If you feel like your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air has deteriorated from its usual performance and speed, you can always choose to reset your MacBook. However, many users perform a full factory reset on Mac without any precautions or backups that lead to data loss. With this informational write-up, you will get to know the most efficient and safest way to reset iMac, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air. Stick till the end to know how to reset MacBook Pro without losing data.

1. Install Catalina Without Losing Data
2. How Do I Reinstall Macos Without Losing Data
3. Reinstall Catalina Without Losing Data
4. Reinstall Macos Catalina Without Losing Data

Can I Reinstall macOS Without Losing Data?

• Back up your files and data. Backing up your data is important. It prevents you from losing all the files and data that have existed on your Mac's drive for a while. So, don’t forget to back up your Mac before you start downgrading to Catalina. Create a bootable installer. A bootable installer will help you safely roll back to Catalina.
• Reinstall macOS Catalina you can reinstall over your existing OS without losing data the BlueSky patches contain HIToolbox and SkylightOriginal Reactions: jackluke and hal90088 Syncretic.

The other option is using the bootable installer to reinstall Catalina. Go to the Apple App Store and download Catalina. Follow this procedure to install Catalina using the bootable Catalina. Before you downgrade your MacOS, it is imperative to ensure that you backup the essential files like documents and personal data.

Yes, you can reinstall macOS on your MacBook Pro or Air without losing any data if you have properly followed the reset procedure. With the help of the Disk Utility, you can erase the data and volume to proceed with the reinstallation of your macOS. Read the next section to know the steps which need to be done to reset MacBook without losing data.

Things to do to Reset Mac Without Losing Data

There are 4 important things that need to be done before you try to reset your MacBook.

1. Backup on an external storage drive with the help of Time Machine Utility
2. Log out of all the Apple-based applications
3. Reset and reinstall the macOS with the steps that will be mentioned below
4. Initiate the process to restore data after resetting MacBook

Let us get to know how you should back up the data using Time Machine so that you can efficiently restore it later. But, what if you have already reset your MacBook Pro or Air without taking a proper backup?

What to do After Resetting MacBook Without Backup?

If you have formatted, erased or reset your MacBook without any backup, your files and other program data will be permanently deleted. However, you need not be worried as those files and data can be easily recovered with the help of a professional Mac data recovery software. This software known as Remo Recover will scan and recognize data that has been formatted, accidentally deleted or lost due to any circumstances.

Remo Recover is one of the top Mac data recovery tools that has a self-explanatory interface which makes it very easy even for the most novice Mac users. Download now to scan and preview the recoverable files for free.

Some Rewarding Benefits of Remo Recover:

• Can recover data from file systems such as APFS, HFS, HFS+, HSFX, ExFAT, etc.
• Works on all the storage drive that you use on your MacBook like SSD, USB, Memory Cards, etc.
• Supports recovery from all the macOS versions like Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks and all the other versions
• Efficiently recovers iWork files from your MacBook or Mac computers
• Data loss scenarios such as lost, deleted, formatted or reformatted volumes are covered by Remo Recover
• Choice of selectively recovering desired files rather than recovering all of them
• Can recover more than 300+ file types from your MacBook. This makes the recovery process very efficient

Note: If you have not performed a reset on your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air yet, please skip the above-mentioned suggestion and follow the steps given below.

How to Backup Mac Before Wiping or Resetting?

To start the Time Machine backup process, connect an external storage drive to your MacBook, and follow the steps mentioned below.

Step 1: When a window is prompted with how to use this drive, select Use as Backup Disk.

Step 2: If no window is prompted while inserting the external drive, search for Time Machine, and then click in Select Backup Disk.

Step 3: Select the backup preference and then follow the on-screen process. The Backup will be created.

Note: The initial Time Machine backup will take some time, so do not assume that the backup has been crashed or frozen. Wait patiently.

Install Catalina Without Losing Data

What to Check Before Resetting Your Mac?

Before trying to reset your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, there are few things that need to be checked to prevent errors. To avoid conflicts while logging into the applications and programs after the MacBook has been reset, below mentioned are some of the steps that need to be done.

1. Deauthorize iTunes from your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air
2. Turn off the File Vault if you have enabled it and remove files from it before turning it off
3. Sign out from iCloud before resetting the MacBook
4. Sign out of iMessage

Once these preferences and settings have changed and signed out. You can proceed to reset your MacBook Pro without losing data.

Steps to Reset and Reinstall macOS Without Losing Data

To reset your MacBook Pro without losing data, click on the Apple menu and click on Restart. Follow the next steps as given below.

Step 1: Hold the Command + R keys until the MacBook’s utility window hasn’t opened.

Step 2: Select Disk Utility and click on Continue.

Step 3: Select your startup disk (usually labeled as Macintosh HD) and click on Erase which will be present at the top toolbar

Step 4: Select the format as MAC OS Extended (Journaled) and click on Erase.

Step 5: Wait till the MacBook is completely reset and then go back to the Disk Utility’s main window.

Step 6: Select Reinstall macOS and click on Continue.

Step 7: Make sure you are connected to a WIFI before proceeding with reinstalling the macOS.

Once, the macOS is successfully reinstalled, your MacBook will be reset to factory settings and the performance will be as fast as it is new. However, to complete the process of resetting MacBook without losing data, follow the final steps that need to be done.

Method to Restore Data After Factory Resetting Your MacBook

Once the MacBook is turned on again, connect your external storage drive where you have backed up data using Time Machine. Follow the steps mentioned below.

Step 1: Search for Migration Assistant and click on Continue.

Step 2: Select From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk and click on Continue.

Step 3: Click on the applications, programs, and files that you want to backup and click on Continue.

Once this process is complete, all the files that were present before resetting your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air will be restored. Thus, you should have successfully performed MacBook SSD data recovery. As mentioned earlier above, if by chance you have forgotten to take a backup or lost your backup drive, make use of the Remo Recover software to recover data that was deleted due to formatting.

If you have installed Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave or earlier versions, you may have to reinstall macOS for following reasons:

• Reinstall When There is New macOS Version Available

Apple keeps working constantly to fix bugs, make performance tweaks, add new features or enhance coding. Therefore, doubtless, there will be new versions of macOS available to upgrade and reinstall.

• Your Mac is Running Slow

As we all know, for no specific reason, system reinstallation can magically solve a slow Mac in most cases.

• Your System Keeps Crashing or Works Improperly

When you continuously see error messages appear on your mac, or your programs randomly crash/freeze for no reason, like FaceTime won't work, Contacts or Calendar shows a delay or mess, blue teeth or WiFi won't connect…Then, you have a good reason to reinstall macOS.

• You are Going to Sell the Mac

In the case that you want to sell your mac, besides erasing all your personal data and traces on the mac, you will need to reinstall macOS as well.

It is not complicate to reinstall macOS Big Sur or Catalina, but if you want to reinstall macOS without losing data, there are 3 steps you must follow.

Recover Files after macOS Reinstall

• Recover data lost due to macOS reinstallation, upgrade, downgrade
• Recover data lost due to accident deletion, formatting, etc.
• Restore data from both internal and external storage device
• Recover videos, audios, images, documents, and other 200+ files
• 5 recovery modes to find files back easily
• High recovery rate
• Support Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave and earlier

Free Download

3 Steps to Reinstall macOS Big Sur or Catalina without Losing Data

We all save tons of data on our Mac, so when we decide to reinstall macOS Big Sur/Catalina, the top concern always goes to “will I lost everything if I reinstall macOS”. In fact, reinstallation of macOS doesn’t necessarily cause lost data, it just create a new copy, your existing files and data saved in programs won't be altered or deleted. But just in case of bad luck, we need to do some work on BACKUP, this is crucial for macOS reinstallation without losing data.

Step 1. Prepare Your Mac for Reinstallation.

• Make enough room for Big Sur or Catalina reinstallation, at least 36GB, so the reinstallation process won't pause or stopped for insufficient space.
• Also, quit all apps or programs under work, so your Mac is fully geared to reinstall.
• Check drive conditions. Open Disk Utility and perform the Frist Aid on your hard drive where to reinstall the macOS to make sure your drive is in good condition for reinstallation.

Step 2. Backup All Your Files for macOS Install (Crucial)

Backup is an indispensable step involved in the macOS reinstallation, here are several options to backup your data.

Option One: Using Time Machine

1. Go to Finder>Application, launch Time Machine and choose “Set Up Time Machine”.
2. Click “Select Backup Disk” to choose an external hard drive to back up the files.
3. Then Check the box before “Back Up Automatically”. Also, you can adjust the backup setting in menu “Options”.

If this is the first time you use Time Machine to backup, wait patiently for Time Machine to complete the backup, it will prompt the notification once finishes.

Option Two: Using Hard Drive

1. Connect your hard drive to Mac.
2. Open Finder to check if your hard drive is present under “Devices”.
3. Create a new folder, copy and paste or directly move the items you want to save from Mac to this folder.
4. Finally, eject your hard drive.

Option Three: Using iCloud Service (Backup Desk and Documents Folders)

1. Go to Finder>System Preference, click on “iCloud” to bring up its main interface.
2. Click the “Options” button for “iCloud”, and check the box before “Desktop and Documents Folders”, then click on “Done”.

Most of our mac users prefer to backup all files but apps. So, to save you from troubles of lost data due to macOS reinstallation, you are recommended to keep records of what apps you have installed, the account and password, also, you can take screenshots of the settings.

Step 3. Reinstall macOS Big Sur or Catalina without Losing Data.

Option #1: Reinstall macOS without Losing Data From Internet Recovery

1. Click the Apple icon>Restart.
2. Hold down the key combination: Command+R, you will see the Apple logo.
3. Then choose “Reinstall macOS Big Sur” from utilities window and click “Continue”.
4. Select your hard drive, click “Install” and wait for end of reinstallation.

Option #2 Reinstall macOS without Losing Data From USB

1. Download the macOS Big Sur install from Mac App Store onto your Mac;
2. Then connect the USB flash drive to your Mac;
3. Open Disk Utility program on your Mac, choose the USB flash drive and click Erase to have a clean drive for the reinstallation;
4. Open Terminal, copy and paste sudo /Applications/Install macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia;
5. Then add the volume of usb flash drive: --volume /Volumes/MyVolume, replace MyVolume with your usb flash drive name, mine is Untitled;
6. Press Enter, input password and wait for the process to finish;
7. Quit Terminal, restart your Mac, hold Command+R when starting Mac until you see the apple logo;
8. Login into your Mac with password, go to the menu bar>Utilities>Startup Security Utility, enter password again;
9. Choose Medium Security under Secure Boot and allow booting from external media;
10. Restart your Mac, in the same time, hold the Option key;
11. Choose Install macOS Big Sur, click Next and input password, choose Install macOS, continue to finish mac reinstallation from usb.

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What if You Lost Data After macOS Big Sur Reinstallation?

How Do I Reinstall Macos Without Losing Data

However, losing data after reinstallation still happens. It may result from a interrupted installation (power-off/poor internet connection), corrupt setup, insufficient space or improper actions. Then, what to do if you lost data after reinstallation? Here are 2 methods.

Method 1: Use Cisdem Data Recovery to Recover Data

In the case you didn’t do backup before reinstallation, you will need a dedication data recovery program to find the lost data for you.

Here we recommend Cisdem Data Recovery, a powerful mac program allowing users to recover lost/deleted/corrupted/formatted files from a wide range of external or internal storage devices, no matter the file is lost due to human errors, power-off, reinstallation, upgrade, virus attack or disk crash.

Main Features of Cisdem Data Recovery

• Recover files lost due to OS reinstallation, upgrade, downgrade;
• Recover deleted, formatted and lost files;
• Restore files from internal and external hard drive, USB, SD Card, flash drive, etc.;
• Restore videos, audios, images, documents, archives, 200+ types;
• 5 recovery modes: Basic, External Drive, Formatted Drive, Trash, Advanced;
• Preview files before recovery;
• Fast scanning and recovery;

Steps to Recover Lost Data after MacOS Reinstallation

1. Download and install Cisdem Data Recovery on Mac.
   Free Download
2. Choose a Recovery Mode according to your need.
   If you want an efficient recovery, choose “Basic Data Recovery”, if you want to recover files with a higher success rate, try “Advanced Data Recovery”.
3. Select the hard drive where you originally stored the files on mac. Then click “Scan”.
4. Check and preview files found by Cisdem Data Recovery.
5. Select files to recover.
   Check the box before files that you want to recover, then click “Recover” to find back the lost data caused by reinstallation.

Method 2: Use Time Machine to Recover Data with Backup

If you have backed up your files on mac, you can use Time Machine to restore the lost data.

• Step1. Go to Finder>Applications>Time Machine, launch it and choose “Enter Time Machine”.
• Step2. In the popped-up window, use the arrows and timeline to browse the local snapshots and backups.
• Step3. Find the deleted files, then click “Restore” to recover the lost data caused by reinstallation.

Conclusion

Reinstall Catalina Without Losing Data

The key to reinstall mac OS Big Sur, Catalina or Mojave without losing data is the backup, since no one can guarantee all data will be perfectly maintained after macOS reinstallation. However, if we unfortunately lost files after macOS reinstallation, Time Machine or Cisdem Data Recovery is helpful to recover them back.

Reinstall Macos Catalina Without Losing Data

So, do you have any other tips to reinstall macOS without losing data? Please share with more of our mac users.