May 08, 2020 It is that time again. Time to decide whether to keep or replace your Mac laptop or desktop computer. If you are reading this article, chances are you've already come to the decision to replace your Mac with the newes model (or maybe you just got a new Mac as a present!), and you're thinking about selling your old one.
iPhone, iPad and iPod touch do not have centralised file systems. Instead, each app has its own folder called sandbox. An app's sandbox is not shared with other apps, and is not accessible from a computer.
However, some iOS apps let you access their sandbox's Documents folder. These are referred to as File Sharing enabled apps. Simply put, these apps let you browse, upload and download files in their Documents folder.
iTunes provides a limited and simplistic interface to add, copy, or delete files from file sharing enabled apps.
iMazing provides a much more full featured way of interacting with file sharing enabled apps, via USB or Wi-Fi. It greatly expands on what is possible with iTunes:
All file sharing enabled apps are not created equal. What app is right for you will greatly depend on the type of document you want to use it with. In this guide, we'll use FileApp, our free file manager and document reader, but the instructions below apply to any file sharing enabled apps such as VLC or Kindle.
Have a look at the Going Further section at the end of this article for a list of our favorite compatible apps.
Anyone who wants to easily and quickly copy files back and forth between their Mac or PC computer to their iPhone, iPad or iPod without iTunes.
Download and install iMazing on your Mac or PC computer
To transfer files from a Mac or PC computer to an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch:
💡Tips:
If you've backed up your device, you'll notice that you have a Backup folder in addition to the app's Documents folder.
In this folder you can browse backed up app files from the backup folder, even if the app is not sharing enabled. This is a great way to access data that is usually hidden, and find out precisely which files are included in your backups.
Not all apps support file sharing; it's up to the app's developer to enable file sharing.
You can filter out apps which are not compatible with file sharing: click Options in the bottom toolbar, and select Only show sharing enabled apps.
You can also check whether or not an app is file sharing enabled by looking at the icon of its Documents folder.
The Kindle iOS app, enables file sharing: it's Documents folder is accessible.
The Spotify iOS app, does not have file sharing enabled: its Documents folder is not accessible.
If your device is running iOS 8.2 or below, the sandbox of all applications is fully accessible. To protect user privacy, Apple disabled this in iOS 8.3.
Some of our favorite File Sharing apps are:
App | Price | Description |
---|---|---|
AudioShare | $4.99 | An audio file manager. |
Documents | free | An easy, beautiful, and free FileManager by our friends Readdle |
FileApp | free | A neat little file manager (OK, we made it!) |
GoodReader | $4.99 | One of the most popular iOS file managers. |
Infuse | free / $9.99 (Pro) | Best video player around |
Kindle | free | Great for PDFs and ebooks |
VLC | free | The most popular video player |
Source: iMore
It is that time again. Time to decide whether to keep or replace your Mac laptop or desktop computer. If you are reading this article, chances are you've already come to the decision to replace your Mac with the newes model (or maybe you just got a new Mac as a present!), and you're thinking about selling your old one.
The first thing you should do before hitting the streets to sell your old Mac is clear it of any and all personal data. You don't want to accidentally sell your computer to a stranger when you are still logged into iCloud.
The next step is to reinstall the Mac's operating system so that the new owner can get started without having to figure out how to start up in recovering mode. Believe me, that can be a pain.
If you're going through the process of erasing your old Mac and reinstalling the operating system, we've got some common troubleshooting tips to help you out. Don't forget to follow the additional steps if you're selling a MacBook with Touch ID.
If you're about to sell your old Mac, the one thing you don't want to do is to give away the data you've been storing on it all these years. It's a security and privacy thing for you, but it's also important for the buyer. If you leave behind anything that needs to be logged into with a password, that buyer is going to have to track you down and get your password in order to change ownership. A completely fresh-from-scratch Mac is the best way to do this.
If you already have your new Mac on hand, you can transfer all of your data from your old Mac or use an older Time Machine backup. If you don't have your new Mac yet, well ... then you probably shouldn't be selling your old one yet. But, if you really don't think you'll need your old computer before getting your new one, just make sure to back up your data so that nothing happens to it before you get what you need onto your new Mac.
The software you have on your Mac is licensed to you, which means it doesn't get transferred to the new owner of your computer (except the operating system). In order to avoid complications with the new owner attempting to download and install software that is licensed by you, make sure to sign out of everything your personal information is connected to.
Click on Sign Out.
Source: iMore
Click on Sign Out.
Source: iMore
Click on Apple ID (on macOS Mojave and older, click on iCloud).
Source: iMore
If you're keeping your Bluetooth devices, you don't want to leave them paired to a Mac that you're getting rid of. It isn't really that important of a step, but if you sell your old Mac to, say, a roommate or someone living in the same house as you, you may experience accidentally connecting back to it.
Note: If you're unpairing a keyboard, trackpad, or mouse on a desktop Mac, be sure to have a wired one plugged in or you won't be able to type or use a curser and you'll have to repair it all again.
Once your data is backed up and you've signed out of everything that might connect your old Mac to your personal information, you can erase everything on it by reformatting the hard drive.
Click on Continue.
Source: iMore
Repeat this process for all data disks under your startup disk. Do not use Delete Volume Group. Once you've deleted all of your data drives, you'll move on to erasing your startup disk.
Click Erase.
Source: iMore
After the process is complete, select Quit Disk Utility from the Disk Utility drop-down menu in the upper left corner of the screen.
Source: iMore
Source: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore
After you erase your hard drive it will be ready for a clean installation of the operating system. You should already be in the Utilities window after erasing your Mac. If not, restart your computer and hold down Command and R at the same time until you see the Apple logo.
Make sure to reinstall macOS through Recovery Mode, holding down Command+R. You may be asked to sign in with your Apple ID.
If you get stuck during reinstallation, see our troubleshooting section for additional help.
Note: Make sure your Mac is connected to the internet in order to verify the software. You'll be asked to do so during the installation process.
If, while reinstalling macOS, you're asked to enter a password, enter the password you use to unlock your Mac, not your Apple ID.
Click on Install to install the latest operating system that was on your Mac. Your Mac will restart after the installation is complete.
Click Shut Down to shut down your Mac.
Source: iMore
Your Mac is now clean and ready for a new owner. They will complete the setup instructions to get started using the Mac, as well as download the latest macOS operating system that is available and supported on their Mac.
I've gotten a lot of very specific questions about issues some readers have with erasing or reinstalling macOS (usually reinstalling). Sometimes, the easiest way to fix issues with reinstalling macOS is to start by holding Shift+Option+Command+R which will put your Mac into an alternate version of Recovery Mode that allows you to install the original macOS that came with your Mac. From here, you can either keep that operating system and let the new owner update to their preferred macOS, or go through the macOS update process.
If, during the macOS reinstallation process, the installer doesn't see your disk or says you can't install the operating system on the disk, you may need to try erasing your hard drive again. Restart your Mac and hold down Command+R to bring up Recovery mode and repeat Step 4.
Since macOS changed to APFS, some readers have struggled with which format option to choose when erasing their disk. Here are some other possible troubleshooting issues from Apple's support document that may help you.
If the built-in disk came APFS-formatted, don't change it to Mac OS Extended.
If you need to erase your disk before installing High Sierra or later for the first time on that disk, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled). During installation, the macOS installer decides whether to automatically convert to APFS—without erasing your files:
Choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for any disk that you plan to use with Time Machine or as a bootable installer.
If the other Mac isn't using High Sierra or later, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Earlier versions of macOS don't mount APFS-formatted volumes.
To learn which format is currently in use, use any of these methods:
If you're still having trouble with either erasing your hard drive or reinstalling macOS, please reach out to us in the forums. We have a wonderful community of Apple users that are happy to help someone in need.
Is there anything about resetting your Mac to prepare it for sale that you need help with? Let me know in the comments and I'll get you squared away.
Updated May 2020: Updated for macOS Catalina.
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