I followed online instructions to erase my MacBook for recycling. At the end it returns you to utilities page. How do you verify you have erased everything
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.7
Hello jane49,
These are the steps to follow before selling, trading in, or giving away a Mac - What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support.
If you could provide screenshots that'd be beneficial!
From what it sounds like (from the support page above) you're on step 6.
6. Erase your Mac
1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Start up from macOS Recovery, then use Disk Utility to erase your Mac. For details, follow the steps to use Disk Utility to erase your Mac.
3. When done, quit Disk Utility but don't restart your Mac.
7. Reinstall macOS
1. While still in macOS Recovery, choose Reinstall macOS, then follow the onscreen instructions. Learn more about reinstalling macOS from macOS Recovery.
2. After reinstalling macOS, your Mac restarts to a setup assistant. Press Command-Q to shut down instead of continuing setup.
8. Reset NVRAM
1. If you're using an Intel-based Mac, follow the steps to reset NVRAM. This clears user settings from memory and restores certain security features that might have been altered.
2. After resetting NVRAM, your Mac starts up to the setup assistant again. To leave the Mac in an out-of-box state, press Command-Q to shut down instead of continuing setup.
You could also bring it to an Apple Store near you and the specialists there will be more than happy to assist you in person!
Hello jane49,
These are the steps to follow before selling, trading in, or giving away a Mac - What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support.
If you could provide screenshots that'd be beneficial!
From what it sounds like (from the support page above) you're on step 6.
6. Erase your Mac
1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Start up from macOS Recovery, then use Disk Utility to erase your Mac. For details, follow the steps to use Disk Utility to erase your Mac.
3. When done, quit Disk Utility but don't restart your Mac.
7. Reinstall macOS
1. While still in macOS Recovery, choose Reinstall macOS, then follow the onscreen instructions. Learn more about reinstalling macOS from macOS Recovery.
2. After reinstalling macOS, your Mac restarts to a setup assistant. Press Command-Q to shut down instead of continuing setup.
8. Reset NVRAM
1. If you're using an Intel-based Mac, follow the steps to reset NVRAM. This clears user settings from memory and restores certain security features that might have been altered.
2. After resetting NVRAM, your Mac starts up to the setup assistant again. To leave the Mac in an out-of-box state, press Command-Q to shut down instead of continuing setup.
You could also bring it to an Apple Store near you and the specialists there will be more than happy to assist you in person!
It depends on whether this laptop uses an SSD or a hard drive. If it has an SSD and you erased it, then the data is gone. If it has a hard drive and Filevault was enabled on it before you erased it, then the data is gone.
If it uses a hard drive without Filevault being enabled prior to the erase, then the data can still be accessed with a data recovery program. You can overwrite the whole hard drive by writing zeroes to every sector by creating & using ShredOS. You can use the downloaded ShredOS .img file as a source for Etcher (Mac/Windows/Linux) which will make a bootable ShredOS USB stick for you. You just need to download the correct file according to the model of the laptop. Most Apple laptops whose model is 2007-2012 can use the 64 bit version. The first generation Intel laptops from 2006 and early 2007 require using the 32 bit version.
https://github.com/PartialVolume/shredos.x86_64
FYI, it is always recommended to post the exact model of a Mac when asking for help since there are so many different models out there. You can get the exact model by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac", or by entering the system serial number here if the Mac cannot boot into macOS or Safe Mode:
Check Your Service and Support Coverage - Apple Support
Here is an Apple article on how to prepare a Mac for sale (it assumes the computer uses an SSD or has Filevault fully enabled):
What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support
Thanks for your help. I followed the instructions and step six how many finish erasing it just takes you back to the same desk, maternity clothes. That was why I was confused.
That was supposed to read “takes you back to the same disc utility page”. Don’t know how voice dictation turned that into maternity
How do you verify you have erased your MacBook Pro?
