How can I Wipe a Mac® with M1 Chip?
Jan 02, 2023The Apple M1 is a family of ARM-based systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) built by Apple Inc. as they transitioned from Intel to Apple silicon chips to be used as a central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) for its Mac desktops and laptops (MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro), as well as its tablets (iPad Pro and iPad Air).
The M1 from Apple promises alluring enhancements to battery life, graphics output, and computational efficiency. In addition, the built-in Secure Enclave in the Apple M1 processor allows for file-level encryption, automated data encryption, and password protection, giving the Mac the same robust security features as the iPhone.
In this KB, you can find out whether your Mac device has an M1 chip, then know the steps to erase M1 Mac or wipe M1 Mac using BitRaser Drive Eraser Software.
How to Find if Your Mac has an M1 Chip?
Step 1: Go to the Apple logo and click on about this Mac.
Note: In Chip on M1 machines, it will read ‘Apple M1’.
Now that you have deduced that you have a Mac with an M1 chip, you can start the process of erasing the M1 Mac using BitRaser Drive Eraser (Mac). BitRaser Drive Eraser for Mac is deployed through a bootable USB, created using the instructions below.
Key Requirements:
- Internet: WiFi or Ethernet
- RAM: 8 GB (Min) 16GB (Recommended)
- USB Device: 64 GB or more to create BitRaser bootable
How to Create BitRaser Bootable USB for M1?
Step 1: Post-purchasing BitRaser Drive Eraser, contact BitRaser support techsupport@stellarinfo.com to get the link to download ‘BitRaserUSBCreator.’ [This is required only if you intend to Wipe M1 Mac.]
Step 2: Download the ‘BitRaserUSBCreator’ application from the link sent to you in your email.
Step 3: Drag and drop the downloaded file into applications to install it.
Step 4: Connect a USB drive to your Mac machine & go to applications, then double-click on the ‘BitRaserUSBCreator’ application to launch it.
Step 5: After launching the application, select the M1 chip and click ‘Next.’
Step 6: From the dropdown menu, select the USB drive connected to your machine to create a bootable USB and click on ‘Create.’
PS: You will require at least a 64GB flash drive to prepare the bootable drive.
Step 7: Click on ‘Continue’ when prompted with a warning screen that informs that the selected USB will be formatted and all data will be lost on the flash drive. The process of creating a bootable BitRaser USB will start. This is a time-consuming process and will require approximately 2-3 Hrs.
After completing the USB creation process, you can boot the Mac using the USB flash drive to perform wiping.
Scenarios for Booting Mac M1 machines:
A user may encounter the following three scenarios when booting a Macbook M1 device due to the additional security protections in Apple devices with M1 chips:
Scenario 1: The OS is Present, and the user knows the admin password of the machine.
Scenario 2: The OS is Present, but the user doesn’t know the password.
Scenario 3: The OS is not installed.
Let us look at how to boot M1 machines using BitRaser in the above scenarios.
Scenario 1: The OS is Present, and the user knows the admin password of the machine.
Step 1: Connect the BitRaser bootable USB and restart your machine. Press the ‘Power Button’ until options are shown on the screen (Refer to the figure below). Select ‘BitRaser’ from the screen to boot the machine and click ‘Continue.’
Scenario 2: The OS is Present, but the user doesn’t know the password.
The user needs to RESET the password through the following:
Step 1: Press the ‘Power Button’ till options is shown on the screen.
Step 2: Select options and click on ‘Continue’ next screen will be displayed.
Step 3: Through Utility, go to the terminal and click on the ‘Terminal.’
Step 4: Type “resetpassword” in the terminal and press enter.
Step 5: Now click on ‘Deactivate Mac.’
A message window reads, “Are you sure to deactivate this Mac?” Click on ‘Deactivate.’
Step 6: You Can now Reset the Password.
Scenario 3: The OS is not installed.
In the scenario where OS is not installed on the M1 machine, you must first install the macOS and then follow the steps mentioned in Scenario 1.
Steps to Wipe M1 Mac :
Once the BitRaser bootable USB has been created using the above-mentioned steps, the Mac device can be booted to start the data wiping process.
Step 1: On your screen, you will see the BitRaser application. Open the BitRaser application; it will prompt you for a password. The password by default is 1234, and click ‘OK.’
Step 2: Select the Erasure method, drive to be wiped, and verification type, and click on ‘Erase.’
(For SSDs, NIST 800-88 Purge is the recommended method)
Step 3: A new window requires you to enter your BitRaser Cloud credentials shared on your mail to download erasure licenses. After entering credentials, click ‘Login.’
Step 4: Click ‘Close’ to go back to the previous window and then press ‘Erase’ again to begin the erasure process.
Your Mac machine with an M1 chip has been successfully wiped, and reports and certificates of erasure have been uploaded to your BitRaser cloud account. You can also download and view the Erasure report and certificates on your Mac.
