Tip: To reinstall macOS without deleting your files and settings intact, jump to step 7. If you have a Mac notebook, press the keys on its built-in keyboard because the Recovery Mode keystroke may not necessarily register on external or wireless keyboards. Hold these keys pressed until the Apple logo appears.

How to erase, install or reinstall macOS in Recovery Modeġ) In the Apple menu choose Restart, or power on your Mac.Ģ) Hold down the Command (⌘) – R combination immediately upon hearing the startup chime. The step-by-step instructions provided below will restore your computer to factory settings.īefore reinstalling the factory-preloaded version of macOS, you can decide to optionally erase your startup disk. Before proceeding, make sure you have backed up your essential files and documents to an external drive, a USB thumb drive or Time Machine. This tutorial covers entering Recovery Mode and taking advantage of it to erase, install or reinstall the latest version of macOS that was previously found on your Mac. Invoked at boot time, Recovery Mode helps you check your connected disks for errors, get help online and reinstall macOS. In helping take the pain out of reinstalling macOS, Apple has included so-called Recovery Mode in macOS.

As you may have guessed, not many people take that extra step. Reinstalling macOS is a piece of cake provided you have created a USB install disk for El Capitan to begin with. And should your computer exhibit issues preventing it from starting up properly, reinstalling macOS will bring it to perfect working order. Before selling your Mac, it’s always a good idea to wipe its startup disk clean and then erase your computer and reinstall macOS.

How to install os x el capitan on pc