What do I do before selling or giving away a device?

Deleting files does not remove them, and a factory reset does not sign you out of anything. Devices are regularly resold with recoverable personal data on them, and the order of operations is what prevents it.

Safety

Step by step

1. Back up everything first.Photographs, documents, messages, authenticator codes. Once wiped it is gone. Check the backup actually contains what you expect before proceeding.
2. Move your authenticator app before anything else.The single most damaging thing to lose. Transfer or re-register your two-factor codes on the new device first — recovery without them takes days.
3. Sign out of every account.The account tied to the device, cloud storage, email, streaming, banking. This is what releases activation locks, and doing it after the reset is much harder.
4. Deauthorise the device where it is listed.Remove it from your account's list of trusted devices, and from any software licences tied to a device count.
5. Turn off tracking and activation locks.Find My or the equivalent must be off. A device still linked is unusable for the new owner and they cannot fix it themselves.
6. Remove the SIM and any memory cards.Obvious and routinely forgotten. Also check for a second SIM slot.
7. Then factory reset.Now, not before. Choose the option that erases all content and settings rather than a simple reset.
8. Check the encryption on an older computer.Modern devices encrypt storage, so a reset makes old data unrecoverable. On an older unencrypted machine, use a secure erase tool or physically remove and destroy the drive.

Tips

• For a computer holding anything sensitive, removing the drive and keeping it is the only completely certain approach. Drives are cheap and a buyer can fit a new one.
• Check the device does not appear in your account's device list afterwards. It is a two-second confirmation that the sign-out worked.
• Recycle rather than binning it if it will not sell. Electronics do not belong in household waste and most councils take them.

Common mistakes

• Factory resetting before signing out — The activation lock stays attached to your account and the device is unusable for the new owner. Signing out afterwards is far harder.
• Assuming deleting files is enough — Deleted files remain recoverable on unencrypted storage. A full factory reset, or a secure erase on an older machine, is what actually removes them.

Questions people ask