What to do before you sell or give away your iPhone or Mac (so you don’t leave your data behind)

The new Macs hit stores today and Black Friday starts in a few weeks, so many of you will be unboxing a new iPhone or Mac soon. And with the new one comes the question: what do I do with the old one? Selling it on eBay or Facebook Marketplace, handing it down to someone in the family, or trading it in for credit are all good options, but you need to prepare it properly first. Otherwise, you could leave your photos or passwords behind or, worse, an iPhone the new owner can’t use because it’s still tied to your account. Here are the steps.

First things first: move your data to the new device

Back up the old device and move your stuff to the new one before you erase anything. On iPhone, the easiest way is Quick Start: you place the two iPhones next to each other and the new one sets itself up with the old one’s data. On Mac, use Migration Assistant, which I explained step by step in this article. If you’re changing phone numbers, add the new one as a trusted number on your Apple Account first so you don’t lose access.

How to prepare your iPhone, step by step

1. Make another backup right before you erase it, just in case.
2. Unpair your Apple Watch if you have one paired.
3. AppleCare: if the iPhone has it, cancel it or transfer it to the new owner.
4. Sign out of iCloud and the App Store: in Settings, tap your name, scroll to the bottom, and tap Sign Out. On iOS 26 or later, the iPhone itself will offer to erase it at that point.
5. Switching to Android? Deregister iMessage, or messages from other iPhone users might not reach you.
6. Erase everything: go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone and tap Erase All Content and Settings. It will ask for your passcode.
7. eSIM: if you use an eSIM, also choose to erase the eSIM, or contact your carrier.
8. Remove it from your trusted devices on your Apple Account.

Erasing the iPhone turns off Find My and Activation Lock, which is exactly what the new owner needs to be able to use it. And don’t worry: erasing the device doesn’t delete what you have in iCloud. Your photos and documents are still there.

How to prepare your Mac

This depends on how recent it is. If your Mac has Apple silicon (M1 or later) or the T2 Security Chip and macOS Monterey or later, it’s really easy: use Erase All Content and Settings. In current versions of macOS, you’ll find it in System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset. That option takes care of everything: it signs you out, erases your data, and leaves the Mac like it just came out of the box. Nothing else needed.

If your Mac is older and doesn’t have that option, you’ll have to do it by hand:

1. Sign out of iCloud from System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions) by clicking your name.
2. Sign out of iMessage from the Messages app settings.
3. Bluetooth accessories: if you’re keeping the keyboard, mouse, or AirPods and they’ll still be nearby, forget them in the old Mac’s Bluetooth settings.
4. Erase the drive and reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery, using Disk Utility.
5. When the setup assistant appears, don’t set it up: press Command-Q to shut it down so the new owner can start fresh.

What if you don’t have it anymore?

• Ask the new owner to erase it using the steps above.
• If it was lost or stolen, you can erase it remotely from Find My on iCloud.com.
• Remove it from your trusted devices and delete your Apple Pay cards from Wallet on another device.
• Change your Apple Account password and make sure two-factor authentication is turned on.

My advice

If you’re buying a used iPhone or Mac, always ask for it to be handed over already erased and without Activation Lock, or have the seller erase it in front of you. An iPhone that’s still tied to someone else’s account is an expensive paperweight. And if you’re the one selling, spend ten minutes on these steps: you’ll save yourself trouble and the buyer will thank you.

Sources: Apple Support: What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone, Apple Support: What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac.