M1 Macs Can’t be Restored after SSD Erasure | How to Fix

There is no doubt that the new M1 macs are great machines with high efficiency. However, users have reported some teething problems on their M1 macs. And, the most common one is related to SSD erasure. Read on to know what to do if your M1 Macs can’t be restored after SSD erasure.

M1 Mac Restore Problem

According to recent reports, users who restore their M1 Macs to remove unwanted software before upgrading to macOS 11.0.1 tend to face this issue. 

In most cases, people just can’t reinstall macOS after that. Therefore, some users decided to wipe and do a clean install of the operating system in order to fix this problem. But, unfortunately, after deleting the SSD what they got was just an error message “An error occurred while preparing the update. Failed to personalize the software update. Please try again”. Still, the problem remains.

Now, Apple has noticed the issue and it confirmed that this issue only happens to users who have deleted their M1 Mac before installing macOS Big Sur 11.0.1. On top of that, reinstalling macOS is no longer possible in this situation.

This might show that macOS Recovery did not work probably on the new Mac. However, the company promised that a system restore should work after the new macOS Big Sur update.

How to Fix M1 Mac Restore Problem after SSD Erasure

On 21 November, Apple released a support document that describes how to restore an M1 Mac if this problem occurs. It includes two sets of instructions. But, no matter what method you choose, it is guaranteed to fix the problem.

Using Apple Configurator 2

Over the last few weeks, users who encounter the issue can finally fix it with Apple Configurator 2. And, Apple has now updated its detailed instructions for dealing with the restoration problem on Macs. Follow Apple’s guide, which is specifically made for the M1 models to fix your problem.

Note: Like the Intel version, you still need to install Apple Configurator 2 on a secondary Mac. Plus, USB-C and USB-A cables are required for charging and data transfer.

Using Terminal 

If you don’t like using Apple Configurator 2, then Apple also offers a second method here. Basically, this solution requires booting into macOS Recovery with a few corrections necessary to enable installation.

Following these steps to fix M1 Mac restore problem:

1. Press and hold the power button while starting your Mac until you see the startup options window.
2. Next, click on Options and choose Continue.
3. Select the user, then enter your administrator password. 
4. When you see the utilities window, choose Utilities > Terminal from the menu bar.
5. Type “resetpassword“, then click Return. 
6. Click the Reset Password window to bring it to the front, 
7. After that, choose Recovery Assistant > Erase Mac from the menu bar. 
8. Click “Erase Mac” in the newly opened window.
9. Then, click it again to confirm. When it’s done, your Mac will restart automatically.
10. During startup, if you see an alert that suggests you reinstall macOS, then click on macOS Utilities.
11. When your Mac is activated, click Exit to Recovery Utilities.
12. Perform steps 3 to 9 once more, then reinstall macOS on your Mac.

Note: This method requires an internet connection. Plus, it might take you a while to finish it. If you choose the Terminal to reinstall macOS Big Sur, follow this guide to do it.

Have you fixed the M1 Mac restore issue? Let us know if you have any questions in the comments!