Remove Personal Data From A MacBook Pro

[G4PPC]

I have to send my MacBook Pro in for replacement, because well the Built in Battery needs to be serviced and I don't want to pay Apple to fix it. However I do have a 1 Year Replacement Warranty. I just don't know how to get my info off it like my Apple ID.

How can I remove my personal info? it has Mojave installed so if I erase the drive will it reinstall Mac OS?

It's a MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)..

 

[DarkPremiumCho]

If you have your data backed up:

1. In iTunes, do 'Deauthorize This Computer'
2. Sign out of iCloud
3. Sign out of iMessage
4. Unpair Bluetooth devices
5. Boot to macOS Recovery, erase the 'Macintosh HD' partition and shutdown

If you erase the drive, the machine will not reinstall macOS automatically. It will require an OS installation manually.

Are you sending it to a 3rd party for battery replacement? I would consult them first to see if they need a working macOS system.

 

[Nermal]

Follow the instructions here to unlink iTunes etc, then go as far as erasing (step 8). If you don't expect to get the same computer back then I wouldn't bother reinstalling the OS, just erasing it.

 

[G4PPC]

Thanks for the Advice, but I am not sure if I even need to worry about all that as I didn't use iTunes, iCloud, iMessage or none of Apples Stuff, I just used the Appstore and once I'm logged out from there nobody can download anything from it unless they log in. Then I just used Microsoft Edge but I never logged into it so there is no Profile on there either, I'll just wipe my history and uninstall it too to make sure it removes everything.

Then I'll just remove all my installed apps. It's a reseller that I am sending it into and they will probably wipe it anyway if they ever resell it again.

However I may just erase it too, if they don't need anything left on it but since I have logged out the Appstore it doesn't even show my Apple ID anymore.

I have everthing backup except for my Virtualbox VM's but I am not sure I'll need those I can always reinstall them when I get my Replacement. I just hope I can stop them from putting Catalina on my Replacement.

 

[DarkPremiumCho]

If you used non-Apple applications, your personal information may still be stored in the ~/Library folder. I recommend erasing the whole partition.

You can always reinstall Mojave on the replacement, as long as it's the same Mid 2012 model.

 

[G4PPC]

If you used non-Apple applications, your personal information may still be stored in the ~/Library folder. I recommend erasing the whole partition.

You can always reinstall Mojave on the replacement, as long as it's the same Mid 2012 model.

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll do that just in case, I asked and they didn't say anything against me erasing it before sending it in, and they said they are going have High Sierra installed on the Replacement but that is what they said when I bought this one and when I got it, it had Mojave.

However Looks like they might send one with NVIDIA Graphics were this one had Intel HD 4000 Graphics. I hate NVIDIA graphics on a Laptop, but beats paying a few hundred dollars to replace a battery and I still have my MacBook Air with Intel HD 5000 graphics and I am thinking about downgrading it to Mojave it's battery only has like 300 cycles, might keep my Replacement MBP with High Sierra if that is what comes on it. Or Hopefully not they did say they would Replace it with an Identical Model and the Mid 2012 MBP's only come with Intel Graphic's.

I do miss the days when MacBook's all had removable Batteries that you can easily replace..

 

[G4PPC]

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll do that just in case, I asked and they didn't say anything against me erasing it before sending it in, and they said they are going have High Sierra installed on the Replacement but that is what they said when I bought this one and when I got it, it had Mojave.

However Looks like they might send one with NVIDIA Graphics were this one had Intel HD 4000 Graphics. I hate NVIDIA graphics on a Laptop, but beats paying a few hundred dollars to replace a battery and I still have my MacBook Air with Intel HD 5000 graphics and I am thinking about downgrading it to Mojave it's battery only has like 300 cycles, might keep my Replacement MBP with High Sierra if that is what comes on it. Or Hopefully not they did say they would Replace it with an Identical Model and the Mid 2012 MBP's only come with Intel Graphic's. I sure hope they don't Replace it with a Mid 2010 MBP but I don't think so as the ones they sell are suppose to have Mojave and Catalina available as an Upgrade so they have to be at least Mid 2012. Also they still say and said it had High Definition Display when I bought mine so that must meant Intel HD Graphics, NVIDIA doesn't have HD on a 2010 MBP.

I do miss the days when MacBook's all had removable Batteries that you can easily replace..

Looks like there is nothing to worry about as they still say it comes with Bluetooth 4.0 and that is a Feature of the Mid 2012 MBP.

Edit: I was getting ready to erase the Drive uninstalled a few things and just took a glance at my Battery and it like went Back to Normal Status. Doesn't say it needs to be Serviced anymore and it just has 649 Cycles. Now I am wondering if I should just keep it, although the 3.5 Headphone Jack also doesn't work, but I have my Bluetooth Headphones for it.