Checking a Second-Hand MacBook surface with that in the software. Click on > About this Mac.

Please make sure that the serial number shown here is the same
as the one that is printed on the surface of the machine.
1 Physical Damage
2 System Boot If the laptop is a few years old, the chances are that it may be
3 Serial Number covered under warranty or an Apple care agreement. To find this
4 Drive Errors information, click on https://checkcoverage.apple.com/.
5 Other System Settings
6 Run Apple Diagnostics Drive Errors
7 Battery Condition Use Disk Utility to check the drive for errors. Check its S.M.A.R.T.
8 WiFi & Bluetooth status in Disk Utility (at the bottom of the Disk Utility window),
9 Display and also use it to verify both the filesystem structure and
10 Keyboard & Trackpad partition map health. Unfortunately hard drives can often hide
11 FireWire, USB, audio ports areas of corruption and other potential problems, especially in
12 Optical drive (if present) the few minutes you might spend in assessing a system. If you
13 Camera have access to a robust drive testing utility like Drive Genius or
14 Reseting Software Tech Tool Pro, then you can have it check the drive for errors
a. iCloud more thoroughly. However, if not then it's not the end of the
b. Firmware Password world. Ultimately if the hard drive is corrupted and needs
c. PRAM/NVRAM Reset extensive repair, then you can replace it with a new one (though
d. Factory Reset this might affect your negotiated price or your decision to buy).

Other System Settings

Physical Damage
Check the screw heads that hold the case together to see if
someone has stripped or marred them at some point, which may
indicate they were too rough on the system when replacing RAM
or a hard drive. While dings and scratches happen at times and
don't usually indicate a problem, be sure the case isn't severely
warped or bent. The display lid should close and match up evenly
to the bottom case, and the system should not have any rattles
or loose-feeling components in it.
For some MacBook systems, Apple includes two graphics
processors. Go to the Energy Saver system preferences and then
run the system with the "Automatic graphics switching" option
both checked and unchecked, which will toggle between the two
GPUs. Open the System Information utility and ensure in the
Graphics/Displays section that the system's "Color LCD" switches
between the different graphics cards when you change these
modes (you will need to refresh the information window's view
by pressing Command-R when changing modes).

In addition to obvious physical damage, check the display hinges.
The MacBook displays have a clutch mechanism that should
keep the display open at any supported angle, especially if the
system is on a flat surface. If the display falls shut or open and
will not stay without being propped up, then it is likely it was
tampered with or abused at some point.
Check any latches and hatches to see if they function properly,
and check any built-in buttons (keyboard keys, power button,
and so on) to see if they are loose or otherwise not working
properly.
System Boot
Be sure the system boots up fully. The system should make a
boot chime when you press the power, and then boot fully to an
OS X installation (the speed of this process will be different
depending on the system, but it should load to an OS X desktop).
If OS X is not installed, then you can use your external hard drive
preloaded with OS X to boot the system and test it out (hold the
Option key at startup to select the boot drive).
Serial Number
This number is found on the bottom of the Macbook towards the
hinge. Compare the serial number that you see on the machine’s
Make sure that the computer has the expected amount of RAM.
Run Apple Diagnostics
1 Disconnect all external devices except keyboard, mouse,
display, Ethernet connection (if applicable), and connection
to AC power.
2 Make sure that your Mac is on a hard, flat, stable surface with
good ventilation.
3 Shut down your Mac.
4 Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold the D key
on your keyboard. Keep holding until you see a screen asking
you to choose your language. When Apple Diagnostics knows
your language, it displays a progress bar indicating that it's
checking your Mac
5 Checking your Mac takes 2 or 3 minutes. If any issues are
found, Apple Diagnostics suggests solutions and
provides reference codes. Note the reference codes before
continuing.
6 Choose from these options:
a. To repeat the test, click ”Run the test again” or press
Command (⌘)-R.
b. For more information, including details about your
service and support options, click ”Get started” or press
Command-G.
c. To restart your Mac, click Restart or press R.

1
 d. To shut down, click Shut Down or press S.
If you choose to get more information, your Mac starts up from
macOS Recovery and displays a web page asking you to choose
your country or region. Click ”Agree to send” to send your serial
number and reference codes to Apple. Then follow the onscreen
service and support instructions. When you're done, you can
choose Restart or Shut Down from the Apple menu.
This step requires an Internet connection. If you're not connected
to the Internet, you'll see a page describing how to get
connected.
If holding down the D key at startup doesn't start Apple
Diagnostics:
1 If you're using a firmware password, turn it off. You can turn
it on again after using Apple Diagnostics.
2 Hold down Option-D at startup to attempt to start Apple
Diagnostics over the Internet.
Battery Condition
Run it unplugged to see how the battery holds up.
To evaluate the battery condition of the machine, you can Click
on Applications > Utilities > System Information. On the System
information screen, click on “Power” and look for the condition
and cycle count under the Health Information. Please make sure
that status says Normal, and there is ample count remaining on
the device. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201585 shows
you the maximum battery cycle counts based on different
Macbook models.
WiFi & Bluetooth
Check that WiFi & Bluetooth work correctly.
Display
Open a word processing document so you have a white surface
to move around on the display to ensure all of the pixels are
working properly (be sure to scrutinize corners and edges). You
might have an easier time checking each RGB component of the
pixels by using a program to draw a pure green, blue, and red box
and then move them around on the display. Try to find a dark
background or object on the screen you can move around and
then search for a white pixel on the screen. Do the opposite for
black pixles.
If a pixel is not working properly, then it should stand out as a
darker or different colored spot. While sometimes a dead pixel or
two is unavoidable, if there are groups of stuck pixels then that is
clear indication of a problem.


Keyboard & Trackpad
Type each key character and ensure it works properly. Open the
system's keyboard viewer panel to ensure each key-press is
properly registered, which will help for non-character keys like
the function keys, escape key, and modifier keys.
Progressively press each key on the keyboard and make sure
something comes up on the screen at the same time you press
2
the key. Also make sure it has a solid “bump” as you press the
key down since dirt under the keys can be very expensive to get
out and shows extreme wear from previous owner.
Test Space and arrow keys as these are more exposed and more
common problem keys than the rest of them for some reason.
Ensure the Space key works evenly across the whole key, not just
center.
Check the trackpad and ensure it makes a proper click when you
depress it, and also that it tracks smoothly. Sometimes over time
trackpads can wear out and take barely any pressure to invoke a
click, and result in a trackpad that constantly selects things or
clicks buttons. Apple's multi-touch trackpads are made of glass,
and while they are relatively difficult to break, sometimes this
can happen and result in a crack that sometimes can be easy to
overlook, so be sure to check the edges and corners of the
trackpad.
The Apple keyboard and touchpad are exceptional and they
should never have any quirky feeling to them.
FireWire, USB, audio ports
Ports on systems can get worn out or blocked by foreign objects,
which can be a problem when trying to use peripheral devices or
other hardware. Use a flashlight to check for blockages or bent
pins, and also check their functions.
Attach an external hard drive to each USB and FireWire port on
the system and ensure it is properly recognized. Do the same for
headphones and the microphone jack, to ensure they work and
automatically switch the input source or output source when a
device is attached (open the Sound system preferences to see
these switch behaviors and test the microphone setup). In
addition test the internal microphone and speakers as well.
Optical drive (if present)
Use your DVD and CD to ensure the optical drive reads them
properly, and optionally try to burn a blank CD or DVD. You can
use the Finder to burn a few files quickly by dragging them to the
inserted blank media and clicking the burn icon.
Camera
Open Photo Booth or Facetime to see if the camera is in a
working condition. If you see a message that says “There is no
connected Camera,” it might indicate issues with the camera unit
and might need some exploration.
Reseting Software
iCloud
Make sure that the seller has removed his or her iCloud account
from the Macbook and that the find my Mac feature has been
disabled.
Firmware Password
Apple's systems support a hardware-based password, which if
enabled will prevent the system from booting to Safe Mode,
Single-user mode, and perform other tasks that can aid in both
the configuration and troubleshooting of the system. While the
password can be reset on some systems by removing a hardware
component such as RAM and then starting the computer, Apple
has made this more difficult in its recent systems. Therefore,
ensure the firmware password is disabled when you purchase the
system. To test for a firmware password, start up the system and
immediately hold the Option key after you hear the boot chimes.
If the system shows a boot menu with available boot drives and
arrow buttons then there is no password set; however, if it
displays a password prompt with a lock icon then the password
has been set.

You can also reveal the firmware password by logging in as an

administrator and running the following command in the
Terminal all on one line (thanks to MacFixIt reader
"davidwtbuxton" for contributing to this command):

python -c "print ''.join(chr(int(c,16)^170) for c in

'`sudo nvram security-password`'.split('%')[1:])"


However, if the system is a newer one from 2011 or later then

Apple will have to reset the password, so be sure to check for the
presence of one and have the original owner clear it if possible.

PRAM/NVRAM Reset
Resetting the PRAM and NVRAM is always a good step when
testing out an older machine. Sometimes you may need to do an
SMC reset if there are weird issues with the display or keyboard
backlight.

Factory Reset
If you went ahead and found a great deal and seller and now you
have a new-to-you MacBook or Mac, the next step is setting it up
as your own. Depending on where you purchased it and whom
from, you might need to perform some additional steps.

If you are concerned about the seller potentially getting any of

your personal and private information, perform a factory reset on
your Mac, if it wasn’t already done by the seller. Check out
https://appletoolbox.com/factory-reset-macbook-air-macs-
macos/ for in-depth steps on how to do that. We highly
recommend you do this if it was not completed by the seller.
After you Factory Reset, upgrade to the macOS or OS X version
you want.