What to Do With Old iMac [2023 Complete Guide]

Here we offer you guidance on what to do with old iMac.

All devices slow down as they age. At some point, the device would completely cease functioning, which is typically after around five to six years. The longevity of the device may vary according to the model as well, and it typically lasts shorter if its specifications weren’t impressive in the first place. When the device completely ceases function, you can either recycle it or just forget about it altogether. However, for Apple products like iMac, you have the option to return them to an Apple store. Doing so gives you more options than usual. You can let them recycle for cash or for free or even trade it in the store.

What to Do With Old iMac

Before you can dispose of the old iMac, there are a couple of things you must first do with your old iMac so you can safely and properly dispose of the device. Read on as this article tackles what those are and what to do with old iMac.

Part 1: Still in A Good Condition: Sell or Trade

If your old iMac is still in a good condition, perhaps due to not using it regularly, you can sell or trade it to someone else.  Of course, you’ll have to do a couple of things before you can actually sell or trade it. Here’s a checklist of what you must do:

• Provide information about the iMac: To find potential buyers, you must first figure out what kind of iMac you’re selling. After all, the buyers would most certainly want to know what they’re getting. You can start by looking at the serial number underneath the iMac. Then, check this site and enter the serial number there to figure out the model of your iMac. This information is important when listing the product on marketplaces like eBay.
• Find a marketplace: The next thing you must do is find a suitable marketplace for your iMac. Ideally, it should be a marketplace that treats second-hand product sellers well. eBay and Craigslist are some examples of these marketplaces. You simply have to create an account on those platforms and list your iMac there.
• Find a seller/buyer: If you intend to trade the iMac, instead of listing it in the marketplace, you can instead look for items you want to buy. For instance, if you wish to buy a new phone, you can look for one on the Facebook marketplace and similar platforms. Once you’re there, look for a product that you think has roughly the same price as what you’re selling the iMac for. Then, contact the seller and negotiate whether you can trade your iMac with what they’re selling. Of course, you’ll encounter a ton of people who only accepts cash, but it’s worth a shot.

It might be a hassle, but it also allows you to get back a portion of the money you used to buy the iMac long ago, so it’s definitely worth the time and effort. This is the best answer if you’re wondering what to do with old iMac if it’s in a good condition.

Part 2: In A Decent Condition: Donate

On the other hand, if the iMac is usable but you think it’s not in a condition that others will be willing to pay for, you can instead donate it to a charity. Many local charities and youth centers accept computers. You can very easily donate your old iMac by looking for one that accepts that specific product. You can either arrange for them to pick it up or if you have time to spare, you can deliver it to the charity yourself. Donating is much easier than selling or trading since you don’t have to look for and register an account on a marketplace, list the product, and find a buyer. But of course, you might be required to provide some information on the old iMac, such as its model. This is simply so they can list it on their records of received items.

Part 3: Already Broken: Recycl

If the old iMac is simply too broken to be used, selling, trading, and donating is out of the question. After all, that would require the computer to actually be usable. Your option now is to recycle the junk for scraps. You can do it yourself if you have the experience, but we suggest sending it to an electronics company so they can recycle it themselves. If you want to keep the recycled parts, you can pay for it, though in reality, you’re paying for their labor of recycling. But if you don’t, the service should be free as they get to keep the scraps. There’s no reason to not recycle a broken iMac since electronics shouldn’t be in bins.

Part 4: Make A Server Out Of It

Though it’s not exactly the most popular option, you can actually use an old device to make a server. This is because as broken as the iMac might be, its CPU and RAM should still be usable, and these are the two resources that you need to make a server. If you can manage to make a server out of the old iMac, you can use it to host your own website or run a server on a video game you regularly play, like Minecraft. But of course, we won’t be discussing how to do it since it’s relatively difficult.

Part 5: Erase Personal Traces With Mac Cleaner

When you’re selling an item to another person, you must perform an action called depersonalizing. It’s basically the practice of erasing all the personal traces in the item you’re selling, which in this case, is the old iMac. The idea behind it is to provide the new user the joy of being able to personalize the item. It’s very much like how when a person is selling a car, they delete the GPS data and get rid of all their personal belongings. You may not need those items, but by taking them away, you’re giving the new user a blank canvas. The same goes for computers. You can do this very easily with Mac Cleaner.

Mac Cleaner is modular software designed to help with cleanups. It can delete unnecessary files and speed up your Mac, but most importantly, the software can erase private data. To use the software, here’s what you need to do:

Step #1: Set Up Mac Cleaner on Your Computer

Before anything else, you must get the software by going to the official download page of Mac Cleaner. On that site, click the Download Now button. This will prompt the download of a DMG file, which you must then open to run the installer. Follow the onscreen instructions and once it’s complete, the software should automatically open.

Step #2: Choose the Erase Private Data Module

There are six modules in the Mac Cleaner software, namely (1) Clean Up Junk, (2) Delete Large Files, (3) Delete Duplicate Files, (4) Erase Private Data, (5) Speed Up Your Mac, and (6) Manage Apps & Extensions. Each module has different features and functionalities. But for the purposes of this guide, you’ll only need the Erase Private Data module, which allows you to scan for usage and online traces. Since your goal is to erase your personal traces on the computer, it’s the perfect module for your objective. To select the module, simply click on it from the left sidebar of the interface.

Step #3: Click the Scan Button

Upon selecting the module, blocks of text will appear at the center of the software. It’ll explain how the module works, so you can read it if you want to learn more about it. To proceed to the next step, however, you need to click the Scan button.

Step #4: Choose a File Category and File/s

Once the software finishes its scan, it’ll take you to the next screen where you’ll find five different options, and these are:

• Online Traces are files that contain your browsing history and Wi-Fi connection history.
• Usage Traces refer to your Finder usage and search history.
• Chat Data correspond to the files containing your iMessage chat history.
• Photo Junk includes files from the Face and Photo cache.
• Mail Attachment refers to the files attached to the emails you received on your email apps.

To proceed, select an option from the five of these. Once you do, you’ll get a list of items on the right side. The list will consist of apps, files, and other things you can erase. Simply select an item by clicking the corresponding checkbox.

You can also include all items in the list by clicking the box for Select All.

Step #5: Erase the File/s

Once you’re done selecting the files you wish to delete, click the blue button at the top-right corner of the interface which should say Erase. This will finalize the process, though it may take a few minutes to execute the command.

It’s normally not easy to completely wipe the personal traces on your computer. You usually have to go from one app to another to clear their cache, but with software like Mac Cleaner, as you can see, it’s actually rather easy.

Conclusion

At first, you may have thought that the only thing you can do with your iMac is to hide it somewhere on your computer and just forget about it completely. But now, you should have realized that there are other things you can do with it, especially if you involve an Apple store. However, keep in mind that there’s no right answer on what to do with old iMac. It depends on what you want to do. You can trade it, sell it, or recycle it, the choice is up to you. Let this article serve as simply a way to make you aware of your available option.