When you are ready to trade in, sell or recycle your Mac, here is the proper way to fully erase it:

  1. Apple menu > System Preferences > Apple ID (or iCloud for older OSs). Click Overview on the left side (if you selected AppleID) then click the Sign Out button along the bottom. It will ask you to enter your password to sign out.

  2. Shut down your Mac. Turn it on and immediately press and hold the Command and R keys on your keyboard. Hold them until you see a progress bar start.

  3. If your Mac prompts you to select a user and then enter the user password, do that.

  4. Select Disk Utility from the list and click Continue.

  5. In Disk Utility, select Macintosh HD on the left. If it is grayed out, click Mount in the toolbar and enter your user password.

  6. Click the Erase button in the toolbar. Click the Erase Volume Group button. If that button is not there, simply click the Erase button.

  7. Let the erase finish and then click Done.

  8. In the upper left corner of your screen click Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility.

  9. OPTIONAL, not needed if recycling - Back in the main menu, choose Reinstall macOS. You may have to connect to your Wi-Fi network using the icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

  10. Follow the instructions to reinstall macOS. This will take some time (about an hour). You do not have to be present in front of your Mac.

  11. Once complete, your Mac should restart and present you with a screen asking you to select a language or country. If so, you are done! Press and hold the power button to shut off your Mac.