07/27/2023
Last updated: October 2026
If you’re selling your MacBook, there’s one step you really don’t want to skip:
Remove your Apple Account, turn off Find My, and properly erase the Mac before it leaves your hands.
It protects your data, removes Activation Lock, and prevents the next owner—or our inspection team—from being greeted by a Mac that still thinks it belongs to you.
And yes, Apple has changed this process over the years.
The right instructions depend mainly on whether you have a newer Mac that supports Erase All Content and Settings or an older Mac that needs to be erased through macOS Recovery.
Don’t worry. We’ll cover both.
This article ends with your Mac erased.
That is very much the point.
Before starting, make sure anything you care about has been backed up or transferred to your new Mac.
Apple recommends backing up or transferring your files before preparing a Mac for sale because the reset process removes your data.
Photos, documents, desktop files, passwords, the folder named “Important Stuff DO NOT DELETE”—make sure you have what you need before moving on.
If your Mac supports Erase All Content and Settings, Apple has made the process considerably easier.
This feature is available when both of these are true:
That includes many newer MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.
Click:
Apple menu  → About This Mac
If you see Chip: Apple M1, M2, M3, M4, or another Apple chip, you have Apple silicon.
If you see an Intel processor, you have an Intel Mac. Some later Intel Macs include the T2 chip, so an Intel processor does not automatically mean you need the older instructions.
The simplest test is even easier:
If “Erase All Content and Settings” appears in your settings, use it.
On current versions of macOS:
Apple’s Erase Assistant removes personal information, signs you out of Apple services, and removes Find My/Activation Lock as part of preparing the Mac for a new owner.
Once the Mac returns to its initial setup screen, don’t set it up again.
That would be like cleaning a hotel room and then immediately moving back in.
Leave it at the setup screen for the next owner.
You probably have:
That does not mean the Mac can’t be properly prepared for sale.
It just takes a few more steps.
Apple maintains a separate preparation process for Macs that cannot use Erase All Content and Settings.
The menu names vary by macOS version.
Go to:
Apple menu  → System Settings → your name → Sign Out
Go to:
Apple menu  → System Preferences → Apple ID → Overview → Sign Out
Go to:
Apple menu  → System Preferences → iCloud → Sign Out
Apple notes that you may be asked whether you want to keep copies of iCloud data on the Mac. Since the Mac is going to be erased afterward, keeping a temporary copy on the Mac is fine if needed.
And yes, Apple now calls it an Apple Account instead of an Apple ID.
The internet will probably continue calling it an Apple ID until approximately 2047.
Open Messages.
Then go to:
Messages → Settings or Preferences → iMessage → Sign Out
Apple still includes this as part of its preparation process for Macs that cannot use Erase All Content and Settings.
If the Mac is running macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer, skip this.
On older versions that still use iTunes:
iTunes → Account → Authorizations → Deauthorize This Computer
Then enter your Apple Account credentials.
This mostly applies to Macs that have been around long enough to remember when the iPod was a personality trait.
Once your accounts are signed out:
When the Mac eventually starts the setup assistant, do not create a new account.
Apple recommends pressing Command-Q and shutting the Mac down so the next owner receives it in an out-of-box state.
If you are preparing an Intel-based Mac, Apple also recommends resetting NVRAM after reinstalling macOS.
This clears certain user settings and restores some security settings that may have been changed.
After the NVRAM reset brings you back to Setup Assistant, press Command-Q and shut the Mac down instead of completing setup.
If you need the exact NVRAM procedure, we also have a separate guide explaining the correct process for Intel versus Apple-silicon Macs.
This is especially important when selling a Mac.
When Find My Mac is turned off, Apple says Activation Lock is removed automatically.
If Activation Lock is still active, the Mac remains associated with your Apple Account.
GoRoostr cannot purchase a Mac while it is still protected by Find My/Activation Lock.
So before shipping it, make sure the Mac is no longer locked to your account.
It happens.
You boxed the Mac.
You taped the box.
You admired your unusually good tape job.
Then you remembered Find My.
You may still be able to fix the problem remotely.
Apple allows you to use Find Devices on iCloud.com to erase a Mac and remove Activation Lock even when you no longer physically have it. After the remote erase completes, removing the device from Find My removes Activation Lock so another person can activate it.
We already have a separate guide specifically for broken MacBooks or Macs you no longer have, so use that article if you can’t access the Mac normally.
This applies specifically to Intel Macs.
Some Intel Macs can have a firmware password that prevents startup from Recovery or another startup disk without entering the password.
GoRoostr cannot purchase a Mac that remains firmware locked.
If you know a firmware password was enabled, remove it before shipping.
Apple’s current process is to start the Intel Mac in Recovery, open Startup Security Utility or Firmware Password Utility, and turn the firmware password off. If the password has been forgotten, Apple says service and proof of purchase may be required.
Apple-silicon Macs do not use this older firmware-password system.
This one catches people surprisingly often.
A Mac can be completely erased and still belong to a company or school’s device-management system.
If the Mac is enrolled in MDM or Remote Management, wiping it yourself does not necessarily release it from the organization.
GoRoostr cannot purchase a Mac while it is still enrolled in school, business, or other organizational management.
If the Mac was previously issued by your employer, school, or another organization, have an authorized administrator remove it from their management system before shipping it.
Erasing a managed computer is not the same thing as owning an unmanaged computer.
Before sending your MacBook, make sure:
If one of those does not look right, contact us before shipping.
Finding out before the Mac travels across the country is much easier than finding out afterward.
You should remove your personal accounts and security restrictions and prepare the Mac for transfer before shipping.
That protects your information and avoids delays caused by account locks.
GoRoostr also performs secure data erasure as part of our processing, but that does not mean you should leave Find My, Activation Lock, firmware locks, or device management enabled.
Those are ownership/security restrictions, not simply files that need to be deleted.
Do not ship the Mac hoping the problem will work itself out.
Recover access to your Apple Account through Apple first, then disable Find My and Activation Lock.
If a Mac arrives locked, we cannot simply bypass the lock for you.
That is very much the point of Activation Lock.
On an older Mac, not by itself.
Signing out is one part of the process.
If the Mac doesn’t support Erase All Content and Settings, Apple’s preparation steps also include erasing the Mac through Recovery and reinstalling macOS before leaving it at Setup Assistant.
On a supported newer Mac, Erase All Content and Settings handles much of this process together.
Once your accounts are removed, the Mac is erased, and there are no remaining security or management locks, you’re in good shape.
Then the fun part:
See what your MacBook is worth.
For a MacBook Pro, get a MacBook Pro quote.
For a MacBook Air, get a MacBook Air quote.
Or start with the MacBook quote flow.
And if something about your Mac doesn’t fit neatly into the quote form, contact us rather than selecting the closest-looking option and hoping for the best.
Our inspection team is remarkably good at identifying MacBooks.
Occupational hazard.