How do I erase a Mac mini and set it up again without walking over?
Erasing a Mac is one click. Erase All Content and Settings restarts the Mac into Setup Assistant, and there it can’t be reached over the network again.
Leave a MacBook running RigValet plugged into the mini. After the erase, RigValet walks Setup Assistant again and turns Screen Sharing and Remote Login back on.
Why an erase strands a headless Mac
Erase All Content and Settings needs macOS Monterey or later on a Mac with Apple silicon or a T2 chip. When it finishes, Apple says the Mac restarts and “a setup assistant then guides you through the setup process, as if you’re setting up your Mac for the first time.”
That is the right result for a Mac you’re selling. For a Mac mini in a closet or a rack, it means the network services you used to erase it are gone. Someone has to bring a keyboard.
The other ways, and where each stops
| Path | Needs | Still stops at |
|---|---|---|
| Erase All Content and Settings | An admin password on the running Mac | Setup Assistant |
| Restore with Apple Configurator | A second Mac, a cable, and hands on the power button | Setup Assistant |
| MDM erase with Automated Device Enrollment | Apple Business Manager and an MDM | The Setup Assistant screens your MDM can’t skip |
| RigValet | A MacBook and a cable left plugged in | Nothing. It walks setup again. |
The loop
- Erase the Mac mini from System Settings, or from a Screen Sharing session.
- It restarts into Setup Assistant.
- RigValet, still connected by the cable, walks Setup Assistant and creates the account.
- Screen Sharing and Remote Login come back on. The mini is reachable again.
We run this loop on our own Mac minis every day. It suits test labs that need a clean Mac, anyone testing first-run flows, and a mini you’re resetting before handing it on.
Limits
- One MacBook drives one Mac mini at a time.
- If Activation Lock is on, activation still needs the owner’s Apple Account.
- The MacBook needs SIP turned off. Why, and what it means.
RigValet