How do I reset or wipe my Macbook?

I want to give my older Macbook Pro to my daughter to use.  How do I delete the former user's profile or reset to factory specs?

To properly transfer ownership you must follow these instructions. Disregard anything that would not apply, such as executing a bill of sale, when keeping it within the family or others close to you. Everything else should be accomplished including erasing the disk and installing its original operating system.
If its original OS predated Snow Leopard, use the retail Snow Leopard disk to upgrade it to Snow Leopard first. You can subsequently upgrade its OS directly to Mavericks.
What to do before selling or giving away your Mac
In addition to the above:
If you enabled FileVault, disable it in System Preferences > Security & Privacy.
"Deauthorize" your iTunes account. Same for Audible if you have one.
System Preferences > iCloud > de-select "Back to My Mac" and "Find my Mac".
Sign out of iCloud. Select "Delete from Mac" when it appears.
Then:
Start your Mac with its original System Installation DVD (if your Mac shipped with one) or OS X Recovery (if it didn’t).
Remove any Open Firmware password if you created one: select Firmware Password Utility from the Utilities menu and remove it.
Select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
Remove any partitions you may have created.
Select the Mac's hard disk icon, then select the "Erase" tab.
Select the "Security Options" button and erase the disk.
The more "securely" you erase the disk, the longer it will take. The fastest method is sufficient since all but the most expensive techniques and equipment will be able to recover securely erased data.
When it finishes, quit Disk Utility.
Select Install Mac OS X from the Utilities menu. Do not create any user accounts.
When it finishes, shut down the computer.
If you want to install the bundled apps that were included with your Mac, restart by using your Applications DVD and install the bundled apps.
Don't forget to include any DVDs that came with your iMac, your AppleCare certificate if you bought it, printed documentation, even the box if you still have it.
Execute a bill of sale showing the Mac's serial number.
Once no longer in your possession, remove the Mac from your devices in My Support Profile.

Similar Messages

  • How to reset and wipe your MacBook Pro?

    I wanted to restart and completely wipe my MacBook Pro (MD101). I also searched on the internet but couldn't find anything, and I just wanted to be sure whether I was doing the right thing. I have no disk because when I brought my MacBook in store everything was already installed. It would be great if you could tell me how to! Thank you :-) My operating system is OS X Mavericks.

    Back up your system first.
    Make sure you have an internet connection (WiFi or ethernet).
    Restart your MBP and press/hold the Command+R keys until you see the Apple logo on a grey screen.
    At the OS X Utilities menu, open Disk Utility, select your Macintosh HD and click on the Erase button.
    Quit Disk Utility and select Reinstall OS X from the OS X Utilities menu. This will download OS X Mavericks from Apple's servers.
    After the install is completed and you're at the Setup screens, use Setup to migrate your data and apps back from your back up. Make sure you create the same user account as you had before.

  • How do I reset Administrator password on macbook pro 10.10.1

    How do I reset the Administrator password if I have forgotten it on a macbook pro running 10.10.1 Yosimite?

    OS X 10.7 Lion, 10.8 Mountain Lion, 10.9 Mavericks and 10.10 Yosemite
    Start the computer,then press and hold down command and R keys to start into recovery partition.
    When you see the Apple logo, release the keys.
    Wait until  OS X Utilities window shows up.
    Move the mouse to the menubar at the top and click "Utilities", then select "Terminal"
    from the drop down.
    Terminal window will appear.
    Type in   resetpassword   and press enter on the keyboard.
    Leave the Terminal window open.
    Reset Password Utility window will open with Macintosh HD selected.
    Select the user account from the popup menu box under “Select user account”.
    Enter a new password.
    Reenter the new password for the user.
    Enter a hint.
    Click the "Save" button.
    Click  in the menubar and select Restart.
    Log in.
    If Keychain dialog box appears, select “Create New Keychain”.

  • HOW DO I RESET THE SMC ON MACBOOK PRO

    Hi does a nybody know how i can reset the SMC on a brand new MBPro 13inch.320GB,2.4GHz,4GB,RAM? As were having battery problems,after calibrating the battery which was saying 100% fully charged,it now will not charge to 100% anymore plus it wont show the battery in time-mode,just %, & is not right,please can somebody advise us,thankyou

    spiritlevel: As I advised you a week ago, you really need to stop obsessing over the battery in your son's MBP.
    If you are seeing the battery indicator show 98% or 96% and "Not charging", that's normal. The battery charges to 100% (or occasionally 99% or 98%, particularly if it hasn't been calibrated properly) and then STOPS charging. It doesn't begin charging again until the charge level falls below 95%, and while it's waiting for that to happen, it says "not charging". That's how it's meant to work.
    PLEASE read this article carefully with your son:
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1764220

  • HT1655 i have bought a i pod shuffle 3 gen but still has song on it how do i reset and wipe contents so and own play list

    how do you re set an ipod 3 generation i bought one and it has old play list on and i want to wipe it so i can upload my own music

    Connect the shuffle and select it the iTunes sidebar, under DEVICES.  If the iTunes sidebar (along left side of window) is not visible, from the menu bar, under View, select Show Sidebar.
    With the shuffle selected, the shuffle's Summary screen appears to the right.  There is a button there, to Restore the shuffle.  This will erase the shuffle, re-install its software, and set it to default settings.
    After the Restore complete, you can sync it to your iTunes library.  If you want tips on loading content to the shuffle, please post back.

  • How do you reset admin password for macbook pro (yosemite) without the disk, or having to reboot? Or do I have to reboot?

    I changed my password a few days ago, and now I cannot remember it. My disk has the same new password, so i cannot use the disk. Help?
    I am trying to find a way without having to reboot it. thanks! If I really need to reboot it, i will, but until then, I want to find a way that does not require the disk or rebooting.

    OS X 10.7 Lion, 10.8 Mountain Lion, 10.9 Mavericks and 10.10 Yosemite
    Reset Password
    Start the computer,then press and hold down command and R keys to start into recovery partition.
    When you see the Apple logo, release the keys.
    Wait until  OS X Utilities window shows up.
    Move the mouse pointer to the menubar at the top and click "Utilities", then select "Terminal"
    from the drop down.
    Terminal window will appear.
    Type in   resetpassword   and press enter on the keyboard.
    Leave the Terminal window open.
    Reset Password Utility window will open with Macintosh HD selected.
    Select the user account from the popup menu box under “Select user account”.
    Enter a new password.
    Reenter the new password for the user.
    Enter a hint.
    Click the "Save" button.
    Click  in the menubar and select Restart.
    Log in.
    If Keychain dialog box appears, select “Create New Keychain”.

  • How do I reset the power management unit on a Mac Pro laptop?

    Screen flashes as the system alternates between battery charging and charging complete.
    How do  I reset the PMU?

    MacBook Pro
    MacBook Pro Apple Support

  • How to restore/reset Snow leapord(10.6.8) on macbook pro, no DVD

    Hi,
    I want to restore/reset Snow leopard (10.6.8) on MacBook pro to factory settings. I don't have installation DVD.
    Reason for restoring/resetting, I purchased used MacBook pro. I never used MAC before, always used Windows.
    I did not realize while purchasing it, I will need installation DVD. I want to clean up previous user setting and preferences. I am using MAC first time, so be on safe side want to get rid of, if any remote access to my MacBook, data sharing or anything like this.
    I don't want to buy installation DVD from apple.
    Is there a way to make bootable USB from current installation?
    If I cannot make bootable USB, what settings/preferences I need to clean up for achieving my safety concern?
    Please suggest me solution for above mentioned questions or any other solution.
    Thanks.

    TawtinTom wrote:
     Is there a way to make bootable USB from current installation?
    No.
    On Linux that can be done, but not OS X, no program that I know of exists, but it would certainly be welcome, but Apple would likely sue them.
    I did not realize while purchasing it, I will need installation DVD.
    The original 10.6 machine specific disks should have came with the used machine, contact the original owner.
    so be on safe side want to get rid of, if any remote access to my MacBook, data sharing or anything like this.
    If I cannot make bootable USB, what settings/preferences I need to clean up for achieving my safety concern?
    You will need to securely wipe the entire drive to accomplish this and you will need to boot from the 10.6 install disk.
    Software can lie to you, so if it says one thing it still might be open and exposing you to intrusions.
    I don't want to buy installation DVD from apple.
    You'll need the 10.6.4-10.6.8 disk and if the machine originally came with 10.6.3 or later then you will need to contact Apple to get machine specific versions of the disks as those are not sold online, except if your lucky and find a used one for that exact model of Mac on eBay or something.
    Intel Mac's that originally came with 10.4-10.6.2 from the factory can use the white 10.6.3 retail disks (sans free iLife), you can purchase from Apple or on Amazon.com or elsewhere.
    If your interested in not installing malware, then don't use the illegal copies on P2P networks.
    To find out what OS X version came with the machine, use the free MacTracker, also these links
    https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1159#MacBook_Pro   https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1349
    https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1559   http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/
    To erase and install Snow Leopard
    How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6
    Optional: For Snow Leopard Speed Freaks
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents

  • How do I reset my MacBook Air for a new user?

    I have an older MacBook Air that I want to pass on to another user.  Since it does not have a CD Drive, how can I reset the OS?

    You would use the Recovery Partition to erase, and resintall the Operating System, provided you are using Lion or Mountain Lion.
    Boot to it by holding don the OPTION key while booting, then select the Recovery Partition from the list of bootable partitions.

  • How to wipe my Macbook Pro clean of data

    How to wipe my Macbook Pro of data?

    What to do before selling or giving away your Mac
    This is the Mac Pro desktop forum. I requested your post be moved to the MacBook Pro laptop forum.

  • On Macbook pro how do I reset my premiere elements 12 welcome screen back as it was to ask if existing or new project.

    Hi there, on my macbook pro, can anyone tell me please how I can reset the welcome screen in Premiere Elements 12 back to how it was, were it asks to open an existing project or a new one. I made the mistake of changing the settings to open Premiere Elements editor by default but now it opens straight into a new project each time. Many thanks.

    alanathome
    I am strictly an Elements Windows user, but I think I am on common ground with this response. Please check it out.
    Resetting of the Welcome Screen is done using the icon to which the arrow points in the screenshot.
    If you cannot get to the Welcome Screen due to a prior set, then in the Open project, if you have a Window Menu, go to Window Menu/Welcome Screen.
    Please let us know if that worked for you.
    Thanks.
    ATR

  • How to completely reset iMessage on MacBook Pro

    I have tried literally every single thing, including scheduling an appointment with AppleCare... to which I got disconnected and never received a callback.  My iMessages on my Mac is not sending messages to any iphone.  I would just like to simply RESET the whole set up of iMessage, as if I just received this Mac if possible. 
    How do I completely reset iMessage on a MacBook Pro?
    Thank you.

    Back up all data.
    Quit Messages if it’s running. Force quit if necessary. Relaunch it and test after each of the following steps. If the problem isn't resolved, quit again and go on to the next step.
    Step 1
    Make sure you know the ID and password you use with iMessage. Launch the Keychain Access application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Keychain Access in the icon grid.
    Use the search box in the toolbar of the Keychain Access window to find and delete all items with "iMessage" or "com.apple.idms" in the name. Log out and log back in.
    Step 2
    Hold down the option key and select
              Go ▹ Library
    from the Finder menu bar. Move the following items from the Library folder to the Trash (some may not exist):
              Caches/com.apple.Messages
              Caches/com.apple.imfoundation.IMRemoteURLConnectionAgent
              Containers/com.apple.iChat
              Containers/com.apple.soagent
              IdentityServices
    Leave the Library folder open. Log out and log back in.
    Step 3
    Go back to the Finder and move the following item from the open Library folder to the Desktop:
              Messages
    Note: you are not moving the Messages application. You’re moving a folder named “Messages.”
    If Messages now works, delete the Messages folder on the Desktop. Otherwise, quit Messages again. Put back the folder you moved, overwriting the newer one that may have been created in its place.
    Step 4
    In the Preferences subfolder, there may be several files having names that begin with any of the following strings:
              com.apple.iChat
              com.apple.ids
              com.apple.imdsmsrecordstore
              com.apple.imessage
              com.apple.imservice
    Move them all to the Desktop. There may also be a file with the name "com.apple.imagent.plist". Move that to the Trash.
    Also in the Preferences folder, there's a subfolder named "ByHost". Open it and do the same thing.
    Log out and log back in. Test again. This time Messages should perform normally, but your settings will be lost. You may be able to put back some of the files you moved to the Desktop in this step. Relaunch and test after each one. Eventually you should find one or more that causes Messages to malfunction. Delete those files and recreate whatever settings they contained.
    If the issue is still not resolved, quit Messages again and put all the items you moved to the Desktop back where they were. You don’t need to replace the items you moved to the Trash. Stop here and post your results.
    If you later decide that you don’t like the results of Steps 3 and 4, you can undo them completely by quitting Messages and restoring the items you deleted in those steps from your backup.

  • I am English but live in Spain, When I got my new Macbook Pro I set the language to English, so far so good. Then I stupidly set the keyboard to British when it is obviously a Spanish keyboard. How can I reset it to Spanish. Sorry cant find question mark

    I am English but live in Spain, When I got my new Macbook Pro I set the language to English, so far so good. Then I stupidly set the keyboard to British when it is obviously a Spanish keyboard. How can I reset it to Spanish. Sorry cant find question mark

    LizMaddock,
    you can reset the input source to Spanish by selecting the Keyboard pane of System Preferences, selecting the Input Sources tab, and pressing the “+” button in the lower-left corner to select one of the Spanish input sources. The “Spanish – ISO” input source is most similar to the physical Spanish keyboard layout.

  • At startup I get grey screen and a folder with a flashing question mark.  How do I reset my MacBook Pro to the manufacture defaults?

    At startup I get grey screen and a folder with a flashing question mark.  How do I reset my MacBook Pro to the manufacture defaults?

    Click here and follow the instructions. If the computer originally shipped with Mac OS X 10.6.8 or earlier, when you reach step 5, insert its original disk, restart with the C key held down, use the Disk Utility to erase the internal drive, and install a fresh OS.
    (113954)

  • I backed up my macbook pro using time machine and now my iphoto and itunes are empty. how do I reset the computer to an earlier date?

    I backed up my macbook pro using time machine and now my iphoto and itunes are empty. how do I reset the computer to an earlier date? and why would this have happened?

    Without more information, I can't tell you why it happened. As to how to restore to an earlier date, please check out the article below. Should help you to restore form a time machine backup.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427

Maybe you are looking for