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On MacOS reinstalling the OS 'from fresh' doesn't really do anything any more because the OS is installed to an immutable sealed volume. Reinstalling the OS is

• kitsunesoba 3y ago
  Though they're easily removed without a reinstall, it'll clear out things like startup apps and background daemons. Kernel extensions (which should be rare already, but still exist) will also get wiped.
• Kwpolska 3y ago
  The OS files itself may be immutable, but you’re still wiping your user data, all installed software, and other clutter stored in writeable locations.
• horsawlarway 3y ago
  I consider volumes local to the device as something that gets wiped on OS reset, although I definitely understand the confusion. I'm not just wiping root and leaving home/mail/etc alone. I'm wiping and re-partitioning the local drive. The partition layout on macOs is fairly complex - on those machines it would be comparable to "Erase all contents and settings" option, but also with a refresh of the immutable OS to the latest released revision (Not always the case on macOS, depending on your recovery drive configuration). --- That said, I don't buy Apple products for personal use - they're far too hostile to their users for me to give them money, and I was always a "function over form" kinda guy in the first place, which is not Apple's market. Apple is the chauffeured car of the computer world... Smooth, Expensive, Hands-Off. I don't always want to drive manual, but I'm not willing to give up the steering wheel... so windows, linux, and bsd for me. Although lately, less and less Windows.