How do I erase everything from my device?

For your safety and privacy, we factory reset and format every device as soon as it reaches our inspection bench. Doing it yourself first is still the right move.

Reset This PC (Windows 10 and 11)

The built-in reset is the easiest way to erase everything and is fine for most sellers.

1. Open Settings, then go to System › Recovery. On Windows 10 it is Update & Security › Recovery.
2. Under Reset this PC, click Reset PC, then choose Remove everything.
3. When asked, choose Local reinstall, or Cloud download if you prefer a fresh copy.
4. Click Change settings and turn Clean data to On. This overwrites the drive so files are much harder to recover. It takes longer but it is worth it.
5. Confirm and let it run. The device restarts and rebuilds Windows to a clean out-of-box state.

Clean Install From a USB Drive

For the most thorough wipe, boot from Windows installation media and reformat the drive during setup. This also strips any manufacturer bloatware. You will need an 8GB USB drive and Microsoft's free Media Creation Tool.

Once the USB is ready, shut the device down, then power it on and immediately tap the boot menu key for your brand:

Select your USB device from the boot menu. When Windows setup reaches the drive step, delete the existing partitions and install to the unallocated space. That reformats the drive and permanently erases the old files and software.

No luck with the boot key? You can also boot from USB through Windows: go to Settings › System › Recovery › Advanced startup, click Restart now, then choose Use a device and pick your USB drive.

Erase a Mac the Right Way

Modern Macs make this easy. On any Mac with Apple silicon or a T2 chip running macOS Monterey or later:

1. Open System Settings, or System Preferences on older versions.
2. Go to General › Transfer or Reset.
3. Click Erase All Content and Settings and follow the prompts.

This signs you out of your Apple ID, turns off Activation Lock, and wipes the drive in one step, which is exactly what you want before selling.

On an older Intel Mac without a T2 chip, sign out of iCloud and turn off Find My first, then restart into Recovery by holding Command + R at startup, open Disk Utility, and erase the internal drive before reinstalling macOS.

Phones and Tablets

The same rule applies: sign out before you wipe, or the lock survives the reset.

• iPhone and iPad: go to Settings › General › Transfer or Reset [device] › Erase All Content and Settings. Signing out of your Apple ID first clears Activation Lock. If the device has an eSIM you will be asked whether to keep or erase it: erase it, then contact your carrier to move your plan.
• Android: remove your Google account under Settings › Accounts to clear Factory Reset Protection, then use Settings › System › Reset options › Erase all data. Samsung phones put this under Settings › General management › Reset, and other makers vary slightly.