Company MacBooks have to be handed over when a lease or rental ends, or when a fleet is replaced. Preparing each one takes a few minutes, but the order of the steps matters, and so does something consumer guides leave out: releasing the Mac from Apple Business and MDM. We describe it based on Apple’s instructions.
1. Back up the data
Secure what the company or employee still needs: a Time Machine backup, a transfer to the new Mac, or data stored in company services. Erasing cannot be undone.
2. Sign out of the Apple ID
Signing out of iCloud turns off Find My Mac and removes Activation Lock. In macOS Ventura and later: System Settings → [your name] → Sign Out. The system asks whether to keep a copy of your iCloud data on the Mac. Apple recommends doing so because it speeds up the later erase. Activation Lock applies to Macs with Apple silicon or Apple T2.
3. Release the Mac from Apple Business and MDM
If the MacBook was managed by the company:
- Apple Business (formerly Apple Business Manager): an administrator releases the device from the organisation. Otherwise, after erasing, the Mac may enrol in your management system again.
- MDM system: remove the device from MDM so the management profile and company settings disappear.
- Activation Lock when the employee has left: MDM may store a bypass code. On a Mac it is entered in Recovery Assistant by choosing Activate with MDM key. According to Apple, if a Mac with macOS 11 or later was enrolled in Apple Business and Activation Lock was already turned on by the user, MDM cannot turn it off until the user does. So make sure people sign out before they leave the company.
4. Erase all content and settings
On a Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 security chip and macOS 12 Monterey or later, use Erase All Content and Settings. According to Apple you then do not need the other steps from its guide (signing out of iMessage, unpairing Bluetooth accessories), but for a company device steps 2–3 still matter. On older systems, sign out of iMessage, unpair Bluetooth devices, erase the disk in recovery mode and reinstall macOS.
Details, and why simply formatting an SSD is not enough: permanently erasing data from a Mac SSD.
5. AppleCare and accessories
If the Mac has an AppleCare plan, you can cancel it or transfer it to the new owner. Include the charger and other accessories in the valuation if you want to sell them with the computer.
MacBook buyback for businesses
We buy MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with an Apple M1 chip or newer, from a single unit, including damaged ones (usually for parts or recycling). We accept devices with Activation Lock or still in MDM only with proof of purchase. If you do not manage to prepare all the computers, say so in your inquiry. We diagnose every device we buy and erase its data in a certified way.
- In Warsaw, Poznań and Gdańsk, personal collection is possible. From elsewhere in Poland, we arrange courier collection, and the devices must be packed securely. We agree the details when preparing the valuation.
- Once you accept the valuation, we pay within 7 days of receiving a VAT invoice (23%).
How the valuation works: MacBook buyback from businesses.