Question from Alan: I bought a new 4TB external hard drive to hold my photos.
I bought the new drive because the 1TB drive I’ve been using to store my photos is full and I have a lot more pictures to scan and store.
My plan is to give the 1TB drive to my niece so she can use it with her iMac, but I want to completely erase everything from the drive before I give it to her.
That way she can start fresh with a blank drive.
Can you tell me how to completely erase this drive with my MacBook?
Rick’s answer: It’s always a good idea to “wipe” a drive before handing it over to someone else, Alan.
That’s a good practice to follow for several reasons, including the security of any sensitive files that you wouldn’t want just anyone to have access to.
I’ll be happy to tell you how to erase an external hard drive with your MacBook, but the steps required to do it will depend on which MacBook you have…
If you have an older MacBook that has an Intel processor you’ll need to follow these steps to completely erase the contents of your 1TB drive:
1 – Shut the MacBook down and then connect the drive you want to wipe to it.
2 – Turn the MacBook on, then immediately press and hold the Command (⌘) and R keys simultaneously.
3 – If asked to do so, enter the Administrator password for your user account.
4 – Select Disk Utility, then click Continue.
5 – Select Macintosh HD in the sidebar of Disk Utility.
6 – Click the Erase button, then select the following:
Name: Macintosh HD
Format: APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
7 – If you see an Erase Volume Group button, click it.
If you don’t an Erase Volume Group button then click Erase instead.
8 – If asked to do so at this point, enter your Apple ID.
9 – After the erase procedure is complete, select any other internal volumes in the sidebar and then click the Delete volume (–) button to delete that volume.
10 – Exit the Disk Utility.
If you have a newer MacBook that has an Apple M1 processor you’ll need to follow these steps to completely erase the contents of the drive:
Note: Make sure your MacBook is connected to the Internet before you begin the procedure detailed below.
1 – Shut the MacBook down and then connect the drive you want to wipe to it.
2 – Turn the MacBook on but don’t release the Power button.
3 – Continue to press and hold the Power button until you see the Startup Options window.
4 – Select Options, then click Continue.
5 – If asked to do so, enter the Administrator password for your user account.
6 – If asked to do so, enter the Apple ID and password previously used with this particular MacBook.
7 – From the utilities window, select Disk Utility and then click Continue.
8 – In the Disk Utility sidebar, make sure you see the volume named Macintosh HD.
9 – If you previously used Disk Utility to add internal volumes, select each additional internal volume in the sidebar and then click the Delete Volume (–) button in the toolbar to delete that volume.
10 – Select Macintosh HD in the sidebar.
11 – Click the Erase button in the toolbar, then specify a name and format:
Name: Macintosh HD
Format: APFS.
12 – Click Erase Volume Group.
13 – If asked to do so, enter your Apple ID.
14 – When asked whether you’re sure you want to erase this Mac, click Erase Mac and Restart.
15 – After the machine restarts, follow the instructions on the screen to choose the language.
16 – Your MacBook will now attempt to activate. After the activation is complete you can exit the Disk Utility.
That’s all there is to it, Alan. After following the applicable set of instructions above your 1TB external hard drive should be clear of any user data and ready to hand over to your niece.
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