Apple makes use of an Apple ID throughout its entire ecosystem to determine you for syncing, purchases, and extra. What occurs while you promote or give away a Mac and suppose you’ve wiped all traces of your id, however, the Mac retains prompting the brand new consumer or proprietor together with your Apple ID account email and asking for its password?

If that’s occurring, it’s probably you or the brand new possessor didn’t wipe the machine utterly. I like to recommend that you just carry out a whole wipe when handing off a pc.

Related: Buy Apple ID

You’ll be able to then use a Time Machine or clone of the drive to revive purchases that you’re transferring the licenses for together with the machine, software program that’s free to make use of with no license or doesn’t require a switch, and any paperwork, photographs, and different records data you’re together with.

Erase and reinstall macOS

The abbreviated model of erasing and reinstalling macOS is as follows:

1. For those who haven’t already used Migration Assistant or one other methodology to repeat all of your recordsdata to a brand new machine, make a whole backup of your Mac. (You too can make a backup if you wish to restore some components on the Mac to a brand new consumer in your loved ones or a brand new proprietor.)
2. Observe Apple’s directions for erasing the startup drive.
3. Observe Apple’s steps for installing macOS.
4. Restore any records data which are needed utilizing Migration Assistant.

At no stage on this course do you have to enter your Apple ID? For those who’re prompted throughout set up of macOS, don’t! Observe these steps in an earlier column for bypassing that requirement.

In Step three above, you may also keep away from a obtain which may request your Apple ID by creating a bootable Catalina installer drive.

Create a brand new consumer and erase the previous one

If it’s impractical to erase and reinstall macOS, typically a subsequent nearly-as-good step is to create a brand new consumer account after which delete your previous one(s). This sometimes severs all Apple ID connections. Make a backup of the system as famous above—all the time, all the time, all the time back up earlier than you erase issues, I encourage of you—after which:

1. Open the Customers & Teams choice pane.
2. Click on the lock on the lower-left nook and enter the password. (The account have to be set to manage the Mac.)
3. Click on the + (plus) to create a brand new account with a reputation and password for the brand new consumer.
4. Be certain to test Permit Consumer to Administer This Pc so the brand new consumer has all of the superpowers needed.
5. Click on Login Choices and test the Present quick consumer change menu as pop-up menu’s field so you possibly can check logging into the brand new consumer in a later step without logging out of this account first.
6. For those who’re utilizing FileVault, you should additionally change to the Safety & Privateness choice pane and click on FileVault, click on the lock icon and authenticate as in step 2, then click on Allow Consumers so as to add the brand new consumer. (For those who don’t, you possibly can’t full these steps, as no consumer will be capable to begin up the Mac.)
7. Select the newly created consumer from the fast-switching menu within the system menu bar. Enter their password to log in.
8. After guaranteeing that a new account is about up accurately, return to your earlier consumer account through the fast-switching menu and select  > Log Out [account name].
9. Return to the brand new account and open the Customers & Teams choice pane and authenticate with the brand new consumer account as in step 2.
10. Choose your previous consumer account and click on the – (minus) and comply with prompts to take away the account. For those who’ve made a backup, you don’t must archive the account, however, you can delete it.
11. Restart and log into the brand new account. Examine to see if the system prompts for the previous Apple ID at any level.

Sign off of the whole lot in macOS

Now chances are you’ll be unable to hold out both of the primary two procedures, or chances are you’ll choose to simply unwire your individual Apple ID whereas leaving the Mac to arrange precisely because it was earlier than, corresponding to for one more member of the family. In that case, you need to discover in every single place you may be logged in with an Apple ID for purchases and iCloud synchronization and disable its use.

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In every one of the next circumstances, you’ll have to verify that you just wish to signal out. In some circumstances, you’ll be prompted to delete or retain native copies of knowledge. Select to delete in the event you’re really making an attempt to disconnect the account.

Begin with the primary iCloud connection:

• In macOS 15 Catalina, begin with the Apple ID choice pane, click on the Overview hyperlink at left, after which click on Signal Off. Observe prompts to verify.
• In macOS 14 Mojave and earlier, open the iCloud choice pane,

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Then log off of all the numerous apps that may be related to a number of Apple ID chances are you’ll use:

• Open Pictures. Select Pictures > Desire > iCloud and uncheck iCloud Pictures.
• Open Messages. Select Messages > Preferences > iMessage after which click on Signal Out.
• Open FaceTime. Select FaceTime > Preferences > Settings after which click on Signal Out.
• Open the App Retailer and select Retailer > Signal Out.
• Open the Books app and select Retailer > Signal Out.
• Open the Web Accounts choice pane, choose any secondary iCloud accounts one after the other and take away them by clicking the – (minus) button.
• Open Mail. Select Mail > Preferences > Accounts, choose iCloud and click on the – (minus) button.
• In Mojave and earlier, open iTunes. Select Account > Signal Out.
• In Catalina, open the Music app. Select Account > Signal Out.
• Additionally in Catalina, open the TV app. Select Account > Signal Out.

In every location, you might need regionally saved paperwork that isn’t eliminated while you signal out. As you disconnect your Apple IDs, be certain and in addition delete these native records data in the event you don’t wish to go away them behind. This consists of Calendar, Contacts, iTunes/Music, Mail, and Pictures. However, you must also study all the house listing folders that comprise records data, like Paperwork, Downloads, Music, Photos.

This Mac 911 article is in response to a query submitted by Macworld reader Priscilla.

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