Disable ICloud Before You Get Rid of Your Mac
Using iCloud to track the location of your Apple devices is an easy way to keep track of your belongings and block them when in the wrong hands. Just remember to say goodbye to iCloud before selling your aging iMac. Designer Brenden Mulligan logged into his iCloud account and found an old friend waiting among his list of devices: the iMac, which he sold almost three years ago. Mulligan formatted and rebooted the machine, so there was no trace of his data on it, but the device was still associated with his iCloud account and still allowed him to interact with the iMac he sold, thanks to Find My Mac and its anti-theft tools. … He may have deleted all of his data from the car, but it turns out that there is still a lot to be done there.
It turns out that simply cleaning up your Mac won’t get rid of its association with you. If you don’t separate it from your actual iCloud account, you can still track your old Mac, at least until the new owner signs in to their iCloud account. That didn’t happen in Brenden’s case, so he could keep an eye on his old candy bar for nearly three years.
So: before selling your Apple device, be sure to remove it from your iCloud account as follows:
- Choose Apple menu> System Preferences
- Click iCloud
- Uncheck Find My Mac
You should also delete your iCloud account from the device:
- Choose Apple menu> System Preferences
- Click iCloud
- Click Sign Out.
After removing your iCloud account from your Mac or iOS device, you can format your computer or factory reset your device to prepare it for your next trip . If you want to do your best to keep this Mac as far away from you as possible, make sure the new owner is signed in to their iCloud account to associate the device with the new owner. This way, you won’t find yourself accidentally stalking an unsuspecting buyer who just needs a decent computer for their home office.