How to Factory Reset and Wipe Data on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks?

Quick Navigation:

• Before Wiping Data on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks
• Steps to Wipe All Data Before Selling a Mac Which Is Running OS X Mavericks
• Tips to Safely Wipe Data on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks
• Conclusion
• FAQs About Wiping Data on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks

These days, keeping your private data safe is more important than ever. Ensure that all your data is safely erased from your Mac, whether you're getting a new device, selling your old one, or want to start over. If you have Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks, you may wonder how to delete your files quickly and safely.

This detailed guide will show you how to do everything, ensuring your private data is deleted and your Mac is ready for the next stage. By the end of this article, you'll feel confident about doing this job like a pro. It will keep your info safe and your mind at ease. Let us begin your path to a fresh start!

Before Wiping Data on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks

A few things must be done before starting the data wipe process. It will help ensure everything goes easily and no important data is lost.

1. Backup Your Data

The first and most important step is to back up your information. If you wipe your Mac, all of your information will be lost, so it's important to have a full backup.

• Time Machine Backup: Apple's built-in backup tool, Time Machine, is the easiest way to keep your files safe. Connect a second hard drive, open Time Machine in System Preferences, and choose "Back Up Now."
• Manual Backup: You can also back up your files manually to a hard drive or a cloud storage service. Ensure you include all your important papers, photos, and other personal information.
• Disk Clone Backup: Mac disk cloning software, such as DoYourClone for Mac, can help you clone all data including Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks, user data, apps and settings from your Mac to an external hard drive, making a full bootable clone backup.

2. Sign Out of Services

Sign out of all services connected to your Mac to avoid any problems with licenses and sync.

• Open iTunes, go to Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer, and close iTunes.
• To sign out of iCloud, go to System Preferences > iCloud and click "Sign Out."
• If you want to sign out of your iMessage account, open the Messages app, go to Preferences > Accounts, and sign out of your account.

3. Disable FileVault

It's possible to protect your whole drive with FileVault. If it's turned on, you should turn it off before you do the wipe. Launch System Preferences, select Security & Privacy and click on FileVault. Then, click "Turn Off FileVault."

Steps to Wipe All Data Before Selling a Mac Which Is Running OS X Mavericks

Before sell, donate or dispose of an old Mac which is running OS X 10.9 Mavericks, you should wipe everything from the internal HDD or SSD and make all deleted/lost data become unrecoverable!

#1 Erase Internal Drive in macOS Recovery Mode

Step 1. Restart the Mac, then press and hold Command+R keys until it boots into Recovery mode.

Step 2. Select Disk Utility, click on Continue button.

Step 3. Select the internal drive (such as Macintosh HD), click Erase.

Step 4. Select a file system, then click Erase again. It will securely erase everything from the internal HDD/SSD.

#2 Reinstall OS X

• Quit Disk Utility.
• Go back to Utilities window, choose Reinstall OS X.
• Follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall OS X on the Mac.

Note: the data which is lost due to erasing startup disk & reinstalling OS X is not lost for good and can be recovered by data recovery software.

#3 Permanently Wipe All Deleted/Lost Data on the Mac

To prevent the deleted/lost data from being recovered by data recovery software, you can use Mac disk wipe software to wipe free disk space of the internal HDD/SSD and permanently erase all deleted/formatted/lost data, making data recovery be impossible.

Step 1. Download and install one of the best Mac disk wipe software - DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac.

Step 2. Open DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac and select the internal drive (Macintosh HD), then click on Wipe Now button.

Step 3. Select a data erasure standard, such as HMG Infosec, NIST 800-88, Peter Gutmann's algorithm, DoD 5220.22-M, U.S. Army AR380-19, then click on Continue button to start wiping free disk space of the Mac.

It will securely and permanently erase all deleted/erased/lost data from your Mac, no way to recover the erased data.

If you want to wipe an external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks, just choose Wipe Hard Drive mode. Select the target drive, click on Wipe Now button to permanently erase all data from the drive.

If you want to shred files and folders on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks, choose Erase Files/Folders mode, click Add to add files/folders, then click on Erase Now button.

Tips to Safely Wipe Data on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks

You must follow these tips to ensure complete data security and prevent unauthorized access.

• Backup Important Data: Always use a Time Machine to back up important files or copy them manually to a hard drive or the cloud. This prevents important data from getting lost.
• Sign out of all accounts: Before you delete your data, sign out of services like iTunes, iCloud, and iMessage to avoid problems with licensing and sync.
• Disable FileVault: If FileVault is already on, turn it off in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > FileVault to ensure the data wipe goes smoothly.
• Use Disk Utility: When your Mac starts up, hold Command + R to enter Recovery Mode. Then, use Disk Utility to erase your hard drive safely. Pick "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" as the Format.
• Choose a Secure Erase Method: If you're using Disk Utility, choose "Security Options" to erase data several times, which makes it almost impossible to recover. If you use disk wipe software, just select a data erasure standard to wipe the drive.
• Reinstall macOS: Once you've erased the drive, restart OS X Mavericks to get the Mac ready for new use.
• Consider Data Wiping Software: If you need more protection, consider using third-party software like file shredder or DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac to delete all your data.
• Double-Check Erasure: Once the process is done, ensure the drive looks empty to safely erase all the data.

Conclusion:

Wiping your data on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks is important to keep your personal information safe, especially if you sell or give your device to someone else. You can be sure your Mac is ready for its new owner if you back up your data, log out of your accounts, turn off FileVault, and use Disk Utility in macOS Recovery to clean securely.

Your data will also be safer if you follow safe practices, such as ensuring the deletion was successful and considering using professional data-wiping software (such as DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac). Now that these steps have been taken, you can start over without worrying about putting your private information at risk.

FAQs About Wiping Data on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks

1. How to factory reset Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks?

• Restart the Mac, press and hold Command+R keys until you see Recovery mode.
• Select Disk Utility, click on Continue button.
• Select the startup disk, click Erase.
• Select file system, click Erase again.
• Completely erase all data from the startup disk.
• Quick Disk Utility and go back to Utilities window.
• Choose Reinstall OS X. Then reinstall operating system on your Mac.

2. How to permanently erase data on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks?

DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac a reliable data erasure program, is fully compatible with OS X 10.9 Mavericks and other Mac OS versions. It can securely and permanently erase data from Mac computer, hard drive, USB drive, external hard disk, memory card, digital camera, etc.

Data erasure is not simply deleting files or formatting hard drive. It requires advanced technology to shred, erase the original data and overwrite the disk space so that the data becomes unrecoverable. DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac offers certified data erasure algorithms that can permanently erase data under OS X 10.9 Mavericks, leaving no chance for data recovery. When the data stored on your Mac hard drive is erased by DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac, it is lost for good and can't be recovered by any data recovery method.

It offers three modes for erasing data on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks:

• Selectively erase files under OS X 10.9 Mavericks: Add files or folders to the erasure list, then click on Erase Now button to permanently erase them.
• Wipe entire hard drive under OS X 10.9 Mavericks: It can permanently wipe all the data from your hard drive or storage media device under OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
• Wipe unused disk space to erase deleted/lost data: The deleted/formatted files can be recovered because that they are stored on the unused disk space of the hard drive. This mode can help you erase the unused disk space and permanently wipe the deleted/lost data on your hard drive. It will not affect the existing files.

3. How to format a hard drive on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks?

Disk Utility can help you format a hard drive on Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks:

• Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility, open it.
• Select the hard drive, click on Erase button.
• Select a file system such as MS-DOS (FAT), ExFAT, Mac OS Extended, click on Erase button again.
• When the process gets finished, click on Done button.