How to Reinstall MacOS without Losing Data?

Reinstalling macOS is one of the most common methods to troubleshoot any issue with your Mac devices. It even allows you to have a fresh start of your Mac. But it is important to note here that when you reinstall macOS in your device, all your files from the internal storage devices of your Mac get deleted. This can be painful situation as you must have saved many important files on it. Many of you must be wondering how to reinstall MacOS without losing data. 

This article describes some common reasons why you should reinstall macOS and how to do it right without losing your data. So, let’s learn about this macOS solution in detail. 

Why You Should Reinstall your macOS?

Before you learn methods to reinstall MacOS, it is important to learn why one should reinstall macOS on the system. Some main problems that you can easily fix by reinstalling MacOS include:

• Firmware issues: Many firmware-related issues can be resolved by the reinstallation of macOS on your device. It generally happens when macOS fail to function properly and fails to complete the needed operations.
• Startup issues: If you are facing any problem with your Mac’s startup or bootstrap program as well. In such cases, the issue can be easily resolved by visiting the Mac recovery mode.
• Virus or malware attack: If you ever suspect any suspicious virus or malware threats on your device OS or installed software, you should try a complete reinstallation of your MacOS. 

Along with the above reasons, there are several other issues with your Mac which may require reinstallation of device operating system. 

How do I Backup Data Before Reinstalling macOS?

An upgrade or reinstallation of macOS is helpful in several ways. It improves your Mac performance or helps you to fix hardware issues. If you want to reinstall macOS without losing data from it, you should try taking proper backups of your files. In this part of the blog, we have provided some backup methods that you can try to prevent data loss issues on your Mac device:

Method 01: Backup Files Using Time Machine

Mac devices have an in-built Time Machine backup feature that you can use to restore files after deletion. It can help you to recover your deleted files, such as personal documents, music, audio, video, and other file types. 

To back up your Mac files using the Time Machine feature, you need to do through the following steps:

• First, connect your external drive to your Mac and launch Time Machine. For this, go to Menu > System Preferences > Time Machine. 
• Now, click the “Select Backup Disk” option and select the location where you want to save your backup files.

• After that, a pop-up with the available drive will appear on your screen. Select as per your preference and confirm your choice. 

• At last, select the connected drive and click the Use Disk button to start the backup process.

Method 02: Backup Files Using Cloud Storage

There are several cloud-based services, like iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. that you can use to back up your files. MacOS has an in-built iCloud storage solution which allows you to perform backup without connecting any external storage. All you have to do is:

• Open the iCloud app on your device and log in to your Apple account by entering the proper details.

• Now, you will get the option to sync various data types in your iCloud app. 
• Press the Option button and select the type of files you need to back up, then click the Done button. 

Once you are done with the above steps, all the data from the selected folder will be copied to the iCloud Drive location as a cloud backup. After that, you can upgrade or reinstall macOS on your device without any fear of data loss. 

Method 03: Backup Files Using an External Hard Drive

You can even copy your important files to any external drive to create their manual backup. For this, you need to connect an external drive, such as USB or FireWire to your Mac device. Before you establish any connection, make sure your external drive is compatible with your macOS. Now, select all the files and folders that you need to back up and copy them to the external hard disk. Carefully paste all the files and make sure they are properly copied to the external drive.

Quick Steps to Upgrade or Reinstall macOS

Now that you have created backup of all your files, you can proceed with the reinstallation of macOS on your device. You can check the following steps to know how to reinstall macOS without losing data:

• Start your Mac device in macOS Recovery Mode.
• Now, you need to go through the instructions (depending on the processor of your device) to enter into the macOS Recovery Mode. 
• Once you reach the macOS Recovery utility window, select Reinstall macOS and click Continue. Go through the on-screen instructions till the reinstallation process gets completed.

How do I Recover Lost Data After macOS Reinstallation?

If you have lost your files after reinstalling macOS or want to haven’t created any backup in starting, you can use Mac data recovery software to recover your deleted files. Software such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac allows you to restore your lost files in a few simple clicks. Check the following to recover your lost data utilizing this amazing Mac data recovery tool if you experience issues like data loss after macOS installation:

• First, download and install the Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac software in your system. 
• Launch the software and from the Select What to Recover window, choose the file types you need to recover and click the Next button.

• Now, select the storage location from where you need to recover your lost data, and click the Scan button.

• Once the scanning process gets completed, preview the recoverable files and select all that you need to recover. Click the Recover button to save them at the desired location.

Wrapping Up

Losing data from any of your Mac device can be painful, whether it is due to accidental deletion or after reinstallation of macOS. If you have lost data after upgrading your device OS, you can use professional Mac data recovery software, such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac to get your deleted files back. We have mentioned several backup methods that you can try to back up your files before reinstalling your device Operating system.