How to factory reset a MacBook before selling (Apple Account and Find My)

A MacBook you sell must be signed out of your Apple Account, free of Activation Lock and wiped clean. On most recent Macs this is a single built-in tool; older Intel Macs need a few more steps.

Back up with Time Machine first. On an Apple silicon or T2 Mac running macOS Monterey or later, open System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings, which also signs you out and turns off Find My. Older Intel Macs need you to sign out of iCloud, then erase the disk and reinstall macOS from Recovery.

• 1. Back up everything: Connect an external drive and run a Time Machine backup, or transfer your files to your new Mac. Once the erase starts there is no going back, so double-check that your photos and documents are safe.
• 2. Check which erase method you can use: If your Mac has an M-series chip, or is an Intel Mac with a T2 chip, and runs macOS Monterey or later, you can use Erase All Content and Settings. Apple says that on these Macs you can skip the manual sign-out steps below.
• 3. Run Erase All Content and Settings: On macOS Ventura or later, go to System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your password and follow the prompts. The tool signs you out of iCloud, switches off Find My and Activation Lock, and wipes your accounts, apps and data.
• 4. Older Intel Mac: sign out first: If that option is missing, do this by hand. Turn off Find My Mac, sign out of your Apple Account in System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS), and sign out of iMessage in Messages > Settings > iMessage. Also deauthorise the Mac in the Music or Apple TV app.
• 5. Older Intel Mac: erase and reinstall: Start the Mac in macOS Recovery and open Disk Utility. Select Macintosh HD, click Erase Volume Group (or Erase), and accept the suggested format. Quit Disk Utility, choose Reinstall macOS and let it finish.
• 6. Stop at the setup screen: When the Mac restarts to the welcome screen, do not set it up. Hold the power button until it switches off. The buyer will complete setup with their own Apple Account.
• 7. Remove it from your device list: On your iPhone or another device, open Find My and your Apple Account device list and make sure the old Mac no longer appears. Remove it if it still does.