Neither of these devices were running Catalina. Update: In 2 cases, I had devices that remained connect to my AppleID despite signing out of iCloud out on the computer. Thankfully, you can log into iCloud via another computer and log out that way.) (Actually for one of these computers, I didn’t fully log out. I think it did require my Apple ID or my computer’s administrator password. iCloud is available in System Preferences. This worked exactly as Apple describes it for Catalina. But if this is your first computer, you should.Ģ. In my case, since I had transferred files from a backup, I didn’t need this. For more information, check out: What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac for Apple's instructions.ġ. Then you’ll erase the drive and reinstall macOS. First you’ll be removing your Apple ID, then wiping security settings like your fingerprint ID. These are the main steps to wiping your data from the computer. Primary Steps to Wiping a Macintosh Hard Drive Running Catalina I made a few updates where relevant based on those experiences, including a computer with a 3rd-party SSD installed. Quick Add: I tested 2 other computers running Mojave and Sierra, since originally writing these steps. If you need to do this for a computer running Catalina, maybe my experience will help fill in some blanks. So for my own reference, let me talk you through my experience. Maybe because the instructions are split across 3 different web pages, I got confused and missed a step, wasted time, and finally ended up calling into their help desk. What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac Apple has 3 articles outlined on their site on how to do this. This was too much for me to deal with in those 14-days, so I decided to return the computers and keep exploring my options.īefore returning them to Apple, I needed to wipe the drive clean. Due to changes in the operating system, an insignificant number of fonts, files, and several programs I use a few times a year were not recognized and couldn’t be opened. These computers were running Catalina which I was unfamiliar with.

But, they weren’t my first Apple machines. If it was my first Apple computer I’d probably go ahead and buy them. Both of them were seriously impressive machines. (Such high prices!)ĭuring this search, I decided to take advantage of Apple’s 14-day trial period and test out a few of Apple’s newest MacBook Pros. I’ve been driving myself insane over the past few weeks months shopping for a new computer.

Erase and reinstall mac