How to Reset Your MacBook Air to Factory Settings

A factory reset on any of your digital gadgets is often advised as a remedy to various problems that may arise. This process may be performed on a MacBook Air to improve performance and return your notebook to its former glory.
If you decide to sell your MacBook Air, a factory reset will guarantee that all of your private and personal data is erased. Ensuring that another user can log in and start using your old MacBook Air is also vital for seller ratings, and it saves you the trouble of having to erase your information once the transaction is complete.
By using Time Laptop to back up your MacBook Air and executing a factory reset, your machine will feel as if you just unboxed it for the first time.
With macOS Mojave now available, now is the ideal moment to get your machine up to date. Mojave is jam-packed with new features and system upgrades that will keep your Air working well for years to come. Keep in mind, though, that macOS Mojave is only compatible with MacBook Air models made after mid-2012.
If you’re not experienced with conducting a factory reset on your MacBook Air, follow the instructions below to verify that all of your data is backed up and the reset is completed correctly.
Backing Up Your Data with Time Machine
Apple makes backing up your data on your MacBook Air quite simple. You may backup all of your documents, programs, and other vital data using Time Machine and an external hard drive.
If you don’t already have a dedicated external hard drive, now is a wonderful time to get one. Apple sells the AirPort Time Capsule, which is designed exclusively for Time Machine backups.
Alternatively, there are lots of 1 and 2 terabyte drives for $100 on Amazon, and if you want a suggestion, check out the Western Digital MyPassport drive or the Seagate Backup Plus drive, both of which are intended to function with macOS immediately out of the box.
- Connect your external drive to your computer and launch the Time Machine program on your Mac (this is accessible either through Launchpad or in System Preferences).
- Select Use Disk, and your hard disk will be saved as a time machine backup drive.
- Select Back Up Now from the Time Machine menu.
- If you want to customize what is and isn’t backed up, go to the Time Machine menu’s System Preferences and choose the Options button (If this is your first time doing a Time Machine backup, it may take a while).

Once your backup is complete, be sure to carefully remove your disk from your MacBook Air before disconnecting it.
To correctly eject your external hard drive, launch Finder and touch on the device’s name. Select the Eject icon (an arrow with a line underneath). If your MacBook won’t let you do this, the backup is probably incomplete, or another program is still utilizing your external hard drive.
Factory Resetting Your MacBook Air
After you’ve backed up your user data to Time Machine or your preferred backup tool, it’s time to factory reset your MacBook Air. This procedure might assist you in resolving the majority of faults and difficulties with your MacBook, including slowdowns and stopped programs.
A reset will often return your machine’s speed to what it was when you originally received it in its original form. A factory reset is also required if you want to sell your MacBook Air in order to delete any and all user data remaining on the notebook.
MacOS has a recovery disk tool to let you wipe and reinstall the operating system, which you may redownload from your Mac’s boot display.
Alternatively, you may download macOS Mojave from the Mac App Store and create a bootable USB drive using the downloaded file. Instructions for doing so may be found here. But for now, we’ll look at how to reset your MacBook Air from the device’s boot screen. Please keep in mind that this requires an active internet connection.
- When the Apple logo returns on the display of your MacBook Air, hit and hold Command + R on your keyboard. Hold on until you see the macOS Utilities window appear on your screen.
- Click Reinstall macOS if you wish to reinstall macOS over your present file system.
- To factory reset your device, however, go to the bottom of the list and choose Disk Utility.
- Inside Disk Utility, press the Erase button.
- Choose Mac OS Extended from the Format pop-up window.
- Give your reformatted disk a name and confirm erasure by clicking Erase.



You’ll now see a display begin to delete the disk and data on your MacBook Air. When this operation is finished, your disk has been effectively wiped—but you’re not done yet.
Your machine no longer has an installed operating system, which means you’ll have to reinstall your operating system whether you’re selling it or just reformatting the disk to increase the speed or efficiency of your computer.
Reinstalling macOS On Your MacBook Air
- Begin by exiting Disk Utility on your recently reset MacBook Air by choosing Disk Utility, then Quit.
- When prompted to pick the disk to install, select the default drive (most MacBook Airs have just one storage drive built in unless you’ve individually installed another).
- When you click Install, you may be prompted to provide certain permissions before your machine begins to download macOS. This download will take some time, particularly if your internet connection is sluggish. Please be patient while the reinstallation is done. This might take a few hours, so give yourself plenty of time to restart the system and go back to work.
- When macOS has completed downloading, you may need to manually begin the installation by approving the installation on your machine. When the laptop has completed installing your operating system, it should restart and launch into the macOS Welcome screen, allowing you to create a new account and configure your machine.
- Begin by launching Time Machine from your dock or, if you’ve deleted the shortcut from your dock, by clicking the Apple symbol in the menu bar at the top of your screen, choosing System Preferences, and then Time Machine.
- With your external hard drive inserted into your MacBook Air, you can use Time Machine to search through your data and restore what you wish. The timeline on the right side of your MacBook’s display will indicate the date and time of each backup, enabling you to go through the list and choose the appropriate or most recent backup to restore from.
- Simply press Restart on your device during the Apple logo, wait for your computer to restart, and then press Command + R on your keyboard when the Apple symbol shows on your display.
- When you return to the macOS Utilities page, choose Restore from Disk Utility and follow the on-screen steps to restore your backed-up programs and data to your machine.


If you want to sell your laptop, you may effectively switch it off here; your MacBook Air has been reverted to its factory condition and is ready to be sent off to another user. This also prohibits the buyer from gaining access to your personal or private information.
Restoring a Time Machine Backup
After you’ve done formatting your Mac, you’ll need to restore the data you saved to your external hard drive using a Time Machine backup. Time Machine makes it simple to recover from any of your stored backups on your device, even freshly formatted machines. Here’s how to go about it.
After selecting the file or files, press the restore button to restore them to your device. To preview a file, select it and press the spacebar key on your keyboard.
Alternatively, if you wish to restore everything from your Time Machine backup, you may format and reinstall macOS using the same method described previously in this tutorial.
Errors When Restoring
While this isn’t something you should do on a regular basis, it’s amazing how a simple reinstall can make your aged Mac seem brand new again. Perform this reset every couple of years to keep your MacBook Air functioning well.
Contact Apple Support if you have any problems with restoral. When attempting to restore earlier software, some users have reported receiving a No Bag Entry error. If this occurs, your MacBook Air is unable to connect to the App Store and hence cannot reinstall macOS.
You should ensure that your MacBook Air is linked to a strong wifi signal. Users have complained that using public wifi will prevent your MacBook from doing the restoral.
Factory Resets
Whether you want to restore your device’s previous functionality, trade in your MacBook for a new one, or sell an old laptop. You now understand how to do a factory reset on your MacBook Air.
Share your ideas and experiences with factory resetting MacBooks in the comments section below.
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