Cleaning a Mac to prepare it for recycling by Apple

davesedona wrote:

I have a Macbook circa 2016. It told me that it was time to get a new one by freezing up on me. When I logged onto my account, the cursor would freeze. My partner's account was accessible and worked, but she is not an administrator. With online guidance, I used Command R on startup , navigated to Disc Utility, accessed Macintosh HD, and clicked the Erase button. When I restarted the computer, I got a flashing question mark in a folder. Does this mean all information is removed and I can safely recycle my Mac at Apple without fear of someone accessing my information. Thanks.

A start up page containing a question mark indicates a non functioning MacOS. Your data may still be on the drive.

If your Mac starts up to a question mark - Apple Support

Before recycling in your Mac you must do this:

What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support

Hey there!!

Yes you’ve erased it. The flashing question mark just means there is no operating system on it anymore & it needs to be reinstalled.

Use this link==> How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support to reinstall the macOS, but since you’re recycling it, it really doesn’t matter to do all of that. It’s erased and ready to go.

-The Article Alchemist🤓