Once that is complete, launch System Preferences from the Mac Dock or Apple Menu > System Preferences, click on the iCloud button, and then uncheck the Find My Mac checkbox (highlighted in red in the screenshot below). Apple suggests archiving or copying the iCloud data from your Mac as a precaution, and there is a detailed support article on the Apple website all about how to back up data from iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Safari, Notes and iTunes Store purchases.

A Mac that is going to a new owner should be signed out of iCloud to prevent others from gaining access to your information. There’s an Apple support page describing the deauthorization process in detail if you need to know more about happens or how to deauthorize or reauthorize all computers tied to a specific Apple ID.įor those who have more than one Apple device, iCloud is a critical part of the Apple ecosystem that keeps data synchronized on both Mac and iOS devices. During this process, you are prompted to enter your Apple ID and password, then click the Deauthorize button. To do this, launch iTunes on the Mac, then select Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize this computer. As a result, you should sign out of and deauthorize iTunes on any Mac you’ll be getting rid of. It might surprise you to know that iTunes can only be authorized on a certain number of computers. Many people occasionally upgrade to a new Mac, in which case the backup is useful for transferring the data if you’re not replacing the Mac (moving to an iPad Pro, for example), you might consider purchasing a low-cost hard disk drive like the OWC Mercury On-The-Go to make a backup for archival purposes. For those who have been using Time Machine to make backups on a continual basis or who use other applications like Carbon Copy Cloner to make up-to-date bootable backups, this critical step may be already complete. In today’s article, we’ll show you how to prepare your Mac for a new owner while protecting yourself and your data.Ĭhances are very good that your old Mac contains data that could be useful to you in the future, so it’s always advisable to make a complete backup.

Your Mac might be just right for a person who just wants to check email and browse the web, so while it may have limited utility for you, it can be the perfect computer for someone else. There comes a time in the life of just about every Mac where its usefulness has become limited or it will be too expensive to repair or update, so you decide it’s time to sell it or give it away.

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