Formatting your iMac: How to do it right

If you want to sell your iMac, it is important to format it before doing so. This will ensure that your data does not fall into unfamiliar hands. Formatting individual components can also be the right solution for some software problems.

Tips for formatting iMac: Before selling

Before formatting iMac, it's best to create a backup of your data.Then log out of key Apple programs like iTunes and iCloud. You should also log off your account from iMessage.

1. Now you can format your hard drive and reinstall the operating system. Meanwhile, to reinstall the operating system, you no longer need a CD, you can use the macOS Disk Utility.
2. To perform the formatting, restart the iMac and meanwhile press the key combination of "Cmd" + "R".
3. Open Disk Utility in the Recovery menu and delete the boot volume.
4. After that, click "Mac OS Extended", enter a name and click "Delete" again.
5. Once the formatting is done, you can exit Disk Utility and install OS X again.
6. Optionally, you can turn off the iMac after the restart via "Command" and "Q", so that the new user can install macOS itself.

iMac: Alternatives to formatting

Formatting the iMac and resetting it to factory defaults can also be a useful option if the device no longer works as usual or has become prone to errors.However, the reset is the last step. Before that, try alternatives such as clearing the cache, ending Autostarts and booting the iMac in safe system boot.