Why Can't I Erase My Mac | Causes & Fixes

Are you having trouble erasing your Mac? Erasing your Mac might be tricky whether you're selling it, preparing it for a new install, or fixing performance issues. Hidden partitions, damaged disks, and Disk Utility difficulties are common culprits. Fortunately, Disk Utility's "Show All Devices" option and Recovery Mode for more sophisticated repairs may solve these issues.

This article will explain the "Why can't I erase my Mac?" error and provide proven strategies to recover control. Additionally, we'll present EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, a crucial application for file recovery. Read on to fix these frequent difficulties, clean up your Mac, and properly delete your device.

First Aid: Recover Lost Data If You Have Accidentally Erased Drive

You can recover from accidentally erasing your Mac's hard disc with the right program. A powerful data recovery application, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, is one of the most reliable. Its user-friendly interface and high dependability make this utility vital for recovering data from mistakenly formatted devices.

This data recovery software for Mac receives high ratings for its great performance in data recovery settings. It supports numerous file types and storage devices and works with the latest macOS versions, making it helpful for many recovery situations. Here are some EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac features:

Key Features

• Recover lost data on Mac rapidly, even if you accidentally erased your device.
• Provides rapid and thorough scans to find all potential data, even on severely damaged or corrupted disks.
• It is compatible with APFS, HFS+, FAT, and exFAT file systems, making it suitable for most Mac storage setups.
• Allows you to inspect recoverable files before restoring them, ensuring you only restore what you need.

To assist you navigate the recovery procedure, we've defined the steps that will allow you to regain your lost data after factory reset your Mac. Follow these steps to recover your wiped data with ease.

Step 1. Search for lost files

Select the disk location to search for lost files (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device) on macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and the latest Sonoma. Click the "Search for lost files" button.

Note: Before data recovery, you'd better click "Disk Backup" from the left sidebar to create a backup of your Mac to avoid further data loss. After backing up, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can wirte new data again.

Step 2. Go through the scanning results

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results.

Step 3. Select the file(s) and recover

In the scan results, select the file(s) to preview and click the "Recover" button to have them back.

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Enable Show All Devices to Erase Mac Hard Drive

If you're unable to find the drive you want to erase, enable show all devices. You should back up crucial files to another storage device before deleting your Mac's hard disk, which erases all data.

Step 1. Restart your Mac in "macOS Recovery mode" to erase the startup disk by holding "Command + R" when starting it.

Step 2. Choose "Disk Utility" in "macOS Utilities" and click "Continue."

Step 3. Select "View > Show All Devices" in Disk Utility to see all connected storage devices. Select the device and click "Erase."

Then choose:

• Partition Scheme: Select "GUID Partition Map." from the Scheme pop-up menu.

• File System Format: Select macOS Extended (Journaled) or APFS from the Format pop-up menu.

Before erasing, ensure you've chosen the correct drive since it will erase all data. This method is also workable when you encounter errors like external hard drive not showing up on Mac.

Use First Aid to Repair Drive Before Erasing

To erase smoothly, run First Aid on your disk to resolve any difficulties. Follow these procedures to repair:

Step 1. Open "Disk Utility" and choose the final volume. Click "Run" after "First Aid" to check for faults.

Step 2. If Run is unavailable, use "Repair Disk." Skip this if darkened.

Step 3. To unlock the disk, enter your "administrator password" if requested.

Step 4. After fixing the final volume, go up the sidebar list. First Aid is for each book, container, and disk.

Step 5. After completing repairs, exit Disk Utility and restart your Mac by selecting Apple menu > Restart.

Use Recovery Mode to Erase Mac Hard Drive

To erase your Mac's hard disk in Recovery Mode, ensure your machine is connected to the internet and powered on if it is a laptop.

Step 1. Restart your Mac and hold the power button until the message "Loading startup options" displays.

Step 2. To enter Recovery Mode, choose "Options," then click "Continue."

Step 3. In the Recovery program, choose "Reinstall macOS" and click Continue.

Step 4. To reinstall macOS, follow the onscreen instructions. This will wipe your disk and ready your Mac for a new start or transfer.

Why Can't I Erase My Mac?

There might be various reasons why you're having difficulties wiping your Mac. Here are some frequent explanations and remedies.

• 🔴Startup Disk in Use: You cannot remove a disk while your Mac is booting from it. To remove the startup disk, use macOS Recovery.
• 🟠Encryption Enabled: If your drive is encrypted using FileVault, deactivate it before wiping the disk.
• 🟡Incorrect Permissions: You may lack administrator privileges to wipe the disk. Log in as an administrator or verify the user's rights.
• 🟣Damaged Disk: If your disk is corrupted, it may be impossible to erase. To fix it, use Disk Utility's First Aid feature.
• 🟤Damaged Disk: Certain disks are locked owing to security settings or firmware. You may need to unlock the disk using macOS Recovery.

Conclusion

This article looks at various ways to wipe your Mac's hard disk, including Disk Utility and MacOS Recovery Mode. We also discuss fixing the drive using First Aid before wiping it to minimize issues. Remember that if you lose any vital data during the process, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac provides an effective option to recover lost files, swiftly making it an indispensable tool.

FAQs

The following FAQs will cover user concerns about not being able to erase Mac:

1. How do I force my Mac to erase?

Start in macOS Recovery mode to delete your Mac drive. Hold Command + R after turning it off to restart your Mac. Erase your startup disk using Disk Utility in recovery. Choose the right disk and format.

2. Why is my Mac not letting me erase all content and settings?

If your Mac doesn't wipe all material and settings, FileVault encryption, administrator rights, or a used disk may be to blame. To erase or disable encryption, log in as admin, then restart in macOS Recovery.

3. Why won't my Mac let me erase Disk Utility?

Disk Utility is part of macOS and cannot be removed. Boot into macOS Recovery to wipe your startup disk. Disk Utility can remove the starting disk in recovery mode, not the tool itself.