Giving MacBook to family member

[rickkellogg04]

I want to give Macbook to family member and set it up for her without any of my existing settings. Is there documentation about how to do this

 

[RadDave]

I want to give Macbook to family member and set it up for her without any of my existing settings. Is there documentation about how to do this

Hello Rick... - welcome to the forum! You need to tell us about the Macbook: 1) Which model (Air vs. Pro); 2) How much RAM is available (an upgrade may help); and 3) Type of HD or SSD and capacity.

For starters, check this Apple Support Article for some initial advice - others will likely 'chime-in' w/ more specific comments. Dave

 

[rickkellogg04]

Thanks. It's reloading now.

 

[Rod]

Rick assuming that she is happy with the capabilities and performance of the laptop in it's current state (as per RadDave's post) then yes there is a list of must do's below.
Please do not skip any of these steps, I have had people try to keep some of the settings because they wanted to preserve music, apps, photos etc. This is not possible initially but they can be shared/imported later or loaded using removable media e.g. a USB thumb drive.

What to do (officially) before selling a used Mac

When preparing to sell or give away your Mac, you may want to erase some or all files from its hard drive. But first determine whether you should back up your computer and disable certain features and services. These steps show the recommended sequence of actions:


1. Deauthorize your computer from iTunes, if applicable.
2. Back up your data using Time Machine or other backup methods for OS X Mavericks or Mountain Lion.
3. If you use Find My Mac or other iCloud features on this Mac, complete these steps:
1. Back up your iCloud content.
2. Choose Apple Menu () > System Preferences, then click iCloud.
3. Deselect the Find My Mac checkbox.
4. Sign out of iCloud. When you sign out of iCloud, you're asked whether you want to remove iCloud data from your Mac. Removing iCloud data in this way makes sure that the data isn't also removed from any of your other devices that are using the same iCloud account.
4. If you're using OS X Mountain Lion v10.8 or later, sign out of iMessage:
1. In the Messages app, choose Preferences > Accounts.
2. Select your iMessage account, then click Sign Out.
5. Reformat your hard drive and reinstall OS X. Follow the appropriate instructions:
• OS X Mavericks
• OS X Mountain Lion
• OS X Lion
After you reformat your hard drive and reinstall OS X, the computer restarts to a Welcome screen and asks you to choose a country or region. If you want to leave the Mac in an out-of-box state, don't continue with the setup of your system. Instead, press Command-Q to shut down the Mac. When the new owner turns on the Mac, the Setup Assistant will guide them through the setup process.

 

[Rod]

Dependent on what OSX you have on this laptop the process for Reinstalling the OS is just a matter of Restarting holding the "R" key. Once you are in the Recovery Partition select Reinstall OSX and follow the prompts for a clean install. This will erase the content and install a new copy of all current "Native" apps. You will then have what will appear to be a brand new computer.
N.B. Bear in mind any third party apps will be lost eg Microsoft Office for Mac OS. If your daughter wants/needs these apps you will need to consider either an alternative app like Open Office (free) or a new subscription just for her.