Preparing a Mac for a new owner has two separate outcomes: you retain everything you need, and the recipient receives a machine that can be set up with their own account. Deleting a few folders does not establish either outcome.

Preserve your working life first

Check documents, photos, browser information, local mail archives and data stored by specialist applications. Open important samples on another computer or in a verified backup. Complete any software deauthorisation required by the software vendor.

For a business or school Mac, confirm the organisation's ownership and management release process. Erasing local files does not itself resolve every management or ownership restriction. Resolve this before promising the computer to someone else.

Check whether Erase Assistant applies

Apple's Erase All Content and Settings feature requires macOS Monterey 12 or later and a Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip. On macOS Ventura 13 or later, its settings entry is under General, Transfer or Reset. Monterey uses a different route.

Read the assistant's prompts and keep required account credentials available privately. This operation is intended to remove your content and settings. Stop if you have not verified the backup or if the machine still contains the only accessible copy of something important.

If the Mac is ineligible, use Apple's older-Mac preparation sequence, which includes account sign-out and Recovery-based erasure and reinstall steps. Do not substitute a random disk command from instructions for a different Mac.

At the end, leave the computer at the setup assistant for the new owner rather than signing back into your personal account. Check that it reaches that screen, keep a record of the transfer and retain your backup until the move is fully settled. If startup or activation fails, resolve that issue before describing the Mac as ready.

Sources: Apple's sale preparation checklist and Erase Assistant instructions.

For help with your Mac, contact AEPC in East Auckland or call 027 908 8880 to discuss your requirements.