Secure erase of SSD hard drive

You're correct that the Security Options dialog is not available for SSDs in Disk Utility. This is because Apple assumes that the TRIM command, which is enabled by default on macOS for Apple SSDs, is sufficient for securely managing data on SSDs. TRIM helps the operating system to maintain the performance of the SSD by clearing data that is no longer in use.

While TRIM does make data recovery more difficult, it doesn't guarantee that the data is completely unrecoverable. If you are still concerned about securely erasing data on your SSD, you may consider using a third-party tool like Parted Magic, or encrypting the drive before erasing it. With your drive encrypted, any remaining data should be unreadable without the recovery key, even if someone were to attempt data recovery.

Keep in mind that securely erasing an SSD may cause additional wear on the drive, so use these methods judiciously.

Hello

When you reset your Intel-based MacBook Pro to factory settings by following Apple's instructions, it typically involves erasing the drive and reinstalling macOS. However, this process doesn't ensure that the data is securely erased to the extent that it can't be recovered using data recovery software.

If you want to make sure your data is securely erased, you can follow these steps before resetting your Mac to factory settings:

• Turn on or restart your MacBook Pro.
• Immediately press and hold the Command (⌘) and R keys to enter macOS Recovery mode.
• From the utilities window, select "Disk Utility" and click "Continue."
• In Disk Utility, select your startup disk (usually named "Macintosh HD") from the left sidebar.
• Click the "Erase" button in the toolbar.
• In the "Erase" dialog, choose "APFS" as the format.
• Click the "Security Options" button.
• In the "Security Options" dialog, move the slider to a higher security level (3 or 4 passes should be enough for most users). Note that higher security levels take longer to complete.

• Click "OK" to close the "Security Options" dialog.
• Click "Erase" to securely erase your startup disk.

After securely erasing your startup disk, you can continue with the process of resetting your MacBook Pro to factory settings by reinstalling macOS. This should help ensure that your data cannot be easily recovered using data recovery software.

We have a community for English here: discussions.apple.com. 

Since you’ve posted in English, we’d be happy to see you join us there.

Thanks!

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