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How do I remove all the files on my computer?

My computer's memory is full. So, I would like to copy all my files to a Lace drive and remove all the files from my iMac. How do I do this?

Thank you

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jun 8, 2021 4:46 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 8, 2021 4:50 AM

this is a description of how you get it back into the state it was when you purchased it

How to erase an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support

4 replies

Jun 8, 2021 12:22 PM in response to greenbird29

Get an external HD that's big enough to store your larger files to and use them from there and leave lots for additional files (I'd start with a minimum of 1 TB). Format the drive as shown in this screenshot depending on what type of drive it is:



Then drag the files and folders that you want to move to the EHD from the Documents folder to the external HD. Before deleting them from the boot drive make sure they are accessible and working on the EHD.


Excellent candidates for an external HD are these:


Envoy Pro EX with USB-C or USB 3 - best from a speed vs price standpoint


OWC Envoy Pro EX with Thunderbolt 3 - fastest if you have a Thunderbolt 3 port but more expensive


OWC Mercury Elite Pro 7200 RPM Storage - most economical but slower than the others. Still good for casual storage and use. Also excellent for Time Machine use.  


Jun 8, 2021 7:57 AM in response to greenbird29

first, ensure that you have finder preferences set to show external drives on your desktop. then open a finder window for your internal drive. then double click on the icon for the external drive and a window will open for that drive. once the external drive's window is open, you can drag and drop your files from your internal drive's finder window to the external drive's window. you can do it one by one, or "select all" and move them all at once. depending on wether the internal and external drives are HDDs or SSDs the transfer may take a while. once you've verified that all your data was successfully moved to the external drive, you can go about removing those same files from your internal drive without affecting the items that are now also on the external drive.

How do I remove all the files on my computer?

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