Reinstalling mac os on macbook pro. How to reinstall Mac OS from an installation flash drive

If you are lucky enough to pick up a used Mac from a friend or you are going to sell a Mac mini, iMac, Macbook, then it is advisable to reinstall the system so that there is no personal data left on the computer. But what if you don't know or have forgotten your account password?

In this article, we'll show you how to bypass this problem and restore your Mac to factory settings, even if you don't have the password.

To improve your device's performance, check out our tips for speeding up your Mac.

Recover password

Before you panic about a forgotten account password on your Mac, you should know that resetting it is not that difficult. Every Mac has a built-in recovery mode that will allow you to change your system password if you've forgotten it.

Check out our instructions on how to recover your forgotten Mac login password.

Erase the contents of your Mac

Since you'll be completely deleting all content on your Mac, you'll need a USB drive with macOS ready or internet access that can download several GB worth of content, as this will be used to install macOS.

For more information on this, you can read our guide on how to reinstall macOS using USB or our guide on how to reinstall macOS in recovery mode.

Now you are ready to start. First you need to turn off your Mac. Then press the power button and immediately press and hold the keys Control and R until you see the Apple icon or spinning globe icon.

Release the keys and soon after you will see the macOS Utilities window.

There are four options in this window: Restore from backup Time Machine, reinstalling macOS, receiving help online And disk utility. Click on the last one, then select "Continue".

You'll then see a list of all the HD drives that are currently connected to your Mac. The left columns show the names, and the main panel shows the details of the selected drive.

Look at the section "Interior" for your main drive. It is often called Macintosh HD and appears at the top of the list. Click on it so it's highlighted, then click the button "Erase" from the options on the main panel.

A pop-up window will appear with several fields that you will need to fill out. The first is the name, in which you must enter the name of the disk, usually Macintosh HD.

Below are two drop-down menus. The first is the format in which to choose MacOS Extended (Journaled), and the second field is called Scheme, and here you need to select GUID Partition Map.

Finally, click "Erase", and the disk will be cleared of all users, applications and content.

Of course, to use the Mac after this, you will need to reinstall the operating system. To do this, return to the menu macOS utilities, select "Reinstall macOS" and follow the onscreen instructions.

Greetings everyone! The question is really very useful, but as practice shows, not many users use this method of clean installation of the Mac OS X operating system. First, I would like to define what a clean installation of Mac OS is - this is a complete reinstallation of the same or another version of Mac OS X in advance formatted disk partition.

Why do many people strive for a clean installation?

The answer is simply banal, in order to get rid of all the bugs, changes made and errors of the already installed operating system. Errors can occur both due to the fault of the OS itself, for example, due to an error with access rights to folders and files, making any changes to system files when installing programs using the installation method, or due to the fault of the user himself who tried to configure something by forcibly replacing or changing system files. As a rule, such a change entails a number of consequences - the system begins to lag, slow down, and various errors appear during operation.

What you will need for a clean installation of Mac OS while saving data:

• Flash drive from 8 GB. The size of the flash drive depends on the installation method. If you have a saved installation image of Mac OS on your PC or in the App Store, then you can write it to a flash drive using the terminal (the easiest way), using disk utility (more difficult), for this you will need a flash drive of at least 8 GB . If there is no image, but you don’t want to use it from a torrent, then it is possible to install via the network using a recovery partition; to create a flash drive with a recovery partition, a 1 GB flash drive is enough - this method is perfect for owners of real Apple equipment; on Hackintosh, problems may arise problems, not always, but still. You will find how to cut an installation flash drive on our website; we have described a lot of methods for different versions of Mac OS, so don’t be lazy to look through the sections or use the search.
• Time Machine backup or installed system on another hard drive partition. After a clean installation, we lose all data: installed and configured programs, photos, music and much more, which takes a lot of time to restore and configure. This is exactly why we need a copy of Time Machine or the system on another partition; in this case, we will extract only the information we need and will not affect system files - the Mac OS installer itself will not allow us to replace them with damaged ones. As a result, we will get a brand new and clean OS, but with our own programs and personal files, documents, photos, videos, music, etc.

At first, the process is no different from a regular installation. We insert the flash drive, boot from it, go into the disk utility and format the hard drive partition on which a clean Mac OS will be installed, and start the installation. After some time has passed, we will see this window; it is the settings from it that will allow us to save our data!

In this window, we need to select the first item - Transfer data from a Mac computer, Windows PC, Time Machine backup or boot disk. Select this item and click continue.

We choose what we will transfer from from an installed system on another partition or from a Time Machine backup.

Select the backup date from which you want to transfer data. In my case, there is only one copy, so the list is almost empty. If you use Time Machine for a long time and create automatic copies, the list will be more impressive.

After which we will be provided with a list from which we can choose what exactly we want to transfer. Programs, documents, music, photos, system settings and the like. From this list, select everything.

We select, confirm and wait for the information to be transferred to the new system. The duration of this procedure directly depends on the amount of data being transferred and the speed of the hard drive.

After which we log into ICloud or skip the step - this is the same as during a normal installation. With this method, an account does not require creation; it will be transferred from the specified location, so the password will be from the same account.

After this is done, we get the purest Mac OS, but with the full amount of our information and working programs on board, and we can immediately get to work, rather than copying, installing and configuring.

Attention hackintosh people. When transferring data in this way, all the kexts that you previously needed to install on the system, such as network, video, for USB, etc. , will be transferred from the copy and will not require re-installation. But if you manually patched ALC or another quest, you will have to repeat the procedure, since the installer will not skip the changed files. You can also delete a blank kext from the Mac OS library and install a modified one taken from a copy using the kext utility.

The second way to transfer data to the OS:

The second method is not much different, the procedure is absolutely the same, but it is already suitable for users who did not use the Migration Assistant during installation. You can also transfer all data from another installed operating system or Time Machine copy. But in a slightly different way.

Open Launchpad;

Open the other folder, most often the Migration Assistant shortcut is located there:

And launch the Migration Assistant. After launch, enter the administrator password. You will be logged out of your account and the same window will appear to select a transfer method. Do all the above and all your data (music, programs, etc.) will be transferred to the new system.

This feature will help you spend much less time installing and configuring a new OS. Yes, time is spent copying data, but compared to how much it would take you to transfer and install all this manually, this is a trifle.

Computer Apple is a very reliable machine, but sometimes problems with the operating system happen to it too. If something breaks and your Mac behaves very strangely - use a great Apple tool called Recovery.

An “emergency” system reinstallation is possible on Macs running version 10.7 Lion and older. While in this mode, you connect your computer to the Internet and download the full version of the operating system from there. In this case, there is no need to make an installation disk (convenient, since most Macs today are offered without an optical drive, but a bootable flash drive).

Options

OS X system utilities include more than just reinstallation Mac OS X by downloading it from the Internet. There are three more possible actions:

• Restore Mac from Backup Time Machine(if you have one).
• Disk repair Disk Utility.
• Online support via Safari.

It is recommended to first check the damaged disk using a special Apple utility (the second method listed above). If it doesn’t help, proceed to recovery - either through or through reinstallation. In this article we will look at the option of downloading from a copy of OS X from the Internet and then reinstalling the system.

How to enter Recovery mode

1. Make sure your Mac can connect to the Internet via wireless connection WiFi. It is advisable to use a closed home network rather than an open public one.
2. Shut down (I mean turn off) your Mac. Click on the apple menu and select Turn off... If the computer does not respond (this is possible if the system is frozen), hold down the power button. After a few seconds, your Mac will turn off.
3. Wait 30 seconds (so as not to damage the computer's hard drive by quickly turning it on).
4. Turn on your Mac by pressing the power button. Important — press immediately two keys - ⌘Cmd and R! After a while the menu described above will appear with utilities for OS X.

How to reinstall OS X via Recovery mode

Connect to a Wi-Fi network. To do this, click on the wireless network icon in the upper right corner, select the desired network and, if necessary, enter the password. Next, you can start downloading the software - the most recent version of OS X. It is worth keeping in mind that this file is quite large in size, and downloading it will take a lot of time - from several tens of minutes to several hours. Agree to install OS X and click Continue, follow the instructions that appear on your Mac screen.

Any user may need to update the system on their Mac. However, hardly 25% of the population can boast of the ability to do this. But there are many ways that won’t be difficult to learn. This method is very simple and fast. The OS can be “refreshed” in just three steps. The first step is to make sure that this system will fit your Mac model. To do this, at the top of the screen on the left side, click on the “Apple” icon, select “About this Mac”, and then “More details”. Next, personal information must be indicated. Models that are suitable for OS X Mavericks - iMac (from 2007), MacBook (2008-2009 or later), MacBook Pro (from 2007), MacBook Air (2008 onwards), Mac mini (from 2009), Mac Pro (from 2008), Xserve (from 2009).

Step two - in the “About this Mac” item you can also find out what version of the OS is installed. Mavericks will only replace Snow Leopard (10.6.8), Lion (10.7) or Mountain Lion (10.8), but if you have an older version, updating to the latest will allow you to use this service. The third step is to open the Mac App Store, “Download” the desired OS. Next, installation will be very simple using the built-in instructions. If for some reason you can’t handle it yourself, don’t take your device to dubious technicians. Contact consultants from stores or user support centers.

Updating MacBook OS

The second step mentioned updating the operating system to a newer version. How to do this? The Mac App Store provides notifications about programs and the system itself when they are ready to be updated. On the notification, click “Details”, after which, if the “Update/Install” buttons are available, download the program or OS. The “Reboot” button may also be active; this usually happens when installed software/OS requires a reboot to be “assimilated” by the computer.

Reinstalling OS X

Sometimes it becomes necessary to reinstall the operating system on a MacBook. An important reinstallation factor is Internet access. Restart your Mac by holding down the (⌘) and R keys. Make sure the Internet is connected. Select the reinstallation option, and then “Continue”. Detailed instructions will fully describe further steps; when selecting a disk, select the current Mac OS X disk. Next, click on the “Install” button.

Mac OS X Lion has a built-in recovery disc that can be used to either reinstall the OS or recover hard drive or Time Machine data. In order to call this disk, you need to restart your Mac by holding down the keys (⌘) + R, as before. You also have the opportunity to create an external recovery disk, but this will be discussed in detail in another article.

This article examined in detail the simplest ways to reinstall an operating system. But it is worth remembering that if you do not follow simple rules, you can harm your MacBook. If you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to entrust the matter to professionals.

The MacOS X operating system is Apple's own development and is installed on all its computers. Thanks to its tight integration and hardware design, it offers high stability and performance. A new version of this OS is released once a year, and during its service life, updates are regularly released to correct detected errors. How X works on your computer and what installation options are available, we will tell you in this material.

Terms of distribution

Mac OS X is a proprietary operating system, the first version of which was released in 2001. Over the next twelve years, it was distributed on a paid basis, and all its versions bore “cat” names. The first in this series was OS 10.0 “Cheetah”, the last one was 10.8 “Mountain Lion”.

Starting with version 10.9, MacOS is distributed free of charge, and code names began to be assigned in honor of geographical objects located in the state of California. The first operating system in this series was released in 2013 and was named Mavericks, after a popular Californian beach.

In 2016, Apple changed one of the clauses in its license agreement with users. MacOS has since been considered not purchased, but leased from the company for the duration of use of its equipment. However, this change mostly affects those users who use the so-called MacOS on a third-party computer.

Update from App Store

The easiest way to install a new version is to download it from the App Store. Let's see what needs to be done in this case and how. You can reinstall Mac OS X in this way on any Apple computer whose hardware supports the latest version of the operating system.

To download, you will need a working OS and Internet access. On the App Store home page, in the “Quick Links” section, the very first one will be the current version of Mac OS available for your computer. By going to the operating system page, select the “Download” option, and in the “Programs” folder you will see its image with the name “Install Mac OS”, the current build number and an indicator showing the progress of downloading it from the company’s servers.

After receiving the image on your computer, all you have to do is run it like a regular program. In the future, without your participation, several reboots will take place, and you will be able to use the latest Apple operating system.

Installing from the recovery partition

Over time, hardware requirements increase, and even if your laptop officially supports the new version, it can work more efficiently on the old one. Let's look at how to reinstall Mac OS on a MacBook without changing the OS to a newer one. In this case, we will also need a connection to the World Wide Web.

At boot time, you must use the keyboard shortcut Command+R. With its help, you get to the recovery menu and choose how to reinstall Mac OS. You will be able to upgrade to the latest supported version or the latest version in use. By choosing the second option, you will actually install back the OS on which your laptop showed better performance.

When using the restore feature, you also have the option to return the version of the operating system with which you purchased your computer. If you choose to perform this operation, you will need to use a more complex key combination during the initial boot phase. While holding down Shift+Command+Option+R and answering the question about how to reinstall Mac OS, select the option to install the system that came with it.

Installation from a flash drive

After new versions of Apple's OS are released, a clean installation may be necessary to activate all available features. In this case, you need to know how to reinstall Mac OS from scratch using a bootable USB flash drive. This option is not much more complicated than the previous ones, and the only thing you need is an external drive of at least 8 GB in size and named Untitled. You can rename it using the Disk Utility program included in the OS.

First, you will need to download the boot image to your computer using the method described above. Once you have received it, you can start creating your own bootable USB flash drive. We will use only the standard tools of the operating system itself and create an installation disk using the Terminal program. Copy the following command into its window:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app --nointeraction

To perform this, you will need an administrator account or knowledge of the administrative password. If you have followed our recommendations exactly before, then after no more than half an hour you will have an installation disk with the latest version of OS X Sierra in your hands.

In conclusion

From this material, you learned how to reinstall Mac OS on your computer and what options are available for completing this task. As you can see, the process of reinstalling the Apple operating system is quite simple and downloading its image will take you the most time. Having coped with this task, you can consider yourself a real poppy grower.