Factory reset laptop MacBook
If you plan to give away, sell, or trade in your Mac, the first thing you should do is erase the data on it and perform a factory reset. This article shows you how. If you've upgraded to macOS Monterey on a Mac with Apple silicon or a Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip, follow the steps to erase all content and settings instead of following the steps in this article. Show First, Back Up Your DataBefore you do anything, you should back up the files on your Mac. You could do this manually by copying across files onto an external drive. If you use iCloud, your photos, mail, contacts, documents, and so on should be automatically backed up in cloud storage. Check out our dedicated guide on how to back up your Mac using Time Machine. Unlink your AppsThere are certain apps that will need to be manually unlinked from your Mac before you say goodbye to it. Some third-party apps require licenses that only work on a limited number of computers, so think about any licenses you may have purchased. To learn how to de-authorize your iTunes account, check out our dedicated guide. Sign Out of iCloudIt's also important to disable Find My Mac and sign out of iCloud in macOS. That way you'll know for sure there isn't anything lingering on your Mac that links your Apple ID to this machine. The following steps show you how.
How to Erase and Reset Your MacNow that you've taken the above precautionary steps and unlinked your purchases and accounts, it's time to erase your Mac's drive and reset the system to its factory defaults.
And that's it. You're now ready to sell your Mac, pass it on, set it up as new, or restore a backup. |