User level: Level 1 (4 points)I'm selling my old Mac air and wanted to delete everything but I only got A black screen that says support.apple.com/mac/startup what do I do next?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: Deleting all information
Posted on Oct 3, 2026 11:11 AM
User level: Level 10 (87,747 points)Oct 3, 2026 11:25 AM in response to chuckpuppy
chuckpuppy wrote:
I just wanted to clear everything so I can sell it
Here is what you need to do before selling your Mac:
What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support
Here are the potential startup screens and what to do if your Mac starts to one of these screens:
If your Mac doesn't start up all the way - Apple Support
User level: Level 7 (28,946 points)Oct 3, 2026 2:31 PM in response to chuckpuppy
When you say you deleted everything did that include macOS as well? That would explain the blank screen. You should have used the link provided by @BobTheFisherman. The message you are receiving sure looks like there’s no operating system to boot from.
What can you do? Likely reinstall macOS using recovery mode.
How to start up from macOS Recovery - Apple Support
User level: Level 8 (43,363 points)Oct 3, 2026 11:12 AM in response to chuckpuppy
Depends on what you did to get there.
User level: Level 1 (4 points)Oct 3, 2026 11:17 AM in response to chuckpuppy
I deleted everything on my Mac air now I have a black screen that say support.apple.com/mac/startup that's it I can't do anything else What can I do?
User level: Level 1 (4 points)Oct 3, 2026 11:19 AM in response to Kilgore-Trout
I just wanted to clear everything so I can sell it
User level: Level 8 (43,363 points)Oct 3, 2026 3:31 PM in response to chuckpuppy
chuckpuppy wrote:
I just wanted to clear everything so I can sell it
Yeah we understand that. The question is exactly what did you do? How did you clear everything?
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256369770