There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to decide whether or not it's time to get a new computer. If you are at that crossroads and have decided to trade in your old Mac for a new one, you may be wondering how to upgrade to a new MacBook Pro. If you think it may be time to upgrade to the awesome 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 chip, the process of properly preparing your MacBook for an upgrade is pretty straightforward, After all, you don't want to lose any of your files, and you may want to sell your old MacBook for some cash to put towards your new purchase. Here are all our tips on how to upgrade to a new MacBook Pro.
How to prepare your old Mac for sale or trade-in
Are you planning on keeping your old Mac? If so, skip this step. If, however, you are planning on selling, trading in, or giving away your old Mac, you'll need to sign out of iCloud, iMessage, iTunes, and Find My Mac (especially Find My Mac), and reset your hard drive. Don't forget to back up your Mac before you erase the hard drive!
How to sell or trade-in your old Mac
If you're hoping to help cover the cost of your new Mac by selling or trading in your old one, make sure you physically clean it (get that grime off), clean the hard drive by wiping it and reinstalling a fresh copy of macOS, and then shop around for the best price for how much effort you want to spend on selling or trading it in. Don't forget to transfer your data from your old Mac to your new one before you hand the old one off to someone else.
How to purchase your new MacBook Pro
Of course, the biggest question is how to get that fancy new MacBook Pro into your life. You can order it online from Apple's website and in some circumstances, from Amazon at a discounted price (the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro is not yet available on Amazon at the time of writing).
Remember, whether you're using your new MacBook Pro for work, school, or fun. You're going to want the best MacBook for you. Take a look at all the options and make sure you pick the right computer for the task.
How to transfer data from your old Mac to your new MacBook Pro
If you want to keep the same settings, apps, files, folders, and accounts, you can easily migrate the data from your old Mac to your new one with Migration Assistant. This also works if you are switching from PC to Mac.
Any questions?
Do you have any questions about how to upgrade to a new MacBook Pro? Let me know in the comments, and I'll answer as soon as I can.
Updated December 2020: Updated for new MacBook Pro with M1 chip.
