From time to time, we all need to upgrade our Macs. With new Apple product launches happening throughout the year, our Macs become out-of-date with increasing frequency. Unlike a new iPhone though, most Mac users will not be upgrading their iMacs, MacBook Pros or MacBook Airs on an annual basis.
Nevertheless, when it does come time to upgrade, many Mac users will decide to sell their computer on. Either making some money towards their new Mac or to help find new software licenses. Reselling is a great way to mitigate the environmental costs of your Mac. Old computers are often bought by people who use their component parts in new electronics or recycled efficiently by resale sites.
If you are considering selling or even gifting your old Mac to someone, here is what you need to do to prepare it.
Clean your Mac
Before you sell or gift your old Mac make sure it is clean and presentable and in saleable condition. Using a clean microfibre cloth, start by dusting your Mac thoroughly then use a low setting on your vacuum cleaner to suck up trapped dust in the keyboard. Finally, give your Mac a once over with a light spritz of alcohol-free cleanser.
Sign-out of Mac accounts
To protect your data when reselling your Mac, ensure you have signed out of all your Mac accounts and deauthorised each application from your Apple ID. It is important to sign out from your iMessage, iCloud, music and Apple TV accounts to avoid them being used by the next owner of your Mac.
Delete your data
It is essential that you protect your personal data when preparing to resell your Mac. Leaving any information on your Mac such as address, phone, bank account, passport or any other details could have serious impacts down the line. Restore the factory settings of your Mac after you back up your files to wipe all your data from it.
Back up your files
The last thing you want when you are migrating to a new Mac is to lose any of your files. Back up your work to an external hard drive before you wipe your computer to ensure you do not lose anything. It might be a good idea to get your files on your new Mac before you wipe and sell your old one, just to be sure you do not lose files.
Check with Apple
Apple often release guidelines on how to prepare your Mac for a trade-in or resale. It is worth checking on their most recent advice when you prepare your Mac so you can be sure that you have covered all your bases.
