting a Second Drive in macOS

  1. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 27
    1
    Click the magnifying glass icon. It’s at the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 28
    2
    Type disk utility. A list of results will appear.
  3. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 29
    3
    Click Disk Utility – Utilities.
  4. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 30
    4
    Click the drive you want to format. This cannot be the drive on which macOS is installed.
  5. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 31
    5
    Click Erase. It’s at the top of the window.
  6. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 32
    6
    Type a new name for the hard drive.
  7. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 33
    7
    Select the format and scheme. The options you select will vary depending on your needs.
  8. Image titled Reset a Hard Drive on PC or Mac Step 34
    8
    Click Erase. The selected hard drive will now be erased and reformatted.
    9. Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Check if a Hard Drive Is SSD or HDD on WindowsHow to Check if a Hard Drive is an SSD or HDD on a Windows PC
Check Your Hard Disk Space
How to
Check Your Hard Disk Space
Remove a Hard DriveHow to Remove a Hard Drive
Clone a Hard Drive to an SsdHow to Clone a Hard Drive to SSD
Add an Extra Hard Drive
How to
Add an Extra Hard Drive
Recover Data from the Hard Drive of a Dead Laptop
How to
Recover Data from the Hard Drive of a Dead Laptop
Fix a Physically Broken Hard Drive
How to
Fix a Physically Broken Hard Drive
Tell if Your USB Cable Supports High SpeedHow To Tell If Your USB Cable Supports High Speed: Data Transfer and Fast Charging
Unpartition a Hard Drive
How to
Unpartition a Hard Drive
Destroy a Hard Drive
How to
Destroy a Hard Drive
Change a Computer Hard Drive Disk
How to
Change a Computer Hard Drive Disk
Format an External Hard Drive
How to
Format an External Hard Drive
Install a Hard DriveHow to Install a Hard Drive: HDD, SSD, and M.2
Format an External Hard Drive to Fat32
How to
Format an External Hard Drive to Fat32
Advertisement

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/

About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Written by:
Nicole Levine, MFA
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 83,364 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 2
Updated: March 29, 2019
Views: 83,364
Categories: Hard Drives
Advertisement