How to clean data from old laptops and desktops before recycling

if they are going to the recyclers anyways, I would open them up and physically remove the HDD / SSD. you can then either destroy the drives, or get an external enclosure and repurpose them.

if you want to go that route, you can visit OWC’s website, and look for the HDD replacement videos for your specific Macs. that will show you how to remove the HDDs.

scskimeister wrote:

I have an old laptop and a desktop that I no longer use. What are the steps I can take to clean off all applications and data from those computers before recycling them?

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