Will I lose everything in my iCloud if I reset my Mac?

Will I lose everything on my iCloud if I reset my Mac?

Restoring a MacBook to its factory settings will delete all types of data and settings stored on the device, including passwords. It's important to understand that restoring your MacBook to its original factory settings will not remove iCloud account information that is associated with services, nor will it preserve any data in iCloud.

After you restore your MacBook to its previous state, you'll have to set it up precisely as you would a new device, which involves creating a new user account and password. When you sign in with the same Apple ID that you used for the backup, your iCloud information will sync with your MacBook again.

Are you wondering, "Will I lose everything in iCloud if I reset my Mac?" While resetting your Mac won't delete your iCloud data, the risk of accidentally removing important files still exists. Read on to learn how to reset your MacBook Pro or Air and how to retrieve lost data with professional data recovery tools.

How to Reset Your MacBook Air/Pro

If you notice that your MacBook Air is performing slower than usual, or if you're planning to sell it, you should factory reset it. Before you start restoring your MacBook to its default settings, you'll need to log out of all accounts (including iMessage and iCloud) and back up your Mac using a reliable backup software.

Next, you need to consider your Mac's OS and age. This means that if you have a Mac from 2018 or later, such as an M1 or M2 Mac, it will come with Apple's T2 security chip and the new Erase Assistant feature. As long as you're running macOS Monterey, you can reset it to factory settings easily. If not, the steps to reset the latest version of macOS are as follows:

1. Reset an Older MacBook Than Monterey

MacOS Ventura, or macOS 13, is the latest release after Monterey. If you're using this version, follow these steps to reset it:

Step 1: Scroll to the top of your MacBook's screen, and click the Apple icon.

Step 2: Select System Settings.

Step 3: In the Settings menu, tap “General” from the sidebar.

Step 4: Choose either "Transfer" or "Reset."

Step 5: Select “Erase all content and settings.”

Step 7: Click “Continue” to proceed without creating a backup.

Step 8. The items that will be removed during the reset are displayed. Review each one, like Touch ID, your Apple ID, Apple Pay, accessories, and Find My. Then tap “Continue.”

Click the Continue button.

Step 9: Tap “Erase All Content and Settings” to continue.

Step 10: Your MacBook will restart, and show the reset in progress.

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2. Resetting a MacBook with an Intel chip

If you have a 2017 model or older, you can't easily factory reset your Mac even if it's currently running macOS Monterey. You'll need to boot your MacBook into macOS Recovery Mode to restore it to its default settings. For Intel-based Macs, the steps are as follows:

Step 1: After turning on your MacBook, press and hold the "Command + R" keys immediately until you see the Apple logo.

Step 2: When prompted to choose an administrator user and enter the password, select “Erase Mac” from the Recovery Assistant menu in the menu bar.

Step 3: In the Erase Mac window, click Erase Mac, then click Erase again to confirm.

Step 4: After your Mac turns off, press and hold the Power button for a few seconds. Then, use the macOS Recovery options to restart your computer.

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How to Fix Missing Recovery Mode in macOS Ventura

A missing Recovery Mode in macOS Ventura can be a tricky issue. That's because Recovery Mode is supposed to fix problems that prevent your Mac from starting up. Read More >>

Another way to factory-reset an Intel-based MacBook Air or Pro is to upgrade to Monterey, and then follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Log out of your iCloud account

1. Click the Apple icon, then click "System Preferences" and select the "Apple ID" icon. 2. Choose "Overview" from the sidebar on the right. 3. Click the "Sign Out" option at the bottom.

Click on the “Sign Out” option.

Step 2: Exit iMessage

• Open the "Messages" app > tap on "Messages" in the menu bar > select "Preferences" from the drop-down options. • In the pop-up window, choose "iMessage" and then click on the "Sign Out" button.

Step 3: Restart your Intel Mac into Recovery Mode

Shut down your Mac. Turn it back on and hold down "Command + P + R." This will boot your Mac into Recovery Mode. Select "Disk Utility" from the macOS Utilities window. Click "Continue."

Step 4: Wipe the hard drive

1. Click "Macintosh HD" and then the "Erase" button. 2. Leave the format type as the default, unless you're an expert. 3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the erasure process.

How to Recover Lost Data After Resetting Your Mac

Did you lose data after resetting your Mac? Some Mac users reported that they would reinstall macOS or reset Mac to factory settings when their Mac runs slowly, system crashes, or they need to wipe data before selling an old Mac.

After reinstalling macOS or Mac OS X, you mostly lose most of your documents on the Mac. When dealing with data corruption issues, you may be concerned about the possibility of recovering files after factory reset on Mac or Mac OS X. A factory reset on MacOS only wipes the volume immediately.

It erases the file directory, but writes no data to the drive. So, the underlying information is never damaged. Hence, if you act immediately after resetting the Mac OS, you might be able to recover all your data.

With the help of the Mac Data Recovery Wizard Pro tool, you can restore lost data after resetting your Mac. It can recover various types of data from unintended deletion, emptying the Trash, or other data loss scenarios. However, the main highlights of the Data Recovery software include:

- Recovers various file formats, including videos, photos, emails, documents, and more. - It's a highly-rated do-it-yourself data recovery tool that lets you search for lost data with just one click. - Supports all types of devices, including SSDs, HDDs, Time Machine backup drives, fusion drives, and more.

Step 1: Search for the Missing File

Select the disk location where you want to search for the lost files (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or an external hard drive). Click on the “Search Lost Files” button.

Note: Before you proceed with data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar to create a backup of your HDD/SSD to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from your disk image, and you can use your HDD or SSD again.

Step 2: Check the scan results

The software will scan the disk volume you select immediately and display images, files, audio, video, and email in the left pane.

Step 3: Select the files and recover them.

Click on the data to preview it, then click the "Recover" button to get it back.

Download this professional data recovery tool right now! Also, if you liked this article, share it with your friends on social media.

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Bottom line

In summary, resetting your MacBook to its factory settings will remove all passwords and data from the computer but won't affect your iCloud account or the information stored in it. It's crucial to back up all important files before restoring your device to prevent losing any data. If you can't back up your Mac to iCloud, you can use tools to recover lost files. Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is an all-in-one data recovery platform that helps retrieve various types of lost files.

Will I lose everything in my iCloud if I reset my Mac? FAQs

Read the following FAQ for a better understanding of this topic:

Does erasing your Mac delete iCloud data?

When you reset a MacBook to its factory settings, all passwords and extra information are deleted. It's important to note that if your MacBook is registered with iCloud, resetting it to its initial configuration will not remove your iCloud account or any of the data in it.

Can I reset my Mac without losing everything?

Resetting your Mac will delete all data, such as files, settings, apps, profiles, and other details. It's essential to back up important data before performing a factory reset.

Will a factory reset affect iCloud?

A factory reset erases everything from your device but doesn't affect your iCloud account or your iCloud backup.

How can I delete something from my Mac without deleting it from iCloud?

You need to open System Preferences and select the iCloud option. Next to the Photos, there might be a checkmark. Click that checkbox to uncheck it, and a message will appear asking if you want to delete the photos from your computer.