How to Prepare Your Mac Before You Sell, Give Away, or Trade It In

TL;DR

Back up needed files and confirm the backup before erasing a Mac for transfer.

• Erase All Content and Settings applies to Apple silicon or T2 Macs running Monterey 12 or later.
• For other Macs, follow Apple’s manual erase steps.
• After erasing, leave Setup Assistant ready for the next owner.

1. Make and verify an independent backup

Use a separate Time Machine disk or copy the files to another storage device. A sync copy in iCloud is not an independent backup. Apple explains Mac backup choices and Time Machine disks.

Make sure cloud-only originals are included

In Photos, choose Photos > Settings > iCloud > Download Originals to this Mac. Wait until the originals you want are downloaded before the backup runs.

Apple’s iCloud Photos storage guide explains Optimize Storage, which can leave full-resolution originals in iCloud and smaller versions on the Mac.

For iCloud Drive, Desktop, and Documents, open each folder in Finder. Items stored only in iCloud need to finish downloading before Time Machine can copy them.

In Finder, Control-click a file or folder and choose Keep Downloaded. Apple shows the status and download controls in its iCloud Drive file guide.

Check the backup, including a restore

First make a backup of the files you plan to keep. Wait until Time Machine reports completion and check its latest completed date.

If you already use Time Machine, run another backup and confirm it finishes before erasing.

To test recovery safely, create a clearly named file with unimportant text in a folder included in the backup. Run another backup and wait for it to finish.

Check that the latest completed date is after you created the test file.

Then delete only that test file. In Finder, open its original folder, enter Time Machine, choose the backup from before deletion, select the test file, and click Restore. It returns to its original location.

Open it to confirm the restore worked. The Mac backup guide shows this sequence. Keep your real files until the backup and restore check succeed.

2. Choose the erase route for this Mac

Open Apple menu > About This Mac to check the chip and macOS version. Erase All Content and Settings requires Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip plus macOS Monterey 12 or later.

If you cannot confirm the chip or the assistant is missing, pause and check Apple’s T2 Mac list and Apple silicon details.

If an Apple silicon Mac was previously repaired and runs macOS 26 or later, follow Apple’s Repair Assistant check before erasing.

Apple silicon or T2 with macOS Ventura 13 or later

1. Open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset.
2. Choose Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your Mac login password and Apple Account password when asked.
3. Read the last confirmation. It erases personal data, settings, and apps from this Mac. Continue only if the Mac and backup are correct. Apple documents the erase assistant.
4. When Setup Assistant appears, do not continue setup. Press and hold the Mac’s power button until it turns off.

Apple silicon or T2 with macOS Monterey 12

1. Open Apple menu > System Preferences.
2. In the menu bar, choose System Preferences > Erase All Content and Settings.
3. Follow the erase assistant. Read the final confirmation before proceeding. When Setup Assistant appears, press and hold the Mac’s power button until it turns off.

Do not use the manual Intel Disk Utility route on an eligible Mac just because its menus look different. Apple’s current Erase All Content and Settings instructions show both supported menu paths.

If an Apple silicon Mac cannot use the assistant

This branch is for Apple silicon only. Do not use the Intel Disk Utility instructions below. Follow Apple’s model-specific sale-preparation steps. To open Recovery on Apple silicon, shut down, then press and hold the power button until startup options appear. Choose Options > Continue. If the target volume is unclear, stop before confirming an erase.

Intel Mac without the erase assistant

Use this Intel branch when the erase assistant is unavailable.

If the Intel Mac has T2 and runs macOS Monterey 12 or later, stop if the assistant is missing and resolve that with Apple before erasing.

Apple’s Intel Disk Utility instructions apply to Intel Macs that need the manual route. If the layout or target is unclear, stop before erasing.

Sign out of Apple services

1. On macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, skip iTunes deauthorization. On macOS Mojave 10.14 or earlier, open iTunes and choose Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer.
2. On macOS Ventura 13 or later, open Apple menu > System Settings, select your name, scroll down, then choose Sign Out.
3. On macOS Monterey 12, Big Sur 11, or Catalina 10.15, open Apple menu > System Preferences > Apple ID > Overview > Sign Out. On earlier macOS, open Apple menu > System Preferences > iCloud > Sign Out.
4. Open Messages. In the menu bar, choose Messages > Settings or Preferences, select iMessage, then choose Sign Out.

If Windows is installed with Boot Camp

Remove Windows from macOS before erasing the Mac’s startup volume. Back up important files from the Windows partition to separate storage and open the copies to verify them.

Removing Windows permanently erases that partition and all its data. Continue only if you intend to remove Windows.

1. Start the Mac in macOS and open Boot Camp Assistant. Apple says Boot Camp Assistant must remove a Boot Camp partition. Follow its Windows removal steps.
2. If Boot Camp Assistant shows Select Tasks, choose Remove Windows 10 or later version, then click Continue.
3. For one internal disk, click Restore. For multiple internal disks, select the Windows disk, choose Restore disk to a single macOS partition, then click Continue. Wait for the removal to finish before proceeding to the Intel Recovery steps below.

Erase and reinstall from Intel Recovery

1. Shut down the Intel Mac. Turn it on and immediately hold Command-R until the Apple logo or spinning globe appears. Apple’s Recovery startup instructions cover other cases if Recovery does not open.
2. In Recovery, open Disk Utility and choose View > Show All Devices. Select Macintosh HD, then click the Erase button in the toolbar.
3. Enter the name and format recommended by Disk Utility. Read the dialog before continuing. Erasing permanently removes the selected volume’s files.
4. Click Erase Volume Group. If that button is not shown, click Erase instead. Follow Apple’s Intel disk erase procedure.
5. If you previously added internal volumes containing personal files, copy those files to separate storage and open the copies to verify them. Then erase each personal-data volume individually using Apple’s Disk Utility instructions. Do not leave personal files on an internal volume when handing over the Mac. Keep unrelated backup disks disconnected. If you cannot identify or verify the copy of a personal-data volume, stop the handoff until you can.
6. Quit Disk Utility. From the Recovery utilities window, choose Reinstall macOS and follow Apple’s reinstall instructions. When Setup Assistant appears, press Command-Q to shut down.

Apple includes an NVRAM reset as the final step for Intel sale preparation. Shut down the Mac, turn it on, then immediately hold Option-Command-P-R for about 20 seconds.

This does not apply to Apple silicon Macs. If Setup Assistant appears again, press Command-Q to shut down. See Apple’s Intel NVRAM instructions.

3. Confirm the rightful-owner handoff

Find My and Activation Lock protect a Mac that supports Activation Lock. Apple says the feature requires an eligible Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip and Find My turned on.

Complete the erase with your Apple Account, and never share your password or try to bypass the lock. See Apple’s Activation Lock requirements.

After Erase All Content and Settings, or after reinstalling macOS in Recovery, leave Setup Assistant at its first screen. Do not create an account for the buyer or continue with your Apple Account.

If you already gave the Mac away

If the Mac is still in your Find My account, Apple lets you request a remote erase. An online Mac begins erasing after confirmation. An offline Mac waits until it reconnects.

Do not remove it from Find My while the erase is pending.

Wait until the erase is complete before finishing the handoff. On an Apple silicon or T2 Mac with Activation Lock, removing the Mac from Find My also removes that lock.

Apple’s remote erase instructions explain the timing. Its Activation Lock guide lists supported Macs.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Sources

Apple’s erase steps depend on the Mac’s chip, macOS, and disk layout. Use the linked Apple instructions for your model before proceeding. For transfer and restore details, see Apple’s restore from a backup guide.

Related: Back up your Mac with Time Machine.