How to Reformat a Disk on Mac

Are you looking to reformat a disk on your Mac? Reformatting a disk can be a daunting task, especially if you're not familiar with the process. In this article, we will guide you through the steps necessary to reformat a disk on your Mac.

Before we begin, make sure that you have backed up all of your important files and data to an external drive or second internal drive. Once you've done this, you can proceed with the reformatting process.

Step 1: Check the SMART Status

The first step is to check the SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) status of the drive using Disk Utility (DU). To do this, launch DU and select your hard drive from the left side list. Once you've selected the drive, look for the SMART status area in the DU window.

Step 2: Select Disk Utility

Once you've checked the SMART status, select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu at the top of the DU window.

Step 3: Erase the Disk

In the Disk Utility window, select the disk that you want to reformat and click on the 'Erase' button. In the 'Erase' dialog box, select the format type as 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' and set the ZeroData option to one-pass.

Step 4: Reinstall macOS

Once you've erased the disk, you can reinstall macOS by selecting the 'Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion, Mavericks' option and clicking on the 'Install' button. Follow the prompts to complete the installation process.

Alternative Method

If you prefer not to use Disk Utility, you can restart your Mac and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. From here, select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button to continue with the reinstallation process.

Important Note

Remember that reformatting a disk will remove all data from the hard drive. Make sure to back up your files before proceeding with the reformatting process.

We hope this article has been helpful in guiding you through the process of reformatting a disk on your Mac. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.

Reformat disk mac