Everything you need to know about resetting your old MacBook to factory settings before sale.

If the time has come to sell your old MacBook Pro, you need to wipe it completely before doing so. It is crucial to erase all data on your MacBook Pro and reset it before giving it a new life. You might think that emptying the Trash on your macOS hard drive is enough, but properly wiping a MacBook involves more steps. Read our simple guide below on how to wipe MacBook Pro to sell it. Read our Apple MacBook Pro 2020 13-inch review if you consider upgrading to the latest model.

How To Wipe MacBook Pro To Sell It: Create A Backup

Last thing you want to happen when selling your pre-owned laptop is for someone else to access your personal data and information. To prevent that, you need to create a full backup of your MacBook Pro. That way, you know your files, accounts, photos, etc. are safe before deleting them off your computer. You can easily recover any important files and documents in the future.

There are several easy ways to back up your MacBook Pro.

• Time Machine is a backup feature that comes pre-installed on any Mac. All you need is an external storage device that is greater or equal to your laptop’s storage and you’re good to go. Once you have your new device, you can easily restore your backup on it. Time Machine will let you choose which files to restore or you can choose to restore the entire system
• iCloud Backup: go to ‘System Preferences’ and click on iCloud. Sign in if you haven’t and select the files you want to backup to iCloud. Keep in mind that Apple only offers 5GB of free iCloud storage, so you might need to pay for extra storage for your MacBook Pro.
• Migration Assistant: if you already purchased your new Mac, this is a useful and easy way to move your documents, settings, data, etc. to the new device. With Migration Assistant, you don’t need to do anything manually. 

How To Wipe MacBook Pro To Sell It: Sign Out Of Accounts

Once you created a full backup, the next step is to sign out of all accounts you’re currently signed into. Make sure you sign out of iMessage, iTunes, App Store, Apple Music, Photos, Mail, Calendar, Apple TV+, etc. Also, double check that you logged out of any Internet accounts you’re using. Go to ‘System Preferences’ and review your ‘Internet Accounts’. 

How To Wipe MacBook Pro To Sell It: Erase Hard Drive

To remove all personal data on your MacBook Pro before sale you first need to reformat it. Here’s how to do it.

1. Turn off or restart your MacBook Pro. Once it’s turned on again, press and hold Command + R to start Recovery Mode.
2. Click ‘Disk Utility’ and then ‘Continue’.
3. Select the disk you want to erase and click ‘Erase’ button.
4. Once complete, you can quit Disk Utility. Your MacBook Pro won’t contain any personal data at this point.

How To Wipe MacBook Pro To Sell It: Reinstall macOS

After you’ve erased all data and formatted the drive, you need to install a clean version of macOS. Before starting this process, make sure you MacBook Pro is connected to the Internet and a power source. 

Once you quit ‘Disk Utility’, you will see a screen prompting to reinstall macOS. Click ‘Continue’ after selecting this option. Once the operating system is installed, your MacBook Pro will reboot automatically. Press Command + Q to shut down the computer. If you’re selling your MacBook Pro, it’s a good idea to let the new owners go through the setup process themselves.  

Conclusion

Once you’ve completed the steps outlined above, your MacBook Pro is ready to be sold. Hope you found our guide on how to wipe MacBook Pro to sell it direct and simple. Don’t forget, you can always MacBook trade in for cash with Gadget Salvation.