Before you sell, donate, or recycle your outdated laptop or desktop computer, protect your privacy by taking these important steps.
By Nicholas De Leon
Do you have an old laptop or desktop lying around? If you sell it or donate it to someone, you can free up space in your house, earn some money, and extend the life of your computer.
But how do you prevent the next owner from having access to all the photos, financial documents, and other private data you had stored on your computer?
Instead of removing the hard drive (which could be done, but then the next owner would have to install a new one), the best solution is to perform what’s known as a factory reset, which technically wipes the drive of personal data.
Why can’t you just delete your Downloads folder, log out of your accounts, and call it a day?
“It is likely that you forget things like passwords saved in browsers and personal data in the folder of deleted items (items removed),” says Matt Ham, owner of the Computer Repair Doctor service company. “Or you can skip deleting some important files entirely. Reinstalling the system before selling it is a much safer alternative.”
Although a factory reset is usually sufficient, a determined hacker could, at least in theory, use advanced data recovery software to recover your old files.
If that worries you a lot, maybe you’re thinking of selling the device to a stranger on eBay, remove the hard drive, says Richard Fisco, who oversees electronics testing for Consumer Reports.
After all, a hacker can’t break into a hard drive that isn’t there.
“The gold standard in hard drive security is to use a sharp nail and a few quick hammer blows,” says Fisco, half joking. “But make sure you wear safety glasses.”
And before you perform a factory reset (or perhaps pull out the hammer and nails), be sure to back up any important data on your computer to another drive or to the cloud. Once this is done, and after verifying that your data is backed up safe, performing a factory reset is easy, whether you’re using a Mac, Windows PC, or Chromebook.
Apple users
The steps to reset your device vary slightly depending on whether your Mac has an M-series processor or an Intel processor. Apple has phased out Intel processors since 2020 in favor of its own home-made M1 and M2 chips.
If you don’t know which one you have, just click the Apple menu in the upper left corner of your computer screen, then click About.
Before you start the reset, make sure you back up any important files and sign out of iCloud. You can do this in the Apple ID section of the app’s System Preferences.
You should also copy your keychains (keychains) in a flash drive (memory unit). This step is not required, but transferring account names and passwords to your new machine will save you the hassle of re-entering your local coffee shop WiFi password or online store login details.
To perform a factory reset on a Mac with an Apple M-series processor, you’ll first need to turn it off. Then turn it back on while holding down the power button. Finally, a screen will appear with a black background and two icons: your hard drive (called Macintosh HD) and Options. Click Options.
At this point, you may be asked to enter your username and password. Once this is done, click Disk Utility> Hard Drive (again, called Macintosh HD) in the left sidebar> Erase. You will be prompted for a new name (we recommend Macintosh HD, just for simplicity) and Format (which should be APFS).
Now click Erase Volume Group, enter your Apple ID when prompted, and then click Erase Mac and Restart. Then follow the instructions on the screen, which includes things like your language and WiFi password.
The steps are similar if you have an Intel-based Mac.
Hold down Command + R as you start up your Mac, and enter your password when prompted. Click on Disk Utility in the next window and then on Continue. Then click Macintosh HD in the left sidebar and Erase in the toolbar. Select the MacOS Extended (Journaled) format and exit Disk Utility when the process is complete.
To finish the reset, go back to the Utilities window and select Reinstall MacOS to reinstall the original operating system.
After the reinstallation, the Mac will start the setup process. This should look familiar if you’ve set up this computer before. If you are selling your computer, you can skip the setup by pressing Command + Q and let the new owner complete the process.
Windows users
Before starting the factory reset process, make a backup copy of all important files. You may also want to make sure you have the serial numbers or usernames and passwords of the apps handy for when you go to install them later.
The process to restart your PC differs slightly for each version of the operating system.
For Windows 11, click Start> Settings> System> Recovery> and then click Reset this PC. Then follow the instructions on the screen.
For Windows 10, go to the Start Menu and click Settings. Next, navigate to Update & Security and find the Recovery menu. Then select Reset this PC and choose Get Started. Follow the instructions to restore the device to its original state.
Chromebook users
Chromebook users have an easier time erasing their laptops. Unlike Apple and Windows users, they already have most of their files stored online in Google Drive. So there is little to back up before starting the process.
First, sign out of your Chromebook. Then hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R and select Restart. In the window that appears select Powerwash and then continue.
This will cause a reset, which will remove all of your personal information.
If you’re ready to sell or donate the computer, don’t sign in again—the next person to sign in will become the primary user of the Chromebook.
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2023, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with the advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works with consumers to create a fair, safe, and healthy world. CR does not endorse products or services and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2023, Consumer Reports, Inc.