iCloud: Protecting your data before selling or giving up possession of your Mac

The following article describes how to back up and remove iCloud data from your Mac before selling it or giving up possession. Perform the steps in the order shown below.

Important: Do not manually delete iCloud data, or it will also be deleted from the iCloud servers and all of your iCloud devices.

Back up your iCloud data

Follow the steps in this article to back up all of your iCloud data locally to an external hard disk or other media (for example, a flash or network drive).

Turn off Find My Mac and sign out of iCloud

To turn off the iCloud service on your Mac:

1. Choose System Preferences > iCloud.
2. Deselect Find My Mac to disconnect your devices from iCloud.
3. Click the Sign Out button on the left side.
4. The system automatically removes iCloud data from all of your devices.

Reformat your hard drive and reinstall OS X

Reformat your Mac’s hard drive with Disk Utility to erase all stored data and then reinstall OS X on your computer (for information specific to your operating system, select one of the articles below):

• OS X Mountain Lion
• OS X Lion

Optional: If you want to return your Mac to its original "out-of-the-box" state, so the new owner can set up the computer with the Mac OS X Setup Assistant, follow these steps:

1. After you reformat your hard drive and reinstall OS X, the Setup Assistant automatically starts and displays the Welcome screen, which prompts you to choose your Country or Region. Do not continue with the set up of your system.
2. Press and hold the power button on your Mac until the computer shuts down.

Your Mac is now ready for its new owner. When the Mac is turned on for the first time, the Setup Assistant will guide the new owner through the setup process.