Fresh install of macOS Sequoia

Claire Furney

• 2 min read

Different approach this time. I did an in place upgrade to Sequoia a while back and am only now getting to clean it back to a fresh install via their new functionality.

Pre clean

  1. Back up list of applications: ls > applications-2025-08-17.txt
  2. Back up list of brew apps (includes casks): brew list > brew-list-2025-08-17.txt
  3. Check through ~/Projects directory, delete any node_modules dirs and then and copy anything worth keeping to Dropbox
  4. Check github/infuerno directory for the same and push outstanding changes to git
  5. Back up list of dot files: ls -a .* > dotfiles-2025-08-17.txt (message about .Trash)
  6. Check through dot files and back up anything worth keeping
  7. Check through downloads and move anything worth keeping to Dropbox

Instructions

There are so many conflicting instructions. I want as best as possible a clean reinstall without have to use a USB stick. Via "Internet Recovery" appeared to be the way forwards with a reformat of the drive first. I followed these instructions in the end followed up by the reinstall:

Use Disk Utility to erase a Mac with Apple silicon – Apple Support (UK)
How to erase (format) the built-in startup disk of a Mac with Apple silicon.
Apple Support

Initial estimate for the reinstall was 3 hours 33 minutes, quickly down to 2 hours 6 minutes, and in the end completed in way less than an hour (I went out so didn't get the exact details).

Set up

  1. Go through set up wizard
  2. Trackpad, finder and terminal prefs
  3. Check for software updates (none)
  4. Change computer name and reboot
  5. Install homebrew
  6. brew install iterm2 > set to solarized theme, fix "Bright Black" color, otherwise can't see text completions (the ANSI colors black in the second column - needs to be more of a "grey")
  7. brew install 1password > authenticate
  8. brew install alfred > set up wizard, universal actions hotkey, turn on web bookmarks for safari, turn on clipboard history, snippets, enable 1password
  9. Safari > turn on status bar and enable developer menu
  10. brew install rectangle > set as rectangle keys and disable macOS when prompted
  11. brew install shottr > activate
  12. brew install dropbox > customized the default location since it has apparently moved, sync everything, but choose online by default
  13. brew install font-hack-nerd-font > update iTerm font
  14. brew install starship > copy old .toml config into place
  15. Set up SSH: https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent
  16. brew install zap > seems to be a better alternative to oh-my-zsh, disable the prompt - there is a plugin for starship prompt, but not sure the purpose
  17. Install ohmyzsh, install 5 plugins, turn off "marks" in iterm2 which shows a strange arrow at the beginning of the line - something to do with the custom prompt from the ohmyzsh theme ... (I thought I was using the starship prompt)
  18. brew install nvm > check instructions about creating .nvm dir etc, nvm install --lts
  19. brew install visual-studio-code > sync settings
  20. brew install gh > gh auth login
  21. Useful for finding where an alias is set: https://www.ashryan.io/finding-out-where-zsh-alias-and-settings-are-defined/