How to Factory Reset a Mac Before Selling It

Apps & MaintenancePublished Updated 8 min read

To factory reset a Mac with Apple silicon or an Apple T2 Security Chip running macOS Monterey or later, open System Settings › General › Transfer or Reset and click Erase All Content and Settings. Apple says it erases all your data, settings and apps while leaving macOS installed, and signs you out of Apple services. On older Macs, sign out of iCloud and Messages yourself, then erase the disk and reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery. Either way, back up first: there is no undo.

Before erasing, also deal with what lives outside the Mac: licenses for paid apps that count devices on a server, Find My and Activation Lock, and AppleCare. Erasing the disk does not free a license slot or remove the Mac from your Apple Account on its own if you skip the right steps.

Step 1: Back up and move what you need

An erase removes every user account and file on the internal disk. Before you start:

  • Make a full backup. Apple's Time Machine guide covers setup in System Settings › General › Time Machine. Let the latest backup finish.
  • If you have the new Mac ready, you can move data directly with Migration Assistant instead of restoring later; Apple's selling checklist links both routes.
  • Check for files that are not in your backup: projects outside your home folder, virtual machines on another volume, files in apps that store data locally.
  • Open each sync service you use and make sure it shows everything as uploaded. A file that exists only on this Mac is gone after the erase.

Step 2: Deactivate paid apps that count devices

Many paid Mac apps limit how many devices a license can activate and keep that count on the vendor's server. Erasing the Mac does not tell the server the Mac is gone, so the slot can stay in use and the next activation on your new Mac may fail with a device-limit error. Before erasing, open each such app and use its own deactivate, sign out or remove-device option, or remove the Mac from the vendor's account page.

Mole works this way: one license covers two Macs. To release a slot, open Mole's settings (Command-comma), go to General, and in Updates & license click Manage next to License. The Activated devices list shows each Mac on the license, and pointing at the current Mac's icon shows This Mac; click Deactivate next to that Mac and confirm. Mole explains that this frees a license slot and that you can reactivate later with the same key. If you forget, activating on the new Mac shows All device slots are in use together with the same list, so you can deactivate the old Mac from there.

Also check:

  • AppleCare. Apple's checklist says you can cancel the plan or transfer it to the new owner.
  • iTunes authorization, only on macOS Mojave or earlier: in iTunes, choose Account › Authorizations › Deauthorize This Computer. On macOS Catalina and later, Apple says to skip this step.

Step 3: Turn off Find My and Activation Lock

Activation Lock prevents anyone else from using a Mac with Apple silicon, or an Intel Mac with a T2 chip, without your Apple Account password. If it stays on, the buyer cannot set up the Mac.

Erase All Content and Settings signs you out of Apple services as part of the erase. If you are using the older path below, turn Find My off first: open System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, click See All (or Show More Apps), click Find My Mac, and turn it off. Enter your Apple Account password when asked.

If you already sold or gave away the Mac with Find My on, Apple's Activation Lock guide says to sign in at iCloud.com/find, select the Mac, and click Remove.

Step 4: Erase with Erase All Content and Settings

Use this path if your Mac has Apple silicon or a T2 chip and runs macOS Monterey or later. If Erase All Content and Settings does not appear in Transfer or Reset, your Mac does not support it; use the next section.

  1. Choose Apple menu › System Settings.
  2. Click General, scroll down and click Transfer or Reset.
  3. Click Erase All Content and Settings.
  4. Enter your Mac login password when asked for administrator credentials, then your Apple Account password.
  5. Click Erase All Content & Settings to confirm. If you are asked whether to sign back in to your Apple Account or iCloud, ignore it and continue.
  6. The Mac erases itself and restarts. It may ask you to turn on a Bluetooth accessory or choose a Wi-Fi network so it can activate.

On macOS Monterey, the command is in the menu bar instead: open System Preferences, then choose System Preferences › Erase All Content and Settings.

When the setup assistant appears, stop. Apple says that if you are selling, giving away or trading in the Mac, you should not use the setup assistant or previously connected Bluetooth devices; press and hold the power button until the Mac turns off. The new owner sets it up as a new Mac.

The older path: sign out by hand, then erase in Recovery

If your Mac cannot use Erase All Content and Settings, follow Apple's selling checklist in order:

  1. Sign out of iCloud. On macOS Ventura or later: Apple menu › System Settings, click your name, then Sign Out. On Monterey, Big Sur or Catalina: System Preferences › Apple ID › Overview › Sign Out. macOS asks whether to keep a copy of your iCloud data on the Mac; since you are about to erase it, either answer is fine.
  2. Sign out of iMessage. In Messages, choose Messages › Settings (or Preferences), click iMessage, then Sign Out.
  3. Unpair Bluetooth accessories you are keeping (optional). In System Settings › Bluetooth, Control-click the accessory and choose Forget. If it is your only keyboard and mouse, you will need wired ones to finish.
  4. Start up from macOS Recovery (Apple). On an Intel Mac, turn it on and immediately hold Command-R.
  5. Erase the disk. On an Intel Mac, open Disk Utility, select Macintosh HD, click Erase, keep the name and the format Disk Utility suggests, and click Erase Volume Group if it appears (Apple). For a Mac with Apple silicon, follow Apple's Apple silicon erase guide instead.
  6. Reinstall macOS from the Recovery window.
  7. Stop at the setup assistant. Press Command-Q to shut down and leave the Mac ready for its new owner.
  8. Reset NVRAM on Intel-based Macs; Apple says this clears user settings and restores certain security features.

Check that it worked

  • The Mac starts to the setup assistant with no user account.
  • On another device, sign in at iCloud.com/find and check your device list. If the old Mac still appears, select it and click Remove.
  • In each paid app's account page, the old Mac is no longer listed. For Mole, the Activated devices list on your new Mac no longer shows it.

What not to do

  • Do not just delete your user account or drag files to the Trash. Other accounts, system data and your Apple Account sign-in remain.
  • Do not erase before checking the backup. An erase cannot be undone.
  • Do not leave Find My on when you hand the Mac over. The buyer cannot set it up, and you will have to remove it remotely.
  • Do not set up the Mac again with your own account after erasing. Turn it off at the setup assistant.

If you are erasing to fix problems rather than to sell, a reset removes the evidence and often does not fix an app or accessory problem; Mac frozen or keeps crashing covers the checks to try first.

FAQ

How do I factory reset a MacBook Pro?

On a MacBook Pro with Apple silicon or a T2 chip running macOS Monterey or later, open System Settings › General › Transfer or Reset › Erase All Content and Settings. On older models, sign out of iCloud and Messages, then erase the disk and reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery.

Does Erase All Content and Settings remove macOS?

No. Apple says it erases your data, settings and apps while keeping the currently installed operating system, so the Mac is ready to set up without reinstalling macOS.

How do I wipe a MacBook before selling it?

Back up, deactivate paid apps that limit devices, turn off Find My, then use Erase All Content and Settings or the Recovery path. Stop at the setup assistant and turn the Mac off.

I already sold my Mac. How do I remove it from my Apple Account?

Sign in at iCloud.com/find, select the Mac, and click Remove. Deactivate it from paid apps' account pages too; for Mole, use the Activated devices list in Mole's License settings on another Mac.

Do I need to unpair Bluetooth devices before selling?

Only for accessories you are keeping, so they do not try to connect to the old Mac. Unpair your only keyboard or mouse last, or use wired ones to finish.