If you are selling, trading in or giving away your MacBook, you want your data truly gone and the new owner able to set up the Mac without problems. That means more than throwing away files: you need to sign out of iCloud, turn off Find My and erase the Mac properly. This article gives the complete checklist for erasing your MacBook before a sale.
Blue Apple in Amsterdam regularly sees MacBooks still tied to the previous owner's Apple Account. The steps below prevent that.
Step 1: make a backup
Save everything you want to keep: with Time Machine on an external drive, or in iCloud. If you want your data on a new Mac later, a Time Machine backup is the easiest way. See backing up your MacBook and moving with Migration Assistant.
Step 2: sign out of services
- Music and TV: in the Music app choose Account, Authorisations, and deauthorise this computer.
- Messages and FaceTime: sign out in the settings of both apps.
- Other apps licensed per computer, such as some Office or Adobe packages: deactivate them, so you can use the licence on a new Mac.
Step 3: unpair Bluetooth devices
If the Mac stays near your keyboard, mouse or AirPods, unpair them first in System Settings, Bluetooth, so they do not connect to the old Mac by accident.
Step 4: erase the Mac
Mac with Apple chip or Intel with T2 chip (macOS Monterey or newer): go to System Settings, General, Transfer or Reset, and choose Erase All Content and Settings. This assistant signs you out of your Apple Account, turns off Find My and Activation Lock and erases everything. The Mac then starts up as new.
Older Intel Mac: first sign out of your Apple Account in System Settings manually. Then start up in Recovery mode, erase the drive with Disk Utility and reinstall macOS. See resetting your MacBook to factory settings and opening Recovery mode.
Step 5: remove the Mac from your account
Sign in on your Apple Account website and look under Devices. If the Mac is still there, remove it. Also check in the Find My app on another device whether the Mac still appears.
Step 6: hand the Mac over properly
- Leave the Mac at the welcome screen. The new owner sets it up.
- Include the charger, and the box if you still have it.
- Clean the Mac, including the screen and keyboard.
- Preferably share the serial number, so the buyer can check the cover themselves.
Why is signing out so important?
Macs with an Apple chip or T2 chip have Activation Lock. If Find My is still on when you erase the Mac, after erasing it asks for your Apple Account password. Without it the new owner cannot use the Mac, and a repairer cannot bypass it either.
Selling a broken MacBook?
Even if the Mac no longer works, remove it from your account via the Apple Account website. See selling or handing in a broken MacBook.
What we do at Blue Apple in Amsterdam
We help you save your data and erase your MacBook properly, even if it no longer starts. More on our page about MacBook repair in Amsterdam.
Frequently asked questions
Is "Erase All Content and Settings" safe enough?
Yes. On Macs with an Apple chip or T2 chip the storage is encrypted; erasing throws away the key, so the data can no longer be read.
Do I need to reinstall macOS after erasing?
Not on an Apple chip or T2 Mac; the Mac starts with macOS as new. On older Macs you do.
The buyer sees Activation Lock. What now?
Remove the Mac from your Apple Account via the website. Then the buyer can set it up.
