What is best way to do a clean restore of the Monterey OS?

Question

Level 1

45 points

What is best way to do a clean restore of the Monterey OS?

In order to do a clean wipe of the OS and other files on the HD in a MacBook Air Silicon with Monterey OS, then restore a new copy of Monterey to the computer, what do you recommend? I have done this from a bootable usb 3 flash drive on Windows. Long process but okay. The GB's space needed on the flash drive is ever growing. How about the latest 2022, Macbook Air? Will a 32 GB flash drive do it? Or, getting Monterey off wifi internet a better option? Or, is there some other option I should know about and use? Thanks.

MacBook Air (2020 or later)

Posted on Feb 26, 2022 2:30 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,776 points

Feb 26, 2022 7:29 PM in response to ejbpesca

You can only re-install the OS. It requires a 16GB USB stick if you want to create a bootable USB installer.

You can no longer create a bootable OS + Data.

It doesn't matter if you download and create a USB installer or you install from Recovery.

Here are the instructions for erasing an Apple Silicon Mac: Use Disk Utility to erase a Mac with Apple silicon - Apple Support

Reply

Answer 2

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,776 points

Feb 27, 2022 10:51 AM in response to ejbpesca

If you erase your drive such that you erase the OS, you would need to boot from something.

That something can either be a bootable flash stick (USB Installer), or from Internet Recovery (Apple's Servers).

If you have the OS Installed, you can access Recovery locally stored on your drive.

From Recovery, you can re-install the OS over the top of the current OS. It will replace everything in the OS. There is no third-party stuff in the OS Volume. It is sealed from modification by anything but the installer. Third-party stuff is stored on a separate Data Volume along with your Data.

How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

Use macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon - Apple Support

Reply

Answer 3

ejbpesca Author

Level 1

45 points

Feb 27, 2022 9:12 AM in response to Barney-15E

I think "USB installer," would be the bootable flash stick right because the Mac will no longer boot from its OS so you have to boot and install the OS from the USB stick right? When you write "recovery," does that mean boot and get the OS off the internet instead of a flash media? I will read that article again. I think even though it seems to be about "erasing," the Mac, it may have info about putting the OS back on the Mac once erased. I guess that includes some boot program on media or from the net since the erased Mac will not be able to boot once it is blank or maybe Mac silicon will boot even though the OS has crashed or been erased?

Reply

Answer 4

ejbpesca Author

Level 1

45 points

Feb 27, 2022 11:02 AM in response to Barney-15E

Got it! Thanks! I'm good to go back to Mac after doing Microsoft OS's for over 30 years. That Mac Air is truly a competitor for consumer users like me. I may wait for a new version though. (Admin says don't talk about speculation here.) I hope that statement was okay.

Reply

Answer 5

ejbpesca Author

Level 1

45 points

Feb 27, 2022 8:52 AM in response to Barney-15E

Thank you very much. With so many versions and changes, this community forum is getting me straight on how to use my new Mac Air with timely information.

Reply