This is the checklist version of process for clean installing your Mac. To see verbose article, visit Medium.
- Requirement
- An external drive with available space larger than your Mac for Time Machine and migrated data
- An USB larger than 8GB for bootable disk
- Backup
- Connect your Time Machine drive and run a full backup of your Mac
- Softwares
- Install Homebrew with
/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
- Install mas-cli with
brew install mas
- Dump softwares list to
Brewfile
file withbrew bundle dump
- Compare apps in
Application
folder withBrewfile
.- For apps found only in
Application
folder,brew cask search {app_name}
. - For apps found only in
Brewfile
, google and find if you need it anymore.
- For apps found only in
- Comment the
Brewfile
with leading#
about how or why you need it.
- Install Homebrew with
- Software Data
- Keychains
- Turn on iCloud Keychains sync
- Safari
- Backup Bookmarks from
~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist
- Backup Browse History from
~/Library/Safari/History*
- Backup extensions from
~/Library/Safari/Extensions
- Backup Bookmarks from
- iTunes
- Backup iTunes Library folder
iTunes
from~/Music
- Deauthorize Apple ID from iTunes
- Backup iTunes Library folder
- Photos
- Backup Photos Library file
Photos Library.photoslibrary
from~/Pictures
- Backup Photos Library file
- Messages
- Backup History from
~/Library/Messages
- Backup History from
- iBooks
- Fonts
- Dashboard Widgets
- Backup widgets from
~/Library/Widgets
- Backup widgets from
- 1Password
- Enable Sync
- Backup backup files from
~/Library/Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.agilebits.onepassword-osx-helper/Data/Library/Backups
- Day One
- Enable Sync
- Backup backup files from
Library/Group Containers/5U8NS4GX82.dayoneapp2/Data/Backup
- Money Pro
- Enable Sync
- Manually backup from iOS app
- Dictionary
- LDOCE5 Viewer
- Backup
ldoce5.data
- Dash
- Screen Saver
- Dotfiles
- ~/.ssh
- ~/.zshrc
- ~/.gitconfig
- Keychains
- Static files
- ~/Desktop
- ~/Documents
- ~/Downloads
- ~/Movies
- ~/Music
- ~/Pictures
- Re-installation
- Bootable USB
- Download macOS Mojave
- Format USB drive with
Mac OS Extented (Journaled)
format andUntitled
name - Create bootable macOS USB with
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app --nointeraction
- Backup everything again
- Connect your Time Machine drive and run a full backup of your Mac
- Make sure you have these ready
- Your Mac was properly backed up
-
Brewfile
is correctly on Dropbox or drive - Check your migrated files are fully ready
- WARNING: YOU ARE GOING TO DELETE EVERYTHING ON YOUR MAC IN THE NEXT STEP!!! You won’t be able to to open your Mac until macOS is installed.
- Format and Install your Mac
- Plug in the bootable USB
- Restart & hold down the Option(⌥) key
- Choose Install macOS Mojave(the bootable USB)
- Select
Disk Utility
from the menu and erase you Startup Disk(usually named Macintosh HD) withMac OS Extended (Journaled)
- Go back to the main menu; select Install macOS and choose your HDD when prompted
- Bootable USB
- Migration
- Install Homebrew with
/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
- Install mas-cli with
brew install mas
- Copy
Brewfile
to your home folder then runbrew bundle
inTerminal
- Migrate Software data
- Safari
- Migrate bookmarks
- Migrate history
- Migrate extensions
- iTunes
- Migrate iTunes Library
- Authorize Apple ID to iTunes
- Photos
- Migrate Photos Library
- Messages
- Migrate Message folder
- iBooks
- Migrate PDFs and Books
- Fonts
- Migrate Fonts
- Dashboard Widgets
- Install widgets to
~/Library/Widgets
- Install widgets to
- 1Password
- Enable Sync
- Migrate backup files
- Day One
- Enable Sync
- Migrate backup files
- Money Pro
- Enable Sync
- Dictionary
- Migrate
ldoce5.data
- LDOCE5 Viewer
- Migrate
- Screen Saver
- Dotfiles
- ~/.ssh
- ~/.zshrc
- ~/.gitconfig
- Safari
- Migrate static files
- ~/Desktop
- ~/Documents
- ~/Downloads
- ~/Movies
- ~/Music
- ~/Pictures
- Restore Settings
- System Preferences
- General
- Use dark menu bar and Dock
- Recent items: None Documents, Apps, and Servers
- Desktop & Screen Saver
- Start after 2 Minutes
- Use Apple TV Aerial Screen Saver for Mac
- Dock
- Size: 1/3
- Magnification: Max
- Minimize windows into application icon: on
- Automatically hide and show the Dock: on
- Mission Control
- Group windows by application: on
- Dashboard: As Overlay
- Hot Corners
- Top Left: Dashboard
- Top Right: Desktop
- Bottom Left: Start Screen Saver
- Bottom Right: Put Display to Sleep
- Language & Region
- Add
Traditional Chinese
to Preferred languages - Time format: 24-Hour Time
- Add
- Security & Privacy
- Require password 1 minute after sleep or screen saver begins
- Turn on FileVault
- Turn on Firewall
- Enable location for Weather, Siri
- System Service: Show location icon in menu bar
- Notification
- Turn on Do Not Disturb
- Allow repeated calls
- Keyboard
- Key Repeat: Fastest
- Delay Until Repeat: Fatest
- Use smart quotes and dashes: off
- Specify shortcuts for Spotlight, Input Method, Show Notification
- Full Keyboard Access: All controls
- Add
Zhuyin
to input sources - Dictation: add English, Chinese
- Trackpad
- Turn on Look up & data detectors, Tap to click, App expose
- Tracking speed: 3/4
- Sound
- Show volume in menu bar
- Play feedback when volume is changed
- Siri
- Show Siri in menu bar: off
- Time Machine
- Select backup drive
- Show icon in menu bar
- Accessibility
- Zoom: Enable Use scroll gesture to zoom, zoom style: picture in picture
- Mouse & Trackpad: Enable dragging without drag lock, Trackpad Fastest Scrolling Speed, Fastest Mouse Scrolling Speed
- General
- Finder
- Show Hard disks on desktop
- New finder window show Home folder
- Sidebar: Movies, Music, Pictures, Home folder
- Advanced: Show file extensions, searching current folder
- Safari
- Search engine: DuckDuckGo
- Show full website address
- Show Develop menu in menu bar
- iTunes
- iCloud Music Library: on
- Photos
- iCloud Photo Library: on
- Dash
- Install license file
- System Preferences
- Development Environment
- iTerm2
- Install
oh-my-zsh
https://github.com/robbyrussell/oh-my-zsh
- Install
- Shell
-
maximum-awesome
: https://github.com/square/maximum-awesome - remember ssh passphrase: https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/howto-fix-macos-keeps-asking-my-ssh-passphrase-since-i-updated-to-sierra/
- zsh-syntax-highlighting: https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting/blob/master/INSTALL.md
-
- Sublime Text 3
- Install
Package Control
via https://packagecontrol.io - Install
Package Syncing
- Install
- Dotfiles
- .gitconfig
- .zshrc
- .ssh
- Install ruby via rbenv
rbenv install 2.4.0
- iTerm2
- Install Homebrew with