Reset to Factory Settings but keep iMessages?

[kaicrawf]

Hi, I have a late 2014 rMBP and I really want a fresh start. However I don't want a fresh start with my iMessages. I know there are applications you can download to view past messages off your iPhone and stuff but I want the native Messages app on my MacBook to still have my messages.

I have tried in the past by copying the 'Messages' folder to my external hard drive, resetting to factory settings and then replacing the 'Messages' folder with the old one on my external hard drive. This didn't work so I just gave up and restored from time machine.

Is this possible at all? Thanks for any help

 

[kaicrawf]

1. Turn off iMessage in Settings > Messages
2. Reset networking settings in Settings > General > Reset
3. Reenable iMessage in Settings > Messages

No I mean I want to do a full factory reset of my macbook not just the network settings

 

[keysofanxiety]

No I mean I want to do a full factory reset of my macbook not just the network settings

To backup your iMessages, you can review the article here.

To wipe your computer, hold CMD and R on startup to boot into OS X Utilities. Open Disk Utility and format Macintosh HD, then close Disk Utility and select the option Reinstall OS X.