Select your username from the list and click Next.

You will then be presented with some onscreen options.

Press and HOLD the power button – eventually you see Continue holding for startup options appear under the Apple logo.

The process is exactly the same for Windows 10 and 11 – even if the screens and menus look slightly different.Īpple make the disk wiping process slightly harder, mainly to stop people accidentally deleting all their data. Follow the onscreen instructions and the computer will complete the rest of the process automatically. Your computer will start a quick wizard that takes you through a few extra warnings and options. Select Remove everything to start the disk wiping process.

In the main window, click Get started in the Reset this PC section.

In the next window, select the Recovery option from the left-hand menu.

Right-click the Start button and click the Settings option.

Windows 10 makes it extremely easy to clean your hard disk:

These steps will help you wipe everything from your computer before it moves on. Selling your computer? Giving it to a friend? Throwing it away? Before doing anything you need to make sure your personal data has been removed to stop it falling into the wrong hands.

How to wipe your computer