Fresh install of macOS

[happycadaver]

I'm thinking of making a fresh install of macOS, when Sierra is being released.

Is there a method to minimize reconfiguration and installation of software that is currently running on my iMac? I'm running the 3rd macOS on my iMac atm, only upgrading the system with every new release and i have piled up a clutter of old software (and profile data) everywhere on my system. I would like to have a fresh start without having to install and configure every bit of software, script and so on again.

My system is constantly backed up with TM, so the current system is always available.

 

[Gregg2]

Are you asking if you can designate some applications to be retained and others not to be retained in the process of installing the OS?

 

[Weaselboy]

I would like to have a fresh start without having to install and configure every bit of software, script and so on again.

You can't. By definition a clean or fresh install is an erased drive and reinstall of the OS followed by a manual reinstall of your apps, settings, and personal files like documents and so on.

There is no easy way to do this.

 

[happycadaver]

There is no way to use the TM backup even for selected apps or data?

 

[Weaselboy]

There is no way to use the TM backup even for selected apps or data?

Not in any easy, automated way... no. You can use the Time Machine backup as the source for manually movings things back though.

For things like say your Documents folder, you can use the Time Machine backup to just copy the contents of that folder from the backup over to your new install.

Apps is trickier. If it was a simple app that came in a DMG that you installed just by drag/drop from the DMG into /Applications, then you could move that app over from the TM backup to the new install. But that still would not get you that app settings that may be scattered around in various application support folders or plist settings file.

Any apps that have installers, like MS Office for example, cannot be moved over this way and would need to be reinstalled.