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Desperate measures - erased all discs

I wanted to erase my MacBook Air to give it to a friend. I erased the HD but it looked as though there was very little space, so I erased the other ...Data. I realised as soon as I had done it that this was a mistake. I was trying to do other stuff at the same time.


Now, I have no discs showing to reinstall the OS. Can someone please tell me what I can do. I have a flashing question mark when I try to find a place to install. Usually I am technically savvy and I know this was an idiotic thing to do.


MacBook Air 11″, 10.15

Posted on Oct 20, 2020 6:17 AM

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Posted on Oct 21, 2020 9:06 AM

If you examine the screenshot in Step 2 of How to erase a disk for Mac, you will see something similar to what you're seeing on your Mac.


Whatever appears below APPLE SSD TS128E Media does not matter. Select that device, and erase it. That will erase everything below it. Just be sure to Start up from macOS Recovery as described in Step 1.


Follow all those steps. Step 1 through Step 7.


You didn't erase too much, in fact you're doing it right because erasing a Mac requires following What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your - Apple Support. You already arrived at its last step, and you can even give it to your friend the way it is.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 21, 2020 9:06 AM in response to ELIZA511

If you examine the screenshot in Step 2 of How to erase a disk for Mac, you will see something similar to what you're seeing on your Mac.


Whatever appears below APPLE SSD TS128E Media does not matter. Select that device, and erase it. That will erase everything below it. Just be sure to Start up from macOS Recovery as described in Step 1.


Follow all those steps. Step 1 through Step 7.


You didn't erase too much, in fact you're doing it right because erasing a Mac requires following What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your - Apple Support. You already arrived at its last step, and you can even give it to your friend the way it is.

Oct 20, 2020 7:03 AM in response to ELIZA511

Not a big deal.


First, start up from macOS Recovery and follow these instructions to erase the startup disk: How to erase a disk for Mac. You will be following the first set of instructions—those under "How to erase your disk".


For Step 3, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled).


After it finishes erasing the disk, quit Disk Utility which returns to the macOS Utilities window. Then, Reinstall macOS.

Oct 21, 2020 1:28 AM in response to John Galt

Oh dear it is worse than that! This is what I should have done at the start but I erased too much

i want to attach a photo of my screen but I can’t

on the left of the APPLE SSD TS128E Media, I have 121.33GB APPLE SSD TS with a greyed out ‘disk0s2’

then disk 1 Mac OS base system


I really don’t know where to go from here.

i have used my camera to take photos of the screen - of course screenshot doesn’t work!


can you help, me further?


Desperate measures - erased all discs

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