Occasionally, you need to reset your computing devices to their original factory settings, as they were when you first took them out of the box. You may do this because the device isn’t working as it should: resetting it allows you to reinstall its software from scratch. You may also want to do this if you are selling, giving away, or recycling a device. Even if the device’s storage is encrypted, it’s a good idea to reset it to factory settings so no one can get any information that might be accessible.
It’s important to reset Apple devices correctly, because they have an activation lock, which prevents people from activating them without the Apple ID password. Correctly erasing a device removes the activation lock, so someone else can use the device.
It’s easy to do this for any Apple device. Here’s how to reset any Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Apple Watch. In another article, we explain how to reset any Apple TV, HomePod, AirTag, AirPods, or Beats headphones.
Read the rest of the article on The Mac Security Blog.