Physically install the drive into the Mac. Insert the Mac OS X install CD or USB drive. Power on the. How could we make this article more helpful? Jun 22, 2017 - Find out how to clean install macOS High Sierra 10.13 and have it running at utmost speed to. How to prepare your Mac for the clean install.
When you’re ready to install macOS Mojave, you’ll need to choose between two different install methods. The default is an upgrade install, which will update the version of the Mac operating system currently on your startup drive to macOS Mojave, while retaining your user data, apps, and other assorted information you may have stored on your Mac.
The second option is a clean install. This method completely erases all of the data on the startup volume and replaces it with the macOS Mojave operating system. When the clean install is complete, you’ll have a pristine startup drive, reminiscent of when you first got your Mac.
We’re going to show you both install methods, although we’ve combined them, since most of the steps are the same.
Preparing for Mojave
Before you begin installing Mojave, there are a few things to do to ensure your Mac and you are ready for the new operating system. Start by reviewing these guides to make the process an easy one: Mac 101: How to Get Ready for macOS Mojave
Before you begin installing Mojave, there are a few things to do to ensure your Mac and you are ready for the new operating system. Start by reviewing these guides to make the process an easy one: Mac 101: How to Get Ready for macOS Mojave
And while it’s unlikely you’ll encounter any problems while installing, this Rocket Yard Guide may help you solve a problem, should one occur: Mac Installation Errors You May Encounter and How to Fix Them
The App Store
The macOS Mojave installer is available from the App Store. You can find instructions for downloading the installer, as well as information about which Macs are able to run Mojave, plus some tips on common problems and how to avoid them, in the Rocket Yard Guide: How to Download macOS Mojave and Avoid Common Problems
The macOS Mojave installer is available from the App Store. You can find instructions for downloading the installer, as well as information about which Macs are able to run Mojave, plus some tips on common problems and how to avoid them, in the Rocket Yard Guide: How to Download macOS Mojave and Avoid Common Problems
The above guide also contains information on creating a bootable macOS Mojave installer. You’ll need the bootable installer if you intend to perform a clean install on the startup disk. You won’t need a bootable installer if you’ll be performing a clean install on a non-startup disk.
Even if you don’t need the bootable installer, it’s a good idea to create one, as a way to archive the installer as well as to make installing macOS Mojave on multiple Macs an easier process.
At this point, you’ve acquired the macOS Mojave installer from the App Store, and are almost ready to perform a clean or upgrade install. Before you proceed, be sure you have an up-to-date backup of your Mac.
If you’re ready to begin the install, I’ve broken the process into two sections: an Upgrade Install and a Clean Install.
Clean Install Preparation
Performing a clean install on your startup disk requires a few extra steps, including starting up from the bootable installer you made earlier, and completely erasing your startup drive. It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway:
Performing a clean install on your startup disk requires a few extra steps, including starting up from the bootable installer you made earlier, and completely erasing your startup drive. It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway:
Warning: This process will completely erase your startup drive, causing all data stored on the disk to be lost.
Insert the USB bootable flash drive you made earlier into your Mac, and make sure it successfully mounts.
Restart the Mac while holding down the Option key. Keep the Option key depressed until you see the boot manager appear, displaying icons for all the disks you can start up from.
Select the USB bootable flash drive from the icons, and then press the return key on the keyboard.
(When performing a clean install, use the Disk Utility option to erase the startup drive, and the Install macOS item to install Mojave on the empty startup drive.)
Your Mac will start from the bootable installer. The startup process can take a bit longer than usual, depending on how fast the USB device is. Eventually, you’ll see the macOS Utilities screen.
Select the Disk Utility option, then click or tap the Continue button.
![Prepare Mac For Clean Install Prepare Mac For Clean Install](/uploads/1/2/4/1/124197556/475671610.jpg)
Disk Utility will launch. Make sure you select the correct volume in the sidebar. If you’re performing a clean install, the usual name for the startup disk is Macintosh HD, though it may be different if you’ve customized the startup drive name, or are performing a clean install on a different volume. You can use the instructions in How to Use macOS Sierra Disk Utility to Partition, Erase Drives for erasing a drive.
(Using Disk Utility to erase a macOS High Sierra startup drive in preparation for a clean install of Mojave.)
When you’re finished with Disk Utility, select Quit Disk Utility from the Disk Utility window.
From the macOS Utility screen, select Install macOS, then click or tap the Continue button.
From here until the system setup process, the installer for upgrade or clean works the same.
Upgrade Install
If you’re performing an upgrade install, that is, installing macOS Mojave on top of an existing Mac operating system on your startup drive, you should be ready to begin.
If you’re performing an upgrade install, that is, installing macOS Mojave on top of an existing Mac operating system on your startup drive, you should be ready to begin.
Launch the macOS Mojave installer if it isn’t already running. You can find the installer in your Applications folder (/Applications), with the name Install macOS Mojave.
The Mojave installer will launch, presenting its welcome screen. Click or tap the Continue button.
The software license agreement will be displayed; scroll through it if you wish, and click or tap the Agree button.
A sheet will drop down, asking if you really agree. Click or tap the Agree button.
![Prepare mac for clean install windows Prepare mac for clean install windows](/uploads/1/2/4/1/124197556/236476699.png)
(Select the disk you wish to install Mojave on. If you have multiple volumes, you’ll see a button labeled Show All Disks to display all disks attached to your Mac.)
The installer will display the disk that Mojave will be installed on. The default will be your startup disk, which is the correct disk for a standard upgrade install. If you’re installing to a different disk, click the Show All Disks button (not visible on Macs with a single disk) and make sure you select the correct disk. If you intend to perform a clean install on a non-startup disk that contains no Mac operating system, you can do so by selecting the appropriate disk and continuing with these instructions. No matter what type of install you’re performing, upgrade or clean, once the disk is selected, click the Install button.
You may be asked to provide your administrator password, and to allow an install assistant to be added to your Mac. Provide your password, and then click the Add Helper button.
(Get ready to wait. Thirty minutes to an hour seems like the average install time.)
The installer will start copying files to your Mac, and present a progress bar. Once the initial files are copied, your Mac will restart to complete the installation process. After your Mac restarts, you’ll see the Apple logo and another progress bar. This second progress bar will include an estimate of the time remaining for the install. You can expect to wait anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more before the installation is complete. Your Mac will then restart and start the system setup process.
System Setup
At this point, the installation (clean or upgrade) is complete, and the only task left to perform is to configure the new system. The number of tasks that need to be completed varies; those doing an upgrade install will only have a few screens to walk through before they’re ready to use their Mac, while a Clean install will have a lot more steps.
At this point, the installation (clean or upgrade) is complete, and the only task left to perform is to configure the new system. The number of tasks that need to be completed varies; those doing an upgrade install will only have a few screens to walk through before they’re ready to use their Mac, while a Clean install will have a lot more steps.
It’s not possible to give you complete step-by-step instructions because which steps will be present is determined both on the type of install you performed, and which version of the Mac OS you started off with.
With that in mind, here are the setup steps you could see. Remember, you may not see all of them, so don’t be concerned with the order you see them in, or if any are missing.
Begin Setup
The Welcome screen will display a world map. Scroll through the list of countries and select your location, then click or tap the Continue button.
The Welcome screen will display a world map. Scroll through the list of countries and select your location, then click or tap the Continue button.
(If you’re performing a clean install, you’ll see the Welcome screen allowing you to set the country where the Mac is being used.)
Select a keyboard layout that matches the style of keyboard you’re using; click or tap Continue when ready.
Data & Privacy is a new icon included with macOS Mojave; this screen displays a bit of background information about the new Data & Privacy system. Click or tap Continue when ready.
The Migration Assistant options will be displayed. You can select transferring data from a Mac, a Time Machine backup, or a startup disk, as well as moving data from a Windows PC. You can also choose not to transfer any data at this time. Remember, you can always use Migration Assistant to move data at a later date. Make your choice, and click Continue.
Sign in with your Apple ID; you can enter your Apple ID and password to associate this Mac with your Apple account. This will allow you to share photos, contacts, and documents between other devices associated with your Apple ID. Notice the use of the Data & Privacy icon on this screen. Make your selections, and click or tap Continue.
If you entered your Apple ID, you’ll be asked to supply your password. Click the Continue button when ready.
You can choose to enable or disable two-factor authentication. If you choose not to enable this security feature, you can enable it later with the Internet Accounts preference pane. Make your selection, and click Continue.
License terms will be displayed; when ready, click or tap the Agree button. A sheet will drop down asking you to verify that you have read the terms; click or tap the Agree button.
An administrator account will be created. Enter your full name and account name (Tip: Use an account name without spaces, such as your first initial and last name), a password, and a password hint. When you’re ready, click Continue.
Apple will offer to perform an Express Setup. This enables various options, such as Maps being allowed to determine your location, turns on Spotlight suggestions, and sends back anonymous analytics data to Apple. You can accept the express setup by clicking or tapping the Continue button, or select the Customize Setting Options to override the express setup. If you choose to customize, you’ll be able to enable or disable location services, set the time and time zone, and choose to send or not send analytics.
(Pick a look: the classic Light theme, or the new for Mojave Dark Mode.)
Finally, you’re given the option to select a look or theme for your Mac: Light, the standard look the Mac has had forever, or Dark, the new look included with Mojave. Make your selection, and then click or tap the Continue button.
The setup assistant will complete the configuration and then display your macOS Mojave desktop. Enjoy your new macOS.
Along with the upgrade of Mac OS X, its name has also changed to High Sierra. Due to Apple’s restrictions, some older Macs cannot be upgraded to the latest macOS High Sierra. You may want to install a completely new macOS. This article explains how to clean install the macOS High Sierra. First we need to do some preparation before we can install the new operating system.
In the first step, I will explain how to create a bootable USB flash drive that can be used to install Mac OS X. After making this USB, you will be able to easily install Mac OS X from a USB drive.
How to make a bootable USB
There are two methods to create a bootable USB drive:
1. Using a Terminal
I prefer the method of using a Terminal Command Line first. The advantage is that there is no compromise between compatibility and security, and it is easy for a novice to perform.
1. First, get a USB flash drive with a capacity of 8GB or larger. (Back up the old data in this USB flash drive, because the drive will be formatted during this process).
2. Download the official macOS High Sierra installation package. It is recommended to download it from the App Store. Put the keyword “High Sierra” directly into the search bar in the App Store.
The whole installation package size is about 5GB, so it might take a while to download. It will appear in the “Application” folder as shown below.
3. Open “Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility” and then “Erase” (format) the USB flash drive into “Mac OS X Extended(Journaled)” format. Rename the USB flash drive to “Sierra.”
(Note: the drive name should be the same within the corresponding command, if you change the drive letter name, you must make sure that the name within the command is the same.)
4. Open “Applications → Utilities → Terminal”, copy and paste the following command into the Terminal.app:
sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/Sierra –applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app –nointeraction
Press Enter on your keyboard to execute the command, then you will be prompted to enter the administrator password, it will start the process after the operation:
5. As shown above, the process has begun. Wait for “Done” to appear on the screen which means you have made it successfully! (The entire time depends on the read and write speed of your USB drive.)
2. Using DiskMaker X
If you don’t want to use the Terminal Command Line method, there is another way using DiskMaker X.
Diskmaker X is a free macOS USB bootable disk creation application. You will need to first download the macOS High Sierra installation package. DiskMaker X will help you find its path automatically. Click on “Use this copy.”
DiskMaker X will then prompt you for a USB flash drive with a capacity of at least 8GB. After inserting the USB flash drive into the Mac, click “An 8 GB USB thumb drive.”
Next, you must choose which disk you want to erase. Choose the USB drive with the name you created in previous steps. Be careful not to choose the wrong drive!!
Choose “Erase then create the disk”, it will show the process on the notifications bar. Well done! You have now created a bootable USB drive.
How to Clean Install from a bootable USB
Now that you have a bootable USB drive, you will still be able to force install macOS High Sierra from the bootable USB drive, no matter how old your Mac is.
We have now completed all the most complex steps. Now let’s try the easy steps below to install a completely clean macOS:
1. Backup important personal data from your Mac. Online backup is very popular these days, as it offers an inexpensive way to secure your data. However, the fastest way to retrieve your backup is to use local backup. When you finish the clean installation of High Sierra, you can restore all your data from the local backup.
Note: A clean install of macOS Sierra on the startup drive completely erases all data on that drive including all your files (documents, music, movies, pictures, and even apps). So, If you skip this step, you won’t be able to recover your data if something goes wrong.
When choosing what to backup manually, most importantly look at the Users folder, located by default at Macintosh HD/Users/. This will back up your user account, along with any other accounts on the Mac, plus any shared data. Each user account contains your Desktop files, documents, downloads, videos, music, and pictures. If you have more than one user on your Mac, and you’re only interested in backing up your own data, just go one level deeper and select your user account from within the Users folder.
There is an easy way to backup each user account on your Mac. First of all, create a new admin account and login with this account. Access System Preferences→Users & Groups, and Clock minus button on the bottom in the left panel. Select Save the home folder in a disk image and Click Delete User. When it is done, backup the disk image to your online/local backup.
1. Insert the USB drive into your Mac and wait for it to be recognized by your Mac. Now shut down your Mac.
2. Press the power button to boot, hold down the Option key or Cmd+R until the boot menu option appears. Make sure to keep it pressed!
3. Choose the bootable USB drive and then Press Enter.
4. Select Disk Utility in the window.
5. In the next window, select the drive where you want to install High Sierra. In most cases the name should be “Macintosh HD.”
6. In the Erase Tab, click Erase with Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) type. When it is done, you get a clean drive.
7. Quit Disk Utility, Access to Install MacOS item. Follow the instruction showing in the next window, you can get a clean High Sierra.
8. Log in to the clean High Sierra. Insert/connect your online/local backup and copy each folder on the disk image generated in Step 1. Create the same old account names in System Preference → Users & Groups. Restart your Mac and login with the old account name, then you will get a clean system with all the old user data.
How to keep your Mac Always clean?
If you have done all installation of macOS, you must be enjoying the completely new macOS now. I believe you also want to keep your Mac clean. Let’s say someday your Mac has a lot of Junk Files and Duplicate Photos. And there are also many apps you have ever used but you don’t need them anymore. I must tell you there is a savior on your Mac! Its name is Dr. Cleaner. It’s really great to have such a system optimizer. In its “Junk Files” feature, it can not only clean temporary files, including logs, mail caches, iTunes and iOS temporary files, etc. Empty Trash for current user but also detect remaining files after deleting apps.
It also has a function named “Duplicate Files”, which can find duplicate files on your Mac through fast and accurate scanning technique covers your entire home folder. Duplicates are selected not only by the file name but also by their contents. Files are shown in detailed previews. It can also help you decide which copy to delete by presenting “Auto Select” button.
Duplicates can be sorted by file type and listed in their full route for you to track. You can decide which way to clean these files; either by sending them to trash or deleting them permanently.
However, you must need an intelligent app uninstaller. Don’t worry, Dr. Cleaner has this function. It can auto-clean leftovers of deleted apps and manage all the applications installed on your Mac easily. When you remove an app you don’t need anymore, it can get rid of all the associated files of uninstalled applications as well. Alert you about new updates to installed apps is also its duty.