How to factory reset your Mac if you're going to sell it

If we are thinking of selling our Mac since it is becoming obsolete or we simply want to change it for another more powerful model, we can do so by following a few simple steps and tips that must be taken into account before 'transferring' it to other hands.

Anyway, if our main objective is to sell it to another user as I have already said, we should consider the option to delete our account system user settings as required and create a completely new admin account, so it's best to do this by reinstalling OS X from scratch.

The first thing would be make a backup of our configuration and applications either through the use of Time Machine or any other type of cloning tool, this provides us with the option of being able to restore the system on another new computer if necessary.

The next step is deactivate all our online accounts and the services associated with the system, that is, some of them are system-specific and require authorization to operate on a limited number of computers, taking iTunes as an example, we must withdraw the authorization to continue using it.

We will also have to take into account that if we have installed any third party hardware we will have to withdraw it if we are already determined to sell and we have not announced it together with our Mac, it is important not to forget it even if it seems silly since otherwise we would lose money on the sale.

Finally there would only be reinstall the system with the recovery DVD If we have an old Mac pressing the C key after booting and going to disk utility to format Macintosh HD in Mac OS plus format with registry and then proceed to install the system. It is also possible to do it directly in the most comfortable way, such as the internet recovery console if we have a moderately decent connection (ALT + CMD + R) after the system boots to leave it completely restored, this option is only possible on Macs more modern.

More information - Move your Time Machine copies to a new drive