Step 1 — Back up with Time Machine
Plug in an external drive and run a fresh backup in System Settings → General → Time Machine, or make sure everything you care about is synced to iCloud Drive or another cloud service. The erase is permanent.
Step 2 — Sign out of anything extra
If you use apps with device-limited licenses (music production tools, Adobe apps, and similar), deauthorize this machine from inside those apps first — it saves you a support ticket later. iMessage, iCloud, and Find My are all handled automatically in the next step.
Step 3 — Erase All Content and Settings
- Open System Settings → General → Transfer or Reset.
- Click Erase All Content and Settings.
- Enter your Mac password to open Erase Assistant, review what will be removed, and click Continue.
- Enter your Apple Account password when asked — this signs you out and turns off Activation Lock.
- Confirm Erase All Content & Settings and let the Mac restart on its own.
Step 4 — Stop at the setup screen
When the Mac restarts to the language / "hello" setup assistant, you're done — don't set it up again. Hold the power button to shut it down and it's ready to hand over.
Step 5 — Round up what you have
If you still have the original charger or box, mention it in the quote form and bring it along — not required, but always worth noting when you describe the machine.
Get your offer
Tell us the chip, size, and condition and we'll text you a number — here's what we look for in MacBooks. We buy Apple Silicon models only, M1 through M5.