{"id":8404,"date":"2022-08-02T15:20:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T19:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/?p=9305"},"modified":"2022-08-02T15:25:29","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T19:25:29","slug":"follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair\/","title":{"rendered":"Follow These Steps before Bringing Your Mac in for Repair"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It has finally happened. Keys on your MacBook Pro aren\u2019t responding, there\u2019s a crack on the screen, or the battery no longer holds enough of a charge to make it useful. A repair is in your future, which entails bringing the Mac to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider or shipping it back to Apple. Regardless of what repair approach you take, there are some steps that we\u2014and Apple\u2014highly recommend that you follow first.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Three reasons:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You need to protect yourself from data loss. The Mac could be lost or damaged while it\u2019s out of your control, or the repairs might require replacing the Mac\u2019s internal drive or logic board (or even the entire computer), even if you don\u2019t anticipate that as a fix.<\/li>\n<li>You need to protect your data from prying eyes. This is especially true if you store passwords in an insecure way. But you\u2019re using a password manager, aren\u2019t you?<\/li>\n<li>Apple needs to be able to use the Mac sufficiently to determine that it works.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you should do, if possible. Depending on what\u2019s wrong with your Mac, you may not be able to perform all\u2014or any\u2014of these tasks. If that\u2019s the case, complete as many as you can.<\/p>\n<h3>Back Up Your Mac<\/h3>\n<p>The one thing you must do is make a backup of your data, or preferably two. There\u2019s no guarantee that you\u2019ll get the same Mac back with the same internal storage. Since you\u2019re already backing up (right?!?), this should mostly be a matter of updating your backups.<\/p>\n<p>We recommend both using Time Machine and making a duplicate using an app like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shirt-pocket.com\/SuperDuper\/SuperDuperDescription.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SuperDuper<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/bombich.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Carbon Copy Cloner<\/a>. That second backup protects you against the first failing when you try to restore\u2014it\u2019s uncommon but not unknown. (A third backup to an online service like Backblaze is also a good idea, but it won\u2019t help in this scenario unless something happens to both your other backups.)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-9306\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-6.png 980w, https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-7.png 480w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"350\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If your Mac laptop boots but can\u2019t be used due to a broken keyboard or trackpad, remember that you can attach an external keyboard and mouse. Also, if a broken screen prevents you from using it, try using <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/guide\/mac-help\/transfer-files-mac-computers-target-disk-mode-mchlp1443\/mac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Target Disk Mode<\/a> to make your backup to another Mac.<\/p>\n<h3>Enable Guest Access<\/h3>\n<p>For some problems, the repair technician may need to verify that your Mac functions normally after the repair\u2014imagine trying to verify that each of the keys on the keyboard work. Don\u2019t give a repair tech your admin password if possible because that gives them full access to all your data.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, head to System Preferences &gt; Users &amp; Groups. Click the lock icon at the lower left of the preference pane to unlock the pane. Click Guest User in the sidebar and then select \u201cAllow guests to log in to this computer.\u201d Also, click Login Options and make sure Automatic Login is turned off (it\u2019s locked off when FileVault is enabled, which we strongly recommend) and Display Login Window As is set to List of Users.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-9310\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-1.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-8.png 980w, https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-9.png 480w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"382\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Turn Off Find My Mac<\/h3>\n<p>Apple says it can\u2019t repair a Mac that has Find My Mac enabled, presumably due to Activation Lock preventing certain types of fixes, although some people have pointed out that this requirement is also useful for proving that you own the Mac and know the necessary Apple ID password.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless, it\u2019s easy to turn off. Open System Preferences &gt; Apple ID &gt; iCloud and deselect the checkbox next to Find My Mac. Make sure to turn it back on when you get your Mac back.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9309\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"563\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Turn Off Your Firmware Password<\/h3>\n<p>Few people have enabled a firmware password, and Macs with Apple silicon don\u2019t support them, but if you have an older Intel-based Mac with a firmware password enabled, you\u2019ll need to <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT204455\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turn it off<\/a> before the Mac can be repaired.<\/p>\n<p>To do this, start up in macOS Recovery, choose Utilities &gt; Startup Security Utility or Firmware Password Utility, click Turn Off Firmware Password, and enter the firmware password when prompted. Quit the utility and then restart the Mac.<\/p>\n<h3>Deauthorize Your Computer for iTunes Store Purchases<\/h3>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to deauthorize your Mac before sending it in for repair, but it could save some headaches later on. Certain types of repairs might change the identity of the Mac in such a way that it\u2019s no longer authorized but takes up one of your five authorizations. Authorizing another Mac could require that you first deauthorize all your computers, which you can do only once per year. Luckily, deauthorizing a Mac is easy to do.<\/p>\n<p>In either the Music app or the TV app, choose Account &gt; Authorizations &gt; Deauthorize This Computer. Sign in with your Apple ID, and click Deauthorize when prompted. The same submenu lets you authorize the Mac again when you get it back.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-9311\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-3.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-10.png 980w, https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-11.png 480w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"397\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>For Extra, Extra Security<\/h3>\n<p>Those whose Macs contain truly sensitive data (you know, patient records, corporate trade secrets, space laser access codes, etc.) may wish to take additional steps to ensure that there\u2019s no way that data could be compromised. The first step is to turn on FileVault, which encrypts the entire contents of the Mac\u2019s internal storage. This is quick and easy on <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT208862\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Macs with T2 chips<\/a> or Apple silicon, where it piggybacks on the fact that internal storage is already encrypted. On older Macs, encrypting a large drive can take many hours.<\/p>\n<p>In an ideal world, of course, you would have turned on FileVault as soon as you started using the Mac. If that\u2019s not the case, turn it on now\u2014we\u2019ll wait. That may be sufficient if your data is sensitive but not life-changingly sensitive. If you\u2019re storing the equivalent to the keys to Fort Knox, take the next step, which is to erase the Mac after making your backups. The best way to do this varies:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Newer Mac:<\/b> On a Mac with a T2 chip or Apple silicon running macOS 12 Monterey, open System Preferences, click the System Preferences menu in the menu bar, and choose Erase All Content and Settings to launch Erase Assistant. This approach \u201cerases\u201d all your data by destroying the encryption keys necessary to decrypt the data; it\u2019s extremely quick and secure.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9308 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"645\" height=\"484\" \/><\/li>\n<li><b>Older Mac:<\/b> For a Mac without even a T2 chip or one running an earlier version of macOS, boot into macOS Recovery and use Disk Utility to erase the internal drive and reinstall macOS. If you\u2019re erasing a hard drive, click the Security Options button and choose how many passes of random data and zeroes to write to the drive: two, three, or seven. These extra passes take a long time, and the option isn\u2019t available for SSDs, which can\u2019t be securely erased other than by turning off FileVault.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-9312 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"415\" height=\"211\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Needless to say, when you get the Mac back, you\u2019ll need to restore from your backup. That will be time-consuming, but it\u2019s a small price to pay for peace of mind.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t go overboard, though\u2014almost no one needs to worry about this level of security, and if you do, you probably work for an employer with policies and practices to protect data. For the rest of us, it\u2019s just a matter of being sensible and cautious by making a backup, enabling guest access, and turning off Find My Mac.<\/p>\n<p>(Featured image by iStock.com\/Rawf8)<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Social Media: It\u2019s no fun to have to get your Mac repaired, but if that\u2019s necessary, read our advice about steps to take beforehand to ensure the safety and security of your data.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It has finally happened. Keys on your MacBook Pro aren\u2019t responding, there\u2019s a crack on the screen, or the battery no longer holds enough of a charge to make it useful. A repair is in your future, which entails bringing the Mac to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider or shipping it back [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,69,106,25,112,185],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-apple","category-apple-consulting-ct","category-apple-support-ct","category-mac","category-mac-support-ct","category-mactech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8404"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8416,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8404\/revisions\/8416"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}