How Can I Wipe My PC Clean Before Giving It Away?

You want to donate your computer or pass it along to a friend or stranger, but worry that your personal data remains

Edward C. Baig,

AARP

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Published October 28, 2025

a laptop with a reset button surronded by the clicker icon and gloved hands holding cleaning bottles

AARP (Getty Images, 4)

AARP members and readers are invited to submit pressing technology questions they’d like me to tackle in my Tech Guru column, including issues around devices, security, social media and how all the puzzle pieces fit together. This week, I’m addressing a question on how to safely and securely give away an old computer.

I’ve just bought a new personal computer and would like to donate my old one, which still works, to a friend or someone who can use it. For privacy’s sake, I want to make sure nothing remains on the hard drive. Is it safe to manually delete files, or must I take extra steps?

I’m sure your largesse will be greatly appreciated by whomever you give the computer to, and if at the end of the day you decide to recycle it instead, that’s OK, too.

You are wise to question whether manually deleting personal files will suffice, given the understandable concerns nowadays about privacy and security. The quick answer is no.

A better decision is to reset the machine to factory settings, but only after ensuring that your photos, videos, documents and other files you need to preserve are safely backed up on your new computer, and, for added security, stored in a cloud (internet) service, and/or on an external storage device.

Keeping that in mind, here’s how to proceed.

Resetting Microsoft Windows PCs

On Windows 11 PCs, open Settings | System | Recovery | Reset PC. Since your intention is to give the computer away, select Remove everything as your next step. Choose the Clean data option to exorcise files and bleach the drive clean. Microsoft says this step can take some time, but in the end, it makes it more difficult for outsiders to recover whatever you’ve removed.

Even so, there’s a disclaimer: Microsoft cautions that erasing data according to the above steps is a consumer experience that “does not meet government and industry data erase standards.” In other words, crooks with sophisticated tools may be able to recover files.

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Take this as you will, but essentially it is up to you to determine the sensitivity of anything that could be exploited or used against you by a malicious individual with bad intentions. I’m presuming whomever you’re voluntarily giving the computer to does not fit that description.

If you are giving it to a stranger or someone you don’t fully trust, consider running third-party file-shredding tools such as CBL Data Shredder, BleachBit, Eraser or Secure Eraser. All promise an extra layer of security so that old files cannot be resurrected.

Let me also briefly note here that if you are resetting the computer because, say, it has been underperforming and it’s been some time since you installed an app or altered system settings, you can always choose the Keep my files option instead and retain the machine. Apps and settings are deep-sixed, but documents, photos and other personal data are retained.

I’ll also remind folks still using PCs running Windows 10, that while those computers may continue to work, Microsoft recently ended support for this older operating system and recommends, if possible, updating to Windows 11.

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Donating a Mac

As with a Windows PC, make sure to back up the contents of your Mac before restoring it to factory settings. And if the machine is covered by Apple’s AppleCare warranty program, remember also to either cancel that plan or transfer it to the new owner.

Then do the following: Click the Apple menu at the upper left corner of the screen and choose System Settings | General and scroll down to Transfer or Reset. If your computer is running an older Mac operating system, System Settings is listed as System Preferences.

Next, click Erase All Content and Settings. You’ll be asked to enter your administrative credentials and then click Unlock. Beyond removing the media and data from the machine, Apple reminds you of other consequences that will occur if you continue. All fingerprints used to unlock the machine via Touch ID will be removed, Bluetooth accessories will be unpaired, credit cards will be deactivated from Apple Wallet and location sharing will be turned off.

Click Continue if you’re still good to go.

When the process is complete, “Hello” is displayed on the screen, indicating that the computer is ready for its new owner.

Bonus tip: Summon AI by talking to your Windows PC

Over the last year or so, Microsoft has been promoting a class of personal computers known as AI PCs, which feature special hardware designed to leverage artificial intelligence. As part of a just-released software update, Microsoft says it is turning any Windows 11 PC into an AI PC that you can talk to. Utter the wake words “Hey Copilot” to activate a series of AI features without clicking or typing, and begin a conversation with Microsoft’s AI assistant.

Start by launching the Copilot desktop app or, on supported keyboards, by pressing the Copilot key.

Among those features is Copilot Vision, or the computer’s ability to “see what you see” on the screen and act accordingly, perhaps guiding you with step-by-step instructions on how to fix something.

For privacy reasons, you must opt in to this Copilot Vision feature. Microsoft states that no images are retained, transcribed, logged or used to train the company’s AI models.

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Edward C. Baig covers technology and other consumer topics. He previously worked for USA Today, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report and Fortune, and is author of Macs for Dummies and coauthor of iPhone for Dummies and iPad for Dummies. Follow him on LinkedIn; Threads; and X, formerly known as Twitter.