Think of your Mac as a garden. Just as a garden needs regular maintenance to thrive, your Mac needs maintenance to perform at its best. But even with proper care, a garden can fall victim to pests and diseases, just as your Mac can become infected with viruses and malware. In such cases, a factory reset may seem like a tempting solution. But does a factory reset remove viruses and malware on Macs?
Don't stop now. This article will answer this question and more. Read more!
What is factory reset?
To understand how a factory reset works, you need to know what it does. A factory reset is a process that erases all data on your Mac and restores it to its original state. This means that all installed applications, settings and user data will be deleted, leaving you with a clean slate.
Is a factory reset useful to remove viruses?
The short answer is yes: a factory reset can remove viruses and malware from your Mac. However, it is important to understand that a factory reset should not be the first solution you come across. It should be your last resort if all other options fail to eliminate the threat.
Do viruses and malware survive the factory reset?
When you reset your Mac, you essentially delete all apps and files that could potentially contain viruses and malware. However, this is not a foolproof solution. Some viruses and malware can burrow deep into your system, making them difficult to remove.
If the virus or malware has infected the recovery partition or firmware, a factory reset may not be enough to remove it.
Moreover, a factory reset is not an easy process. To do this correctly, a little technical knowledge and experience is required. If you don't follow the right steps, you may lose all your data permanently, which is a nightmare scenario.
Important note
Make sure you have a good backup first before restoring your Mac to factory settings. However, there is a major caveat to this. If you suspect that your Mac is infected, you should use a special hard drive to create a backup because there is a good chance that you will save yourself from the virus at the same time. This means you have to be very selective about which files you restore after a factory reset.
How do I perform a factory reset?
Performing a factory reset on a Mac involves erasing all data on the hard drive and reinstalling the operating system. This will restore your Mac to its original state, exactly as it was when you first took it out of the box. It is important to note that this process will erase all your data, so make sure you backup all important files before proceeding.
If you have an Intel-based Mac, you can follow these steps to restore factory settings:
- Turn off your Mac.
- Hold down the Command and R keys on your keyboard.
- Turn on your Mac and hold down the keys until the Apple logo appears.
- Your Mac will boot into recovery mode and you will see a window with several options.
- Select Disk Utility > Continue.
- In Disk Utility, select your hard drive and click Erase.
- Choose a name for the hard drive, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and click Delete.
- Once the hard drive has been erased, close Disk Utility and select Reinstall macOS from the recovery window.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall the operating system.
For Macs with Apple Silicon, here's how to perform a factory reset:
- Turn off your Mac.
- To turn your Mac back on, press and hold the power button until the Apple logo appears.
- Wait until you see a window with more options.
- Select Disk Utility > Continue.
- In Disk Utility, select your hard drive and then tap Erase.
- Name the hard drive, select APFS and click Erase.
- Once the hard drive has been erased, close Disk Utility.
- Select "Reinstall macOS" from the recovery window and follow the instructions to reinstall the operating system.
On some Macs running macOS Monterey and later versions, there is a feature called Erase Assistant. This allows you to securely erase your Mac's internal storage, making it very difficult for anyone to recover your personal data. The Erase Assistant offers several options for erasing your data, such as erasing just the data or erasing the data and reinstalling the operating system. This feature can be accessed via System Preferences/Settings (more informationher).
How to avoid infecting your Mac with malware and viruses
One of the best ways to prevent your Mac from being infected with malware and viruses is to regularly use an app likeCleanMyMac X. It scans your entire hard drive looking for malicious software and helps you quickly remove anything it finds.
When youTo retrieveCleanMyMac X and install it. All you have to do is follow these steps:
- Åbn CleanMyMac X.
- Go to Remove Malware in the sidebar.
- Click the Scan button.
- When the scan is complete, click Delete to delete everything it finds.
Other ways to prevent malware and viruses
To prevent your Mac from getting infected without a factory reset, it should come as no surprise that you need to take some preventative measures. Here is a list of the most important things you can do to prevent malware and viruses on your Mac.
Update your operating system
I know it's easy to get annoyed by the frequency with which you have to perform software updates, but there's a reason why they appear so often. This is especially true for operating system updates; these are usually released to fix security flaws. So staying up to date with the latest releases gives your Mac the best chance to defend itself.
Avoid downloading apps from an untrusted source
This feels like it should be a given, but don't download anything from a suspicious source. If you don't use the Mac App Store or Setapp, you can never be sure that the software is 100% legitimate and free of security holes.
Scan regularly with anti-malware software
You've read about this before, but then you use an anti-malware app likeCleanMyMac Xregularly can save you a lot of headaches. A good example of this is that if you have a scan at least once a week you can detect any infection within a few days rather than waiting for symptoms to appear before realizing what you have done.
A factory reset can remove viruses and malware from your Mac, but this should be your last resort. If you suspect that your Mac is infected with a virus or malware, use antivirus software or seek professional help before performing a factory reset. Taking preventative measures is the best way to protect your Mac and avoid potential problems in the future.
