How to reset your MacBook or Mac desktop before selling or giving it away

Before you reset your Mac, make sure that you have a fresh backup.

In case you’re running macOS Big Sur or earlier, you’ll want sign out of iCloud, iMessage, and FaceTime. It doesn’t hurt to sign out of any other accounts under System Preferences → Internet Accounts, too. You may want to unpair any Bluetooth devices as well.

We’ve also got a detailed guide on all the latest trade-in values across various options:

Let’s dig into how to reset Macs in macOS Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, and earlier.

How to reset MacBooks and Mac desktops

macOS Ventura: How to reset your Mac

Open the System Settings app on your Mac
Choose General from the left sidebar
Now click Transfer or Reset > Erase All Contents and Settings
Enter your password if required, then follow the steps to reset your Mac

Shortcut: You can also search your Mac for “erase” with Spotlight search (magnifying glass in top right corner or use keyboard shortcut cmd + spacebar)

macOS Monterey: How to reset your Mac

macOS Monterey offers an all-new Erase Assistant for 2018 and later Macs. If you haven’t upgraded already, it’s easiest to factory reset a Mac that’s running Monterey.

Make a fresh backup of your Mac
Open System Preferences
Click System Preferences in the menu bar > Erase All Contents and Settings
Follow the prompts to fully erase your Mac
Like iOS, the new erase process in macOS Monterey handles everything to fully wipe your Mac
The currently installed macOS version will remain

Here’s how the process looks:

You can read more about the new Erase Assistant in macOS Monterey in Apple’s support document here.

Note: If your M1/M1 Pro/M1 Max MacBook won’t start up properly, you may need to restore or revive it.

Reset MacBooks and Mac desktops on macOS Big Sur or earlier

Make a fresh backup of your Mac
Sign out of iCloud (System Preferences > Apple ID > Overview > Sign Out)
Sign out of iMessage and FaceTime (in Preferences for each app)
Reset NVRAM (see below for details on steps 4-7)
Boot into macOS Recovery
Erase your startup disk
Reinstall a fresh copy of macOS

Reset NVRAM

Apple notes in a support document that resetting the NVRAM is important to do for Intel Macs without the Apple T2 Security Chip as it wipes out user settings and restores security defaults. Here’s how to do it:

Shut down your Mac, then turn it on and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, and R. Release the keys after about 20 seconds.

Boot into macOS Recovery

On Apple Silicon Macs

Power down your Mac if it’s on
Press and hold the power button to turn it on and continue to hold it until you see the startup options
Choose macOS Recovery
Select Reinstall macOS
Follow the prompts

On Intel Macs

For Intel Macs, macOS Recovery will install a different version of macOS depending on the key combination you use when starting up your Mac (no installation discs or macOS loaded onto an external drive is needed). Hold down one of the following key combinations right after powering on your Mac, and let go when you see the globe or Apple logo.

⌘R (Command R) = Reinstall the latest macOS that was installed on your Mac, without upgrading to a later version.
⌥⌘R (Option Command R) = Upgrade to the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac

Apple notes on its support page, “if you’re selling or giving away a Mac that is using OS X El Capitan or earlier, use Option-Command-R to make sure that the installation isn’t associated with your Apple ID.” This also installs the latest available software.

Loading time for macOS Recovery will vary depending on your internet connection. When the process is complete, you’ll see the macOS Utilities window.

Erase your startup disk (hard drive/solid state drive)

Click Disk Utility in the utilities window, then click Continue.
Select your startup disk in the sidebar of Disk Utility (click the top item like Apple SSD, not the volume name, Macintosh HD)
Click Erase in the top area of the utility window
Enter a name for the disk (Macintosh HD is the default on a new Mac), use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for formatting, and GUID Partition Map for scheme or APFS, whatever is recommended by Disk Utility
Click Erase (once complete, in the menu bar click Disk Utility → Quit Disk Utility to return to the macOS Utilities window)

Finish reset by reinstalling macOS

Back on the main macOS Utilities window, click on Reinstall macOS
Follow the prompts and select which disk you’d like to install macOS (if you have multiple drives)
Plug in your power cable if you’re using a Mac notebook
Click Install
If you have an SSD you may see a 10-20 minute installation estimate, if you have an HDD likely longer
When the installation is complete you’ll see the welcome screen with the region selector. If keeping your Mac, continue on with the setup process. If selling or giving your Mac to someone else, use the keyboard shortcut ⌘Q to quit the setup assistant and power your Mac down.

Thanks for reading our guide on how to reset MacBooks and Mac desktops!

How to reset your MacBook or Mac desktop before selling or giving it away – 9to5Mac