how to wipe a windows 10 computer before selling

This makes the computer a lot more aesthetically appealing, and that makes it easier to sell.

As we've talked about before, you should do a few simple things: Wipe down the computer, clean out the keyboard, clean the screen, and pop it open to clean out dust from the inside. Not only will it likely sell for more if it looks good, it might also run a little smoother. You don't need to worry about registering the software or anything else, but if you have to prove the computer is in good working shape, just create an account with a simple username and passwords (admin/password works), and tell the buyer to delete the account once he or she decides to buy.įinally, clean up the computer and make it as nice as possible before you sell it. If you're selling on Craigslist, you might want to create a dummy user account so you can show the person buying the computer that it works. Just power off your computer when it asks your to create a user account and you're good to go. If you're selling a computer online at a site like eBay, you can stop at the new user creation screen. Once you're done reinstalling the operating system, it's up to you how far into the setup process you want to go. While the chances of someone having your password after you securely delete your hard drive in the next step is slim, it's a good idea to make the process of someone logging into your accounts impossible from the start. Likewise, it might be a good time to clean up the services you enabled two-factor authentication on. This includes programs like the Adobe Creative Suite, Amazon's Kindle Apps, and files you download from online stores like iTunes.

Next, deauthorize any digital software or files you have. Regardless of what method you choose, make sure you run the backup before you do anything else so all your files are up to date. If you're going to go a little while between computers, a cloud backup solution like Crashplan might be a good bet, and it's very easy to back up and restore your data.

Alternately, you can easily back up your data to an external hard drive. If you just need to hold onto a few files, Dropbox (or any cloud storage service) will do the trick. How you do this really depends on what you have on your computer.

The first thing you want to do is make sure you back up everything you need.

How to wipe a windows 10 computer before selling