How to Do a Clean Install of OS X Mavericks

What's This?

By Christina Warren2013-10-23 19:39:27 UTC

Now that Apple has released OS X Mavericks to the masses — for free — we know that plenty of users are busy downloading the latest software update and preparing to install the new operating system.

As with OS X Lion and OS X Mountain Lion, Apple makes it easy for users to install the upgrade by downloading Mavericks from the App Store and running the installer.

See also: Apple iPad Air Event: Everything You Need to Know

This method works for almost all users — it keeps your data and existing programs intact and upgrades your machine to the latest OS. But sometimes, you might not want to do a regular OS upgrade.

It's possible to do a clean install of OS X Mavericks on your Mac — or on a new hard drive, if you're upgrading or repairing your Mac — but it takes a bit of work.

The process is a bit more complicated than it has been in previous years, but it's still relatively easy to create a bootable copy of OS X Mavericks that you can run from a USB stick or other drive.

Note: A clean install will erase all of the contents on your disk drive. Make sure to back up your important files, settings and apps before proceeding.

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After the Install

After installing OS X Mavericks, you can start restoring your programs and settings using either a Time Machine backup or Migration Assistant.

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Image: Apple; Lion DiskMaker

Topics: Apps and Software, clean install, How To, OS X, Mavericks, os x mavericks, Tech