Protecting Your Data When Selling or Giving Away Your Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you plan to sell your current Mac and upgrade to a new one, it is essential to take the necessary steps to protect your data and leave a clean slate for the next owner. To ensure that your Mac is safely wiped before passing it on, follow these steps.

Noting Specifications of Your Hardware

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Before restoring your Mac, make note of its specifications, including hardware information such as model year, processor, memory, graphics display, and storage. This will be useful when creating a listing for your Mac, especially if you plan to sell it. Click on the Apple logo at the upper left corner of your screen, then click "About this Mac" an overview should show up with all the necessary information for your listing.

Backing Up Your Data

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The best way to back up everything at once is to use Apple's native Time Machine app. First, connect an external storage drive to your Mac and ensure it has enough free space. Right-click on the drive and click "Get Info" to check its capacity. Once you have confirmed the drive has sufficient space, open Time Machine by clicking on it in your Applications folder or using Spotlight.

To set up Time Machine, select "Select Backup Disk" and choose your external drive. Click "Use Disk," and after a short delay, Time Machine will start backing up your data. You can then eject your backup disc when you are ready to do so.

Restoring from a Time Machine Backup

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When setting up your new Mac, there will be an option to restore from a time machine backup. Make sure your drive is connected before attempting the restoration process.

Alternative Options for Backing Up Files

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If you choose not to back everything up but still want to keep some important files, there are alternative options available. One option is iCloud Drive. If you haven't already set up iCloud, go to System Preferences and click "iCloud." Log in with your Apple ID, and you will see all the files that have been uploaded to the cloud.

You can close this page and open Finder to see iCloud Drive as an option in the menu on the left side. Simply drag and drop the files you want backed up onto iCloud Drive. You can also view the progress of each file's upload status.

Another way to back up files is by connecting a hard drive and dragging files directly onto it. Once finished, ensure to eject the drive before restarting your Mac and wiping the internal storage.

Logging Out of Apps and Devices

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Before wiping your Mac, make sure to log out of any apps that are used or licensed on other devices. Head over to System Preferences and click "iCloud" then scroll down and disable Find My Mac. Click "Sign Out" to complete the process. It does not matter if you delete passwords off the system at this stage.

Deauthorizing Apps and Devices

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If there are any third-party apps that are using up license keys, ensure to log out of those too. Open iTunes by clicking on it in your Applications folder or using Spotlight. Click on "Accounts" then hover over "Authorizations" and click "Deauthorize This Computer." You can also log out of iMessage by opening Messages and clicking "Sign Out."

Wiping and Restoring Your Mac

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To wipe your Mac, restart it while holding down the Command + R keys. Do not let go until you see the Utilities page appear on screen.

Once the Utilities page is displayed, click on the "Disk Utility" app. Choose your main hard drive, which is usually named "Macintosh HD." Make sure the format is set to "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" and then click "Erase" to completely delete everything on that drive.

After the erase process completes, close Disk Utility and click "Reinstall macOS" in the top right corner of the screen. Once the installation completes, your Mac will restart and bring you to the setup assistant. At this point, you can finish setting up your Mac and backing up files from Time Machine or use iCloud Drive if desired.

Shutting Down Your Mac for Sale

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If you are planning to sell your Mac, press Command + Q to shut down the system. This will ensure that all personal data is removed and the device is ready for resale.

By following these steps, you can protect your data and leave a clean slate for the next owner of your Mac. Remember to regularly back up your files to prevent loss in case of any issues with your Mac or storage devices.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwith a number of new Macs recently released by Apple you may be thinking about selling your current MAC and upgrading to a new one of course when selling or giving away your Mac you need to make sure to protect your data and leave a clean slate for the next owner we'll take you through all the steps you should take to ensure your Mac is safely wiped before passing it on to its next owner if you plan to sell your Mac you'll want to make note of specifications of your Hardware before you restore it click on the Apple logo at the upper left corner of your screen then click about this Mac an overview should show up with all the info you need for your listing including the model in year processor memory Graphics display and storage next you'll want to back up your data the best way to back up everything at once is to use Apple's native time machine app first connect an external storage drive to your Mac and make sure it has enough free space by right clicking on the drive and clicking get info then open Time Machine once at the main page click select backup disc choose your external drive and click use dis after a short delay time machine should start backing up your disc once the backup is complete you can go ahead and eject your backup disc when setting up your new Mac there will be an option to restore from a time machine backup just make sure your drive is connected if you choose not to back everything up but still want to keep some important files there are a few options for you including iCloud drive if you haven't already set up iCloud go to your system preferences and click iCloud then log in with your Apple ID once logged in it should show you everything that's been uploaded to the cloud you can close that page and open your finder you should see iCloud drive as an option in the menu on the left side just drag and drop the files you want backed up right onto the iCloud drive you can also see the progress of each file's upload status another way is to connect a hard drive and simply drag and drop files you need right into the drive on your desktop once finished make sure to eject the drive before we restart and wipe the max into internal hard drive we need to make sure to log out of any apps that are used or licensed on other computers head over to system preferences and click iCloud then scroll down and disable find my Mac then click sign out uncheck all the boxes that show up and continue since we'll be wiping our Mac it doesn't matter if we delete passwords off the system after that open iTunes click on the accounts tab hover over authorizations and click deauthorize this computer if applicable you can also log out of iMessage by opening up messages and going to the preferences then click sign out if there are any third-party apps that are using up license key be sure to log out of those too now we can finally get to wiping and restoring our Mac restart your Mac while holding down the command in R keys and don't let go until the Mac OS utilities page shows up then click on dis utility choose your main hard drive which is usually named Macintosh HD then click erase make sure the format is Mac OS extended journaled and hit erase it's important to note that this will completely delete everything on that drive now close dis utility and click reinstall Mac OS once the installation completes it'll restart Mac OS and bring you to the setup assistant at this point you can finish setting up and back up your files from time machine or if you're planning on selling your Mac press command and Q to shut down the system and it's ready to be sold if you enjoy this video like it and hit that subscribe button also check out our price guide which makes it extremely easy to find the best deals on Apple products updated daily be sure to follow us on social media and we'll see you in the next videowith a number of new Macs recently released by Apple you may be thinking about selling your current MAC and upgrading to a new one of course when selling or giving away your Mac you need to make sure to protect your data and leave a clean slate for the next owner we'll take you through all the steps you should take to ensure your Mac is safely wiped before passing it on to its next owner if you plan to sell your Mac you'll want to make note of specifications of your Hardware before you restore it click on the Apple logo at the upper left corner of your screen then click about this Mac an overview should show up with all the info you need for your listing including the model in year processor memory Graphics display and storage next you'll want to back up your data the best way to back up everything at once is to use Apple's native time machine app first connect an external storage drive to your Mac and make sure it has enough free space by right clicking on the drive and clicking get info then open Time Machine once at the main page click select backup disc choose your external drive and click use dis after a short delay time machine should start backing up your disc once the backup is complete you can go ahead and eject your backup disc when setting up your new Mac there will be an option to restore from a time machine backup just make sure your drive is connected if you choose not to back everything up but still want to keep some important files there are a few options for you including iCloud drive if you haven't already set up iCloud go to your system preferences and click iCloud then log in with your Apple ID once logged in it should show you everything that's been uploaded to the cloud you can close that page and open your finder you should see iCloud drive as an option in the menu on the left side just drag and drop the files you want backed up right onto the iCloud drive you can also see the progress of each file's upload status another way is to connect a hard drive and simply drag and drop files you need right into the drive on your desktop once finished make sure to eject the drive before we restart and wipe the max into internal hard drive we need to make sure to log out of any apps that are used or licensed on other computers head over to system preferences and click iCloud then scroll down and disable find my Mac then click sign out uncheck all the boxes that show up and continue since we'll be wiping our Mac it doesn't matter if we delete passwords off the system after that open iTunes click on the accounts tab hover over authorizations and click deauthorize this computer if applicable you can also log out of iMessage by opening up messages and going to the preferences then click sign out if there are any third-party apps that are using up license key be sure to log out of those too now we can finally get to wiping and restoring our Mac restart your Mac while holding down the command in R keys and don't let go until the Mac OS utilities page shows up then click on dis utility choose your main hard drive which is usually named Macintosh HD then click erase make sure the format is Mac OS extended journaled and hit erase it's important to note that this will completely delete everything on that drive now close dis utility and click reinstall Mac OS once the installation completes it'll restart Mac OS and bring you to the setup assistant at this point you can finish setting up and back up your files from time machine or if you're planning on selling your Mac press command and Q to shut down the system and it's ready to be sold if you enjoy this video like it and hit that subscribe button also check out our price guide which makes it extremely easy to find the best deals on Apple products updated daily be sure to follow us on social media and we'll see you in the next video\n"