How to Wipe a Computer or Phone Before Selling It

You found a buyer for your old laptop or phone. Now comes the part most people rush: getting your photos, saved passwords, bank apps and email off the device so the next owner gets a clean machine and nothing else.

The good news is that every major platform now has a built-in reset that does the job well, as long as you do the steps in the right order. Get the order wrong and one of 2 things happens. Either your data is still recoverable, or the buyer gets a device locked to your account that they can’t use. That second one leads to angry messages, returns and refund disputes.

This guide walks through the sign-out, activation lock and factory reset steps for Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones and Android phones.

The right order: back up, sign out, unlock, erase

Whatever the device, the sequence is the same:

1. Back up everything you want to keep.
2. Sign out of the accounts tied to the hardware (Apple Account, Google, Samsung, Microsoft).
3. Remove activation or anti-theft locks, such as Find My on Apple devices and Factory Reset Protection on Android.
4. Erase with the device’s built-in reset.
5. Remove the device from your account online and pull out any SIM or memory cards.

Step 3 is the one people skip. Activation locks are designed to make a stolen device useless after a reset, so they survive the reset. If you leave them on, the buyer will be asked for your password the first time they set up the device.

Key takeaway: A factory reset alone is not enough. Sign out of your accounts and turn off activation locks first, or the buyer gets a device they can’t set up.

Step 1: Back up and move what you want to keep

Before you erase anything, make sure you have a copy of your files somewhere else. For a phone, that usually means an iCloud or Google backup plus a check that your photos synced. Our guide on how to back up your phone covers how to confirm a backup actually worked. If you’re moving to a new phone, run the transfer first using the steps in how to transfer everything to a new phone.

For a computer, copy your documents, photos and browser bookmarks to an external drive or cloud storage. Mac owners can use Time Machine, which Apple recommends before erasing.

A few things people forget to save:

• Two-factor authentication apps. Move your codes to the new device or a password manager before wiping, or you can lock yourself out of accounts.
• Saved Wi-Fi passwords and software license keys.
• Messaging app history (WhatsApp, Signal and similar apps have their own backup settings).
• BitLocker recovery keys on Windows if the drive is encrypted. Microsoft says to have the key ready before you reset.

How to wipe a Windows PC

Windows 10 and 11 include a reset tool that reinstalls Windows and deletes your files, apps and settings.

1. Remove the PC from your Microsoft account. Sign in at account.microsoft.com/devices, open the device, then choose Remove. Microsoft also suggests unlinking it so it doesn’t count against your Microsoft Store device limit.
2. Sign out of other services that limit device counts, such as Microsoft 365, Adobe or music apps.
3. Open the reset tool. In Windows 11, go to Settings > System > Recovery > Reset PC.
4. Choose “Remove everything.” Microsoft describes this as the option for “giving away or selling your PC.”
5. Turn on “Clean data.” This deletes files and cleans the drive, which makes recovery harder. Microsoft says to use it if you plan to donate, recycle or sell the PC. It takes longer, sometimes hours.
6. Pick Cloud download or Local reinstall. Cloud download fetches a fresh copy with the latest updates; Local reinstall is faster on slow internet.
7. Let it finish. The screen may stay black for a long time. Microsoft warns that restarting during the process can make the reset fail.

One honest caveat: Microsoft notes the clean option does not meet government and industry data erasure standards. For a home PC sold to a private buyer, it is a reasonable choice. If the machine held regulated business or client data, follow your company’s sanitization policy, which may require a certified erasure tool or physical destruction of the drive.

If your PC is still on Windows 10, read our Windows 10 end of support guide first. Buyers often ask whether a machine can run Windows 11, and the answer affects your price.

How to wipe a Mac

On a Mac with Apple silicon, or an Intel Mac with a T2 chip, running macOS Monterey or later, Apple provides Erase Assistant:

1. Back up with Time Machine.
2. Go to System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
3. Enter your administrator password and follow the prompts.

Apple says Erase Assistant signs you out of Apple services such as iCloud, turns off Find My and Activation Lock, and erases all volumes and user accounts. After it finishes, the Mac restarts into setup. If you want the buyer to get an out-of-box experience, Apple suggests you don’t go through the setup assistant; hold the power button until the Mac turns off instead.

Older Intel Macs without a T2 chip need the older method: sign out of iCloud and Messages manually, erase the drive from macOS Recovery with Disk Utility, then reinstall macOS. If you used Boot Camp to install Windows, Apple says to remove the Windows partition with Boot Camp first.

How to wipe an iPhone or iPad

Apple’s checklist for selling, giving away or trading in an iPhone:

1. Back up to iCloud or a computer, and move data to your new device if you have one.
2. Unpair your Apple Watch, and cancel or transfer AppleCare.
3. Don’t delete photos or contacts by hand while signed in to iCloud. Apple warns that doing so deletes them from iCloud and every other device on your account.
4. Sign out of iCloud and the App Store. If you’re switching to a non-Apple phone, deregister iMessage so texts from iPhone users reach your new number.
5. Erase. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. Apple says this removes everything, including cards added to Apple Pay. If you use an eSIM, choose the option to erase it too, after confirming with your carrier how to move your plan.
6. Remove the SIM card if it has one.

Apple adds one exception: if you are trading in at an Apple Store, don’t erase the device first. A Specialist will handle the remaining steps with you.

If you already handed the phone over without signing out, you can still sign in at iCloud.com/find and remove the device from your account.

How to wipe an Android phone

Android phones use Factory Reset Protection. If a Google account is still on the phone when it’s reset, setup will ask for that account’s password. Remove the accounts before the reset, not after.

1. Back up to your Google Account. Google notes that apps and their data are removed by the reset.
2. Remove your Google account(s). Go to Settings > Accounts (or Passwords and accounts), select each Google account, then Remove account. Remove every account if you have more than one.
3. On Samsung phones, also remove the Samsung account. Samsung’s steps: Settings > Accounts and backup > Manage accounts > your Samsung account > Remove account. Samsung notes you should also unregister the device from your Samsung account to remove it completely.
4. Remove the screen lock if the phone asks, then run the reset. On many phones it is Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset); on Samsung, it is Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset. Labels vary by brand, so Google suggests checking your manufacturer’s support site.
5. Charge and connect first. Google recommends at least a 70% charge and a network connection; the reset can take up to an hour.
6. Pull the SIM and any microSD card. A memory card is not wiped by the phone reset.

Modern iPhones and Android phones encrypt storage by default, and a reset discards the keys, which is why a factory reset is generally considered effective for phones.

Wipe methods compared

Where to start: a 20-minute pre-sale checklist

Use this list the night before you meet a buyer or ship the device:

• [ ] Backup made and spot-checked (open a few photos and files from the backup).
• [ ] Authenticator codes and passkeys moved to your new device.
• [ ] Signed out of Apple, Google, Samsung or Microsoft account on the device.
• [ ] Find My or Factory Reset Protection turned off.
• [ ] Built-in reset completed, with Clean data on for Windows.
• [ ] Device removed from your account’s online device list.
• [ ] SIM, eSIM and memory card handled.
• [ ] Device powers on to the “Hello” or setup screen with no account prompt.

That last check matters most. Power the device on after the reset. If it reaches the welcome screen without asking for your account, it’s ready. Then follow safe-sale habits from our guides on selling on Facebook Marketplace and selling on eBay.

If the device is too old or broken to sell, the same wipe steps apply before you recycle old electronics. A dead hard drive that won’t power on can’t be reset, so remove it or have a certified recycler destroy it.

Conclusion

Wiping a device before selling takes about 20 minutes of your time plus however long the reset runs. Back up, sign out, turn off the activation lock, run the built-in reset and confirm it boots to setup. Do it in that order and you protect your data and give your buyer a device that works the moment they turn it on.

Sources

• Apple Support: What to do before you sell, give away or trade in your iPhone or iPad — iPhone sign-out, iMessage, eSIM and erase steps
• Apple Support: Erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings — Erase Assistant requirements and what it turns off
• Microsoft Support: Reset your PC — Remove everything, Clean data and its limits
• Microsoft Support: Remove a device from your Microsoft account — removing and unlinking a PC
• Google Android Help: Reset your Android device to factory settings — backup, charge and Google Account requirements
• Samsung Support: Remove accounts from your Galaxy phone or tablet — removing Samsung and Google accounts