Hand it on safely
Selling, giving away or trading in? Pick the device. Osnivo lists Apple's own steps — back up, sign out, remove Activation Lock, erase — word for word, as a checklist.
Your Mac, step by step
In Apple's order. Tick them off as you go — ticks stay in this browser only.
of 3 done
Another way · Apple If you can’t use Erase All Content and Settings
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1
Sign out of iTunes
If your Mac is using macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, skip this step. Open iTunes. From the menu bar in iTunes, choose Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer. Enter your Apple Account (Apple ID) information and click Deauthorize. Apple: What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac ↗ -
2
Sign out of iCloud
When you sign out of iCloud, you're asked whether to keep a copy of your iCloud data on this Mac. It's faster to keep a copy, because you will erase your Mac later. macOS Ventura 13 or later: From the Apple menu, choose System Settings. Click your name in the sidebar of System Settings, then scroll down on the right and click Sign Out. macOS Monterey 12, macOS Big Sur 11, macOS Catalina 10.15: From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, then click Apple ID. Select Overview in the sidebar, then click Sign Out. Earlier versions of macOS: From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, click iCloud, then click Sign Out. Apple: What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac ↗ -
3
Sign out of iMessage
Open the Messages app. From the menu bar in Messages, choose Messages > Settings (or Preferences). Click iMessage. Click Sign Out. Apple: What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac ↗ -
4
Optional: rename or unpair Bluetooth accessories
Apple: “If you unpair your only keyboard and mouse, you’ll need to connect a USB keyboard and mouse to complete the remaining steps in this article.” Consider these steps if you have been using a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, or other Bluetooth accessory with this Mac. If you aren't keeping the accessory, check Bluetooth settings to see if the accessory’s name includes your name or other personal information. If it does, you can change the name of the accessory. Apple: What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac ↗ -
5
Erase your Mac and reinstall macOS
Start up from macOS Recovery. Use Disk Utility to erase your Mac from Recovery. Reinstall macOS from Recovery. After reinstalling macOS, your Mac restarts to a setup assistant. Press Command-Q to shut down instead of continuing setup. Apple: What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac ↗ -
6
Reset NVRAM Intel-based Mac
If you're using an Intel-based Mac, resetting NVRAM clears user settings from memory and restores certain security features that might have been altered. After resetting NVRAM, your Mac starts up to the setup assistant again. To leave the Mac in an out-of-box state, press Command-Q to shut down instead of continuing setup. Apple: What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac ↗