tinyapps.org / docs / Preparing a Mac for resale or donation (Sierra edition)

0. Deauthorize Mac in iTunes, turn off Find My Mac (if this step is missed reset NVRAM to disable Find My Mac), sign out of iCloud, and sign out of iMessage.
1. Securely erase internal storage, install macOS, create temporary admin account (e.g., tempuser), install apps and updates, etc.
2. Log in normally as tempuser and run:
   sudo dscl . -delete /Groups/admin GroupMembership tempuser
sudo dscl . -delete /Users/tempuser (no trailing forward slash after tempuser; otherwise "delete: Invalid Path" error returned)
3. Restart in Single User Mode (Cmd+S) and run:
   fsck -fy
mount -uw /
rm -R /Users/tempuser
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
shutdown -h now

Sources

• mklement0's answer to How would I write a script for OS X 10.9 that removes all users and restarts the initial setup?
• markbjohnson's answer to Anyone know how to reset Lion to the factory default ?
• 10.5: How to reset Leopard back to the Setup Assistant
• How to reset Lion back to the Setup Assistant

Regarding iLife and iWork apps

• UPDATE: iLife and iWork apps are now free for all iOS and Mac devices, so the points below are largely moot.
• This process does not preserve the iLife (iMovie, GarageBand) or iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) apps. If the new owner already owns these apps, s/he can download them free of charge from the App Store. Otherwise, they may need to be purchased.
• Preserving the iLife and iWork entitlement may be possible by following Apple's instructions in What to do before selling or giving away your Mac, which links to How to reinstall macOS, which advises starting from Internet Recovery (Option-Command-R), formatting the internal storage, and then selecting "Reinstall macOS". According to Apple, "This installs the system that came with your Mac when it was new. It isn't associated with your Apple ID, so the new owner can use the App Store to upgrade to a later version using their Apple ID." In limited testing, this process did not install the iLife and iWork apps, but it did cause them to appear under the Mac App Store "Purchased" tab ("You Have 5 Apps to Accept").
• Another possible approach, capturing and installing Mac App Store pkg files, may cause registration and update problems (as well as violate some EULA or other):
  • Downloading Apple's Server.app installer package
  • Save Installer From Mac App Store (Updates and New Apps)
  • 10.9 Deploying Mac App Store Packages
  • Accessing the Packages that underlie Apple's App Store
  • Deploying new iLife and iWork apps
  • Mac App Store .pkg file grabber
  • Downloading installer packages from the Mac App Store with AppStoreExtract
  • AppStore Extractor Script
  • (OS X) Save Mac App Store downloads as .pkgs
• See also:
  • iLife doesn't appear in "Purchased" after installing ML on a registered MacBook Pro
  • Accept bundled apps using the Mac App Store
  • Up-To-Date Program for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote
  • How To Get iWork Apps On OS X Yosemite For Free On Older Macs

created: 2017.02.18, updated: 2017.04.20