If you have decided, for example, to put your MacBook Pro up for sale, apart from having to erase the data from the hard drive and leave it ready and clean, there are other details that you should take into account. You should not only delete the data that you have accumulated and leave it as if were you to update it from scratch. Your personal data is also associated with the computer.
As if it were another Apple device, you can carry out a forced deletion of those intimate data that you should not pass to the new buyer or if, for example, you want to use it for other purposes and you don't want to give an example, have the iCloud account active.
Make an erasure of your most intimate personal data on your MacBook Pro
Whatever the reason you have decided that your MacBook Pro is no longer going to be part of your daily life, you need to know that you have to erase personal data that you must delete. For example the login, iCloud and those programs purchased through the Mac App Store.
In other Apple devices, there is an option within the settings to reset them to factory state. In the MacBook Pro, it does not exist and also the process is not reversible nor is it fast. Logically it will last more or less depending on the data and software you have.
The thing is complicated (not too much) if you are subscribed to Apple Music and / or Apple TV. Before logging out of iCloud and after having made a backup in case the flies, you must exit the open sessions of these two Apple services.
The same process must be carried out to exit the Mac App Store and in iMessage. Yes, we know, and we have warned you, it is not fast and it is also tedious. When we have all closed, We are going to proceed to exit the iCloud account of our MacBook Pro. To do this:
- Opens System preferences from the menu Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),
- Choose Apple ID in the upper right corner
- Click on Overview
- Click on Logout In the bottom left
By the way, one thing that is often forgotten when cleaning the computer is disable all those devices linked to the MacBook Pro via bluetooth. Don't forget to go through that process. As easy as closing each of those gadgets.
When you have done all these steps, you will be able to start what is the real reset of the computer. To do this, follow these steps:
- Restart your MacBook and hold the Command-R key immediately
- You will see a home screen, which varies between different Macs
- If prompted, enter your password. It must be an administrator password, but if you are the only user of the Mac, it is you.
- Wait for the Utilities window to open. MacOS
Now the most important of all. We are going to erase all trace of us on the computer. There will be no going back. It is at this point where we must have things clear, because if not, we are wrong. We choose the disk utility and to the left of the screen we will see the disks that are working.
We select the one that we are interested in making it completely clean and we will have to choose the Edit menu and choose Delete APFS volume. We will have to confirm in the window that comes out.
Be careful, at this point there is the possibility of deleting a volume group. We do not advise using this optionBecause if not, the computer can be a nice and expensive paperweight. So we choose the Delete button.
We choose the name that we want it to be assigned, but of course, if what you want is to sell the computer, it is better than named as "Macintosh HD". By last we format it (by default).
At the end we will have the option of reinstall macOS. We enter the password if prompted and confirm that the latest version that the MacBook Pro accepts is installed.
Be patient and when finished, you will have the computer as fresh from the factory.