What to do with your old MacBook when you get a new one

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With an old MacBook you can trade it in with Apple for credit, recycle it free through Apple, sell it, give it away or keep it. Whichever you pick, Apple says to back it up and reset it to factory settings before it goes to anyone else.

Quick answer

Apple Trade In gives you credit towards a new device or an Apple Gift Card, and recycles a Mac for free if it isn't eligible for credit. If you sell it or give it away, Apple's advice is to back up, then reset the Mac to factory settings. You can also keep it: check first that it still gets security updates.

What are your options for an old MacBook?

Apple's own guide to handing over a Mac covers four situations in its title: selling, giving away, trading in and recycling. Keeping it is the fifth.

  1. Trade it in with Apple. You get credit towards a purchase or an Apple Gift Card, online or at an Apple Store.
  2. Recycle it with Apple. Free, whatever the model or condition.
  3. Sell it privately or through a marketplace.
  4. Give it away, for example to someone in your family.
  5. Keep it as a second computer.

The first four end with the Mac leaving your hands, so they share the same preparation.

How does Apple Trade In work for a Mac?

Apple says you can trade in online or at an Apple Store and get credit towards a purchase or trade in for an Apple Gift Card. The value depends on the device, model, manufacturer and condition. You need the serial number for an accurate value, and on a Mac you find it under Apple menu > About This Mac.

Apple's rules, from the 14-day window to revised values and cancelling, are in Apple Trade In for a MacBook. The preparation, step by step, is in how to wipe a MacBook for trade-in.

Can you recycle an old MacBook for free?

Yes. Apple says that if your device isn't eligible for trade-in credit, it will recycle it for free, whatever the model or condition. You can recycle any Apple device at an Apple Store or through apple.com/uk, and Apple accepts batteries, cables, cases, accessories, monitors and packaging too.

Apple's preparation advice for recycling is short: back up your data, then remove any personal data from the device. It adds that you won't have access to the device after recycling it with Apple.

If you're sending it by post, Apple lists packing guidelines for devices with batteries. These include:

  1. Discharge the unit to less than 30%.
  2. Don't send electronics with swollen, damaged or defective batteries.
  3. Send only one device per box.

Apple also asks that you don't put Apple devices, electronics or batteries in your household waste. They're marked with a crossed-out wheelie bin symbol, and Apple says they must be collected and recycled separately.

What should you do before selling or giving it away?

Reset it to factory settings, after you've saved what you need. Apple's guide for selling, giving away, trading in or recycling a Mac says to back up or transfer your files, cancel or transfer any AppleCare plan, then erase the Mac, with Erase All Content and Settings where your Mac has it. The full steps, including the manual route for older Macs, are in how to wipe a MacBook before selling it.

If you're selling, selling your old MacBook safely has the National Cyber Security Centre's checks before you erase, and the buyer scams to look out for.

Should you keep your old MacBook instead?

Keeping it is a perfectly good choice. The one thing to check is support. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), writing about phones, says one no longer supported by its manufacturer won't receive security updates, and is easier to hack without them. How long Macs get security updates covers the Mac.

If you keep it but stop using it, you might want it out of your Apple Account. Apple says that to permanently remove a device from your account, you sign out on that device itself. Our guide on removing a Mac from your Apple Account has the steps.

Where Failshot fits

Once the old Mac has gone, the new one holds everything. Your password is the first layer. Failshot is the second: second layer device security for the moment someone sits down at your Mac and unlocks it.

While it's on, Failshot photographs whoever unlocks your Mac, then, with Pro, records a 5-second video, and its window tells them the unlock was photographed. With Pro, turn on alerts and Failshot emails you about an unlock you don't confirm as yours. Switching it off, or quitting it from its menu, takes Touch ID or your Failshot PIN and answer, never your Mac password.

Failshot is for macOS 14 or later. Free to download. It's free to use. Pro adds video, email alerts and the encrypted vault, and you can try Pro free for 7 days. The trial is on failshot.app, for the Mac. iPhone, Android and Windows are coming soon.

More questions

Does Apple give money for an old MacBook?

Apple gives trade-in credit towards a purchase, or an Apple Gift Card. If you pay in full for a new device online, Apple applies the credit to your original payment method once it has received your old device and confirmed its condition.

Can I trade in a MacBook that doesn't work?

Apple says the value depends on the device, model and condition, and that if your device isn't eligible for any trade-in value, you can still recycle it with Apple for free, whatever its model or condition.

Do I need to wipe a MacBook before recycling it?

Yes. Apple says to back up your data and then remove any personal data from the device before you post it or drop it off, and that you won't have access to the device after recycling it with Apple.

Can I give my old MacBook to a family member?

Yes. Apple's guide covers giving a Mac away in the same way as selling it: back up, then reset it to factory settings so the new owner sets it up as their own. Transfer or cancel any AppleCare plan.

What happens to my AppleCare plan if I sell my Mac?

Apple says that if your Mac is covered by an AppleCare plan, you can cancel the plan or transfer it to the new owner.

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