Updated November 2020: Updated for macOS Big Sur.Packaging is somewhat of a black art on OS X. What have you done previously? Do you usually do a clean install or standard installation? What are your plans for macOS Big Sur?

If you're looking for a new Mac, check out our list of our favorite MacBook models of the year. That being said, if you mainly use your computer for browsing the internet, checking mail, or other non-work heavy activities, you might want to try a clean install. It really is nice to have a clean installation on your computer, but if you are like me, it isn't worth the hassle. Missing apps like 1Password and Dropbox immediately take me out of the game and drag my productivity to a crawl until I have what I need again. While I like that my MBP is clean (it feels like running a brand new computer), I don't like that I have to download every app that I need for work. I usually install macOS updates from scratch on my MacBook Pro and install from a backup on my iMac. If you are too busy to spend time re-downloading apps and retweaking your system settings, a standard installation makes more sense than starting from scratch. If your furniture was all rearranged, you'd have to turn on the lights to see where you are going. If you know where your bed is, your head will hit the pillow without you even having to think about it. It's like coming home late at night, in the dark. It is much faster to go from installation to being productive again when all of your apps and files are right where you left them. You will already be signed in to all of your apps and you won't have to redownload pictures from iCloud. When you download and install macOS Big Sur without starting from scratch, all of your apps, settings, files, and documents will be in the exact same spot that they were before. That's why restoring from a backup might be the best choice for you. Sound alerts, display options, keyboard settings – all of it will be reset to factory settings. Trying to figure out what happened to it could take a long time.Īll of the tweaks and adjustments you've made over the years to your computer will be gone. Similar to moving to a new house, there may have been a box in the garage that you never opened, but once you move, if you didn't take it with you, it's gone. Why a standard installation of macOS Big Sur is goodĪ clean install also means you lose everything.

If you have the patience and some free time, a clean installation of macOS Big Sur can be somewhat cathartic in its own right.

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