Frequently Asked Questions
Use Erase All Content and Settings
This feature requires macOS Monterey or later on a Mac with Apple silicon or a Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip. Learn what to do if you can't use Erase All Content and Settings.
macOS Ventura or later
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From the Apple menu in the corner of your screen, choose System Settings.
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Click General in the sidebar.
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Click Transfer or Reset on the right.
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Click Erase All Content and Settings. Don't see this button?
macOS Monterey
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From the Apple menu in the corner of your screen, choose System Preferences.
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From the System Preferences menu in the menu bar, choose Erase All Content and Settings. Don't see this option?
An erase assistant then opens. Follow the onscreen instructions to erase your Mac and restore it to factory settings. Before the erase begins, you will see a summary of all the settings, media, data, and other items that will be erased or turned off.
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When asked to sign in with your administrator credentials, enter the password that you use to log in to your Mac. Forgot your login password?
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You might be asked to enter your Apple ID password so that your Mac can sign out of Find My. Forgot your Apple ID password?
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You might be asked if you want to back up your Mac before resetting it. If you want to do that, you can open Time Machine and back up to an external storage device.
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Finally, you will be asked to click Erase All Content & Settings to confirm that you want to proceed.
Your Mac then restarts and briefly shows a black screen or progress bar.
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If your Mac needs to reconnect to a Bluetooth accessory such as a keyboard or mouse, you might be asked to turn on the accessory. If the accessory doesn't connect within 30 seconds, turn the accessory off and back on. When reconnecting to a Bluetooth keyboard, you're asked to choose a language.
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You might be asked to select a Wi-Fi network or attach a network cable. To select a Wi-Fi network, use the Wi-Fi menu
in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Your Mac then activates. Click Restart.
After your Mac restarts, a setup assistant guides you through the setup process, as if you're setting up your Mac for the first time.
If you're selling, giving away, or trading-in your Mac and want to leave it in an out-of-box state, don't use the setup assistant or your previously connected Bluetooth devices, if any. Just press and hold the power button on your Mac until it turns off.
If you can't use Erase All Content and Settings
Erase All Content and Settings is available only in macOS Monterey or later, and only on a Mac with Apple silicon or a Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip. If this feature isn't available or doesn't work on your Mac:
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To both erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings, follow the steps in what to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac, but disregard the instructions for using Erase All Content and Settings.
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To only erase your Mac without resetting it to factory settings, learn how to erase a Mac with Apple silicon or erase an Intel-based Mac.
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When using Erase All Content and Settings, if you see a message explaining that other volumes need to be erased before you can erase all content and settings, you might have used Boot Camp to install Microsoft Windows. In that case, use Boot Camp to remove Windows and its partition.
If you need help, contact Apple Support.
No matter the model or condition, we can turn your device into something good for you and good for the planet: Learn how to trade in or recycle your Mac with Apple Trade In.
Before you send us your gadget, we ask that you do the following:
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Remove your gadget’s password. How to do this will depend on the type of gadget. We recommend looking on the company’s support page or using our old friend Google.
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Delete all your personal files or better yet, reset your gadget to its factory settings. Don’t wipe the operative system completely. If you’ve already done this, just be sure to select “No Operating System” under “Other” on our estimate calculator or—if you have it—pre-install the original software.
Note that as a part of our inspection process, we will erase and reformat each storage drive and destroy and recycle the defective ones, as well as any forgotten SIM and memory cards. Gadget Salvation does not sell or share any of your personal data.
You don’t need to ship your gadget in its original box. All that we do is ask that you include plenty of padding and the following:
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Laptops: Power adapter.
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Desktops: Keyboard, mouse and power cord.
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Gaming consoles: Check-mark accessories you will be including with your console in our estimate calculator.
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Phones:Wall charger and data cable.
Though we’re sure you have a sweet phone case, it does not increase the value of your estimate. However it does provide extra impact protection in transit.
Don’t worry about your personal data falling into the wrong hands. We reset your gadget to the factory settings as part of the testing process. Each drive once again gets wiped clean once we purchase your gadget and before it leaves our facility.
Before you ship your iOS gadget, make sure that you’ve removed all of your personal information. Follow these steps to protect your data and get your gadget back to its factory settings.
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Sign out of iCloud.
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Tap Settings > iCloud, scroll down, and tap Sign Out. In iOS 7 or earlier, tap Delete Account.
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Tap Sign Out again, tap Delete from My iPhone, then enter your password.
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Wipe your data by going to Settings > General > Reset, then tap Erase All Content and Settings.
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This will completely erase your gadget, including any credit or debit cards you added for Apple Pay and any photos, contacts, music or apps. It will also turn off iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, Game Center and other services.
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If you’re using iOS 7 or later and have Find My iPhone turned on, your Apple ID and password will be required. After you provide your password, the gadget will be erased and removed from your account so that the next owner can activate it.
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Your content won’t be deleted from iCloud when you erase your gadget.
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Don’t manually delete contacts, calendars, reminders, documents, photo streams or any other iCloud data while signed in to your iCloud account, or the content will also be deleted from the iCloud servers and all of your gadgets that are signed in to iCloud.
If you’re using Apple Pay, you can also remove your credit or debit cards at iCloud.com. Just choose Settings to see which gadgets are using Apple Pay, then click your gadget and click Remove next to Apple Pay.
Please note that we cannot purchase iCloud-locked, firmware-locked or remotely managed Apple products.
To check your iPhone’s storage capacity, go to Settings > General > About.
Click on the Apple icon in the upper left hand corner of the screen, and select About This Mac from the menu. This will then show you an overview of your Mac, including the name and version of its operating system, its model name and its serial number.
Most laptop brands post the specific model number on the bottom of the laptop. If you do not see it or are not sure about it, please send us a quick text or email.
If your laptop is BIOS-password locked, you will need to remove this password first in order to get an estimate. If you don’t know the password, you will need to select “Defective Motherboard” in our estimate calculator, because a laptop locked with a BIOS password is unusable. This password is set on the motherboard itself, not on the hard drive, which means that not even a new OS installation will clear the password, and unfortunately, there’s no way around it.
Once you check out, we’ll send you a confirmation email with shipping instructions and a prepaid shipping label. If you prefer, we can also print and mail the label to you. All you need to do is to package your gadget with plenty of padding, attach our prepaid label to the box and drop it off at any UPS location. We highly encourage you to obtain a receipt from the UPS store clerk.
Pro tip: re-using your Amazon delivery boxes is a great way to minimize their environmental impact!
All packages are insured for up to $100, but customers are responsible for proper packaging. Gadget Salvation is not liable for damage or loss of goods in transit, and any damage due to poor packaging is not covered by UPS and upon receipt, we will have to revise your estimate based on the condition of the gadget.
Of course. Just log in to your account.
If you’ve received a prepaid shipping label but have not yet shipped your gadget, then there’s no need to cancel. We’re not charged for shipping labels until they’re scanned by UPS. If you’ve already shipped your gadget and would like to cancel your transaction, email us and we’ll be happy to help.
Don’t sweat it. As soon as your gadget is delivered and tested, we’ll email you with a revised estimate.
At Gadget Salvation, our mission is to contribute to the reselling market as much as possible so that we can diminish electronics waste. When we receive your gadget, we’ll give it a new life by repairing and selling it, or recycling the components by material type so they can be reused for other products. No gadgets end up in landfills.
Your payment will be sent within two business days of us receiving your gadget. Once we receive and inspect your gadget, we’ll send you an email with the following payment options:
- Company Check: Mailed via USPS Standard Mail (5-7 business days);
- PayPal, sent directly to your PayPal account using the email you have provided at checkout (instant);
- Venmo
- Zelle: Zelle enables us to send a wire transfer directly to your bank account. See if your bank uses Zelle
We cannot send payment until we receive and inspect your gadget, as the amount is subject to its condition.
