Erasing a MacBook Pro with a Broken Screen

[mcapanelli]

So here's the deal; I have a 2016 15" pro that I want to sell. I want to erase the SSD and reinstall macOS, but the screen is cracked. Now I can hook it up to a monitor if I go get a usb-c to HDMI adapter, but won't it stop driving the external display once I'm in recovery mode? And if I use a thunderbolt cable and use my iMac in target disc mode, won't I run in to the same issue when I enter recovery mode? If I'm wrong, and I'd love to be wrong here, please tell me. If not, does anyone have a creative solution so I can wipe this thing and move it along?

 

[Slartibart]

In your case, if the only problem is a broken display, a viable solution is to boot the Mac with an external keyboard, mouse and display plugged in, while connected to a power adapter, since that should put the Mac in clamshell mode and fully operational.

If you have already wiped the internal disk, put the working Mac into target mode and boot the broken Mac from the OS installed on the working Mac, plugged in via thunderbolt (with external keyboard, mouse and display still connected).

 

[mcapanelli]

In your case, if the only problem is a broken display, a viable solution is to boot the Mac with an external keyboard, mouse and display plugged in, while connected to a power adapter, since that should put the Mac in clamshell mode and fully operational.

If you have already wiped the internal disk, put the working Mac into target mode and boot the broken Mac from the OS installed on the working Mac, plugged in via thunderbolt (with external keyboard, mouse and display still connected).

Yeah, it's just the screen. My fear is when I went in to recovery it would stop driving the external monitor. I'm going to try and do it in clamshell mode and if that doesn't work I have a thunderbolt cable coming in Wednesday and I'll try target disk mode. Thanks for the reply.

 

[anicek1]

How did it go with the usb-c and HDMI? I'm there now, and despite having the cable, I am losing the connection to the monitor when I go into recovery. Any ideas?

 

[chadkee]

So here's the deal; I have a 2016 15" pro that I want to sell. I want to erase the SSD and reinstall macOS, but the screen is cracked. Now I can hook it up to a monitor if I go get a usb-c to HDMI adapter, but won't it stop driving the external display once I'm in recovery mode? And if I use a thunderbolt cable and use my iMac in target disc mode, won't I run in to the same issue when I enter recovery mode? If I'm wrong, and I'd love to be wrong here, please tell me. If not, does anyone have a creative solution so I can wipe this thing and move it along?

did you ever get an answer to your question. I have the same issue