Reinstall Apple OS X Mountain LionĪfter that’s done, go back to OS X Utilities and this time highlight Reinstall OS X and click Continue. This does a similar job of securely erasing your drive as DBAN for Windows.

If you want to be extra secure, select Security Options, then select 7-Pass Erase, which meets the US Department of Defense 5220-22 M standard.

That will erase all data and reformat the hard disk. Select the local drive and click the Erase tab, Format should be set to Mac OS Extended (journaled), the click the Erase button. Start your Mac and hold down the Command + R key combination. If the Security Options button is not available, Disk Utility cannot perform a secure erase on the storage device.Note: I started by selling my iPad 3, and if you’re selling yours, check out my article on how to erase your data and reset it. Secure erase options are available only for some types of storage devices. (Optional) If available, click Security Options, use the slider to choose how many times to write over the erased data, then click OK.

If the Scheme pop-up menu isn’t available, make sure you selected the storage device you want to erase-it’s at the top of the hierarchy.Ĭlick the Format pop-up menu, then choose a file system format. Ĭlick the Scheme pop-up menu, then choose GUID Partition Map. In the sidebar, select the storage device you want to erase, then click the Erase button. If you want to erase any other type of storage device: Double-click Disk Utility in the /Applications/Utilities folder. Note: If you want to get your Mac ready to trade in, sell, or give away, and your computer is a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel-based Mac with an Apple T2 Security Chip, use Erase Assistant.

How to close mac os x utilities