How does my mac ID work if I am given a mac

[SamJames170]

Hi I am imac owner graphic and 3D designer....my machine is old 2015 El Capitan and I am way overdue an upgrade but lost lots of money to clients going bust over covid so havent been able to upgrade, one of my long standing clients has a mac they might give me (monterey 12.6).

Is it worth me setting up this machine, can I update it to current OS and how does it work where you take over ownership of someone else's mac, is it simple to set it up on my mac ID and buy new OS ?

Thanks for any help

Sam

 

[Adora]

Hi,

it isn't clear if your Mac is running no newer OS than El Capitan what is from 2015 or if it's a a 2015 iMac where you can officially upgrade the Software to Montery 12.7.5. You don't have to buy a new OS version, it's free since many years.

The Mac from your client could be anything from an iMac Late 2015 to 2023 if it is running Montery. If it's upgradable to the lates macOS depends on the year of release and maybe what kind of iMac it is.

Setting up your Apple ID on a used Mac is no problem. The pre-owner just has to remove it from his ID, so it's not locked by iCloud.

 

[SamJames170]

So my mac is late 2015 running El Capitan, the machine my client has that they can give me is......
3.6GHz 10 core intel core i9 running monterey 12.6

 

[MBAir2010]

So my mac is late 2015 running El Capitan, the machine my client has that they can give me is......
3.6GHz 10 core intel core i9 running monterey 12.6

an Imac?
if they have Monterey on a 3.6GHz 10 core intel core i9 processor
that means their  log in and icloud credentials are on the machine.
The ssd drive needs to be erased and cleaned so you or other can use that computer as Adora stated.

the good news is that processor is really good and  will install the latest OS that he computer run.
The risk is that apple might drop support for intel processors soon.

If the mac exchange is to replenish your client's money owed, maybe this might not be a long run solution.

 

[ChrisA]

Is it worth me setting up this machine, can I update it to current OS and how does it work where you take over ownership of someone else's mac, is it simple to set it up on my mac ID and buy new OS ?

Yes, there are a few ways to do it. The best is simply to erase the entire internal drive and start over with a new install.

Of cource it is "worth it" if the computer is free. If nothing else you could sell it.

 

[Adora]

So my mac is late 2015 running El Capitan, the machine my client has that they can give me is......
3.6GHz 10 core intel core i9 running monterey 12.6

You can officially upgrade to Monterey latest version 12.7.5 for free on your iMac and inofficially with a small hack even to the latest macOS version (what I do not recommend because I never tried). If it's a 27" you can even upgrade the RAM by yourself and you can use an external SSD for more storage also on 21.5" iMac. The fastest possible connection would be via Thunderbolt 2 (20 Gbps) or Thunderbolt 1 (10 Gbps) what might be cheaper and enough. For many cases USB 3 (5 Gbps) should also be enough to use an external SSD and is much cheaper.

 

[Adora]

So my mac is late 2015 running El Capitan, the machine my client has that they can give me is......
3.6GHz 10 core intel core i9 running monterey 12.6

For upgrading directly to Monterey 12.7.5 just download this full installer file and launch it:

https://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/02/18/052-96238-A_V534Q7DYXO/lj721dkb4wvu0l3ucuhqfjk7i5uwq1s8tz/InstallAssistant.pkg

But please backup your Mac before. It never happened to me, but there always could go something wrong and your a skipping many version released in the meantime. Maybe you should also check before if all your important apps are compatible to Monterey and if not if there is a free or paid upgrade and if you want that.

Some old apps may still work fine even though they are not compatible. I am using 1Password 6 without subscription and account for example still on macOS 15 Beta.

 

[Adora]

If your Mac is too slow because of CPU and GPU, you should upgrade to a newer one. Also when macOS 15 is released normally there won't be any security updates for Monterey anymore. But since you are still using El Capitan now you don't seem to care about that like me.

You should specify more the specs of your iMac. Maybe it's just too slow because of RAM that could be upgraded or an internal HDD or Fusion Drive, what could be sped up with an external SSD what you could also use as main drive to boot from.

Graphics and 3D Design is not always that CPU/GPU intensive. It depends on what you are doing exactly.

 

[Nermal]

how does it work where you take over ownership of someone else's mac, is it simple to set it up on my mac ID

Get them to go through these steps on the computer before they give it to you. It'll then be "like new" when you get it, and you shouldn't run into any problems.

 

[SamJames170]

Wow thanks all this is very helpful.... yes my machine and theirs is 27inch imac
I dont want to upgrade my El Capitan 10.11.6 as it is my work machine and i ran into lots of problems doing that in the past and lost a few grands worth of work so like to retire my macs all working and buy and set a new machine and then switching over with the old mac as a working back up machine. My key software Adobe creative suite and google sketchup are old versions which I need to now set on the pay monthly to newer latest versions so dont need to really worry about bringing old software tto the new machine. I am pretty broke as I said I lost £45K over covid with two kids and need to upgrade to new software + new machine but little budget but looks like from answers here the new machine my client is offering will last me a while once I have it until I have money back in to get new machine.

 

[Fishrrman]

The old saying warns not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but you'd better "take a look" before you take in this new "gift".

What is the "gift" computer? iMac? Something else?
What year was the "gift" computer made?
What size is the display?
How much RAM is inside?
How large is the drive?
What KIND of drive? (HDD or SSD or fusion)
BEWARE! a failed fusion drive could cause you A LOT of trouble.

If you accept it as a gift, MAKE SURE that they do the following BEFORE they put it into your hands:
- SIGN OUT of iTunes
- Go to iCloud and REMOVE this particular computer from their account
- SIGN OUT of iCloud
(I think that's how it works, see the Apple link above).

Then when you get it, WIPE THE DRIVE CLEAN and install a fresh OS.

MAKE SURE you have a GOOD BACKUP before you start working on the replacement.
For a "good" backup, I'd recommend using either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.
SD in particular is VERY EASY to use and will be FREE to use to create a full cloned backup.

 

[Nermal]

If it's a 3.6 10-core i9 then I think that means it must be a 2020. That means 27", SSD, T2, and upgradeable RAM.

 

[erihp]

If it's a 3.6 10-core i9 then I think that means it must be a 2020. That means 27", SSD, T2, and upgradeable RAM.

and 5k. free? OP, take it. if you dont want it ill pay for shipping and libations. thanks!

 

[Nermal]

Having looked it up, yes, there were only two Macs ever released with that CPU and both are from 2020 (and are the last Intel Macs ever released).

 

[tonmischa]

@Nermal already said it:
I will repeat it because it is _the_ proper way to transfer ownership of a Mac.

Have your client follow these steps:

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

Reset your Mac to factory settings to prepare it for a new owner.

support.apple.com