Activation Lock and Erase: How to Buy or Sell a Pre-Owned Mac Safely
A locked Mac is a paperweight, whatever the price.
Activation Lock protects the owner of a Mac. It also decides whether the next owner can use it. Here is what Apple says the seller must do, what a buyer should check, and what to do if the Mac is locked.
The short answer
- Activation Lock: the Apple Account password or device passcode is needed to turn off Find My, erase or reactivate the Mac.
- Seller: back up, then use Erase All Content and Settings (Monterey 12 or later, Apple silicon or T2), then power off at the setup screen.
- Buyer: if the Mac asks for someone else’s Apple Account, the previous owner must remove it. Do not pay first.
- Repaired Mac: Apple warns a part from another product could be locked to someone else’s Apple Account.
All steps come from three Apple Support pages we opened on 31 Oct 2026: Activation Lock for Mac, what to do before you sell, give away, trade in or recycle your Mac, and Erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings. We did not run the erase on a unit for this page, and we have no customer cases to share yet. Where Apple’s pages are silent we say so and label our own advice.
What is Activation Lock on a Mac?
Apple says Activation Lock needs your Apple Account password or your device passcode before anyone can turn off Find My, erase the Mac or reactivate it. It is switched on when you turn on Find My Mac, and it stays on while Find My stays on. That protects a lost Mac, and it also means a pre-owned Mac that was never signed out cannot be used by its new owner.
It applies to a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, with the security policy on Full Security (the default), or a Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip and macOS Catalina 10.15 or later. It also needs two-factor authentication on the Apple Account.
What should the seller do before handing a Mac over?
Apple's order, from its sell, give away or trade-in page:
- Cancel or transfer AppleCare, if you have it.
- Back up your files, because erasing removes your data.
- Use Erase All Content and Settings on macOS Monterey 12 or later with Apple silicon or a T2 chip: Apple menu, System Settings, General, Transfer or Reset, Erase All Content and Settings. Apple says this erases data, settings and apps but keeps the macOS that is installed, and signs you out of Apple services.
- Power off at the setup screen. After the erase, a setup assistant starts. Apple says that to leave the Mac in its out-of-box state, press and hold the power button until it turns off, so the next owner sets it up fresh.
| Mac | What Apple says to do |
|---|---|
| Monterey 12 or later, Apple silicon or T2 | Use Erase All Content and Settings (step 3 above). You skip the manual steps. |
| Older macOS, or an Intel Mac without T2 | Sign out of iCloud (System Settings, your name, Sign Out), sign out of iMessage, start up in macOS Recovery, erase with Disk Utility, reinstall macOS, then press Command-Q at the setup screen. On an Intel Mac, reset NVRAM. |
| Boot Camp Windows partition present | Apple says the erase may ask you to remove Windows with Boot Camp first. |
A gap in Apple's own pages: the sell or trade-in page does not mention Find My by name, and the Activation Lock page does not give a buyer-side test. As a precaution, which is our advice and not an Apple step, a seller can also turn off Find My Mac in iCloud settings before the erase and confirm it is off.
What should a buyer do if the Mac is locked?
- Ask the previous owner to turn off Find My Mac: System Settings, their name, iCloud, Find My Mac, enter their password. If the Mac is offline, they can sign in at iCloud.com/find, select the Mac and click Remove.
- If that is not possible, Apple says that with proof of purchase you can start an Activation Lock support request. That is Apple’s process, and it needs your purchase documents.
- Do not pay for a locked Mac with a promise to "unlock it later".
What about a Mac that has been repaired?
Apple says that when a part from one product is used to repair another, the part could be locked to someone else’s Apple Account. This matters for an Apple silicon Mac on macOS Tahoe 26 or later that was repaired before, or where you are unsure. Apple points to its Repair Assistant for that case. Ask whether any part has been swapped and keep the invoice.
Mistakes that cause trouble
- Dragging files to the bin and calling it erased. Use Erase All Content and Settings, or Recovery and Disk Utility on older Macs.
- Selling before signing out. The buyer cannot activate the Mac and you cannot fix it from their side.
- Skipping the backup. The erase removes all of your data, settings and apps.
- Handing over at the finished setup screen. Power off first, so the buyer sets it up fresh.
Buying pre-owned? Run this check in the 15-minute inspection checklist and compare the repair route in the repair or replace guide.
Questions we get asked
Does Erase All Content and Settings remove Activation Lock?
Apple says the erase signs you out of Apple services. Its Activation Lock page says the lock stays on while Find My is on, so a careful seller also confirms Find My Mac is off before handing over. That second step is our advice, not Apple’s wording.
I bought a Mac and it asks for another person’s Apple Account. What now?
Contact the seller and ask them to remove the Mac from their account, from the Mac itself or at iCloud.com/find. If they cannot, Apple offers an Activation Lock support request that needs proof of purchase.
Is the erase the same on an Intel Mac?
Only for Intel Macs with the Apple T2 chip on macOS Monterey 12 or later. Other Intel Macs use the manual route through Recovery and Disk Utility.
Should I reinstall macOS after erasing?
Not when Erase All Content and Settings is available, since it keeps the installed macOS. On the manual route, reinstall macOS and then press Command-Q at the setup screen.
Selling or buying a Mac and unsure about the lock?
Send Aparna the Mac model and a screenshot of the first screen it shows. We will tell you what to ask the seller or what to do next.
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Apple updates these pages, so recheck the wording before relying on a step.
