If you are running a Mac with macOS Catalina, it might be time to sell it or give it away, but you'll want to wipe it first. Here's how to do that.

You can—and should—reset your Mac back to factory settings before you sell it off. And, if your Mac isn't functioning well or is frozen, there's a way to reset it back to factory settings ...

Once the reset is complete, you'll see the Activate Mac screen, indicating that your MacBook has been reset to factory settings and can now be sold or recycled.

If you have an older pre-2017 Mac, it's a more convoluted process – follow this link instead to erase and factory reset your machine.

However, when it comes time to reset the new Mac, either because you're selling it, handing it down or troubleshooting it, there are completely new steps to completely wipe the M1 and M2-based models.

How to factory reset Macbook Air & Pro with Intel CPUs 1. Turn off your Apple Mac computer 2. Turn on your Apple Mac computer back on and immediately press and hold Command (⌘)-R until you see ...