How to Clean Install macOS 13 Ventura

A clean installation of macOS 13 Ventura completely erases your Mac's internal drive and installs a fresh copy of the operating system, eliminating software glitches, lingering junk files, and corrupted system caches. This guide walks you through the essential preparation, the drive-erasing process using macOS Recovery, and the step-by-step reinstallation of Ventura to get your Mac running like new.

1. Back Up Your Data

A clean install deletes every file, application, and setting on your Mac. Connect an external hard drive and back up your critical documents using Time Machine, or manually copy your files to an external storage device or cloud service before proceeding.

2. Enter macOS Recovery Mode

The steps to access Recovery Mode depend on whether your Mac uses Apple Silicon or an Intel processor:

  • For Apple Silicon (M1, M2): Shut down your Mac completely. Press and hold the power button until you see the "Loading startup options" screen. Select Options, then click Continue.
  • For Intel-based Macs: Shut down your Mac. Turn it on and immediately press and hold Command (⌘) + Option + R until you see an Apple logo or a spinning globe. This combination installs the latest version of macOS compatible with your Mac.

Select an administrator user and enter the password when prompted.

3. Erase the Internal Drive

Once the macOS Utilities window appears, you must wipe the existing volume:

  1. Select Disk Utility from the utility window and click Continue.
  2. Click View in the top-left corner of the window and select Show All Devices.
  3. In the sidebar, select your internal drive (typically named "Macintosh HD" or the top-level drive entry).
  4. Click the Erase button in the top toolbar.
  5. Enter a name (default is "Macintosh HD"), set the Format to APFS, and set the Scheme to GUID Partition Map.
  6. Click Erase (or Erase Volume Group if prompted) to confirm.
  7. Once the process completes, close Disk Utility to return to the main Recovery menu.

4. Install macOS Ventura

  1. From the macOS Utilities screen, select Reinstall macOS Ventura and click Continue.
  2. Follow the on-screen prompts and agree to the software license terms.
  3. Select your newly formatted drive (Macintosh HD) as the installation destination and click Install.
  4. Keep your Mac connected to power and a stable internet connection. The computer will restart several times during the installation.

5. Complete Initial Setup

When the installation finishes, the Mac displays the "Hello" setup assistant screen. Follow the prompts to configure your region, Wi-Fi network, and user account. To ensure a truly clean install, choose the option Don't transfer any information now when asked about Migration Assistant, then manually restore your personal files from your backup.