15 things to do with your old Mac or MacBook

Did you upgrade to a new Mac? In this guide, we will share some handy tips to repurpose your old Mac and use it in various other ways.

Continuing to use your old computer lets you squeeze the most value out of it and prevents it from turning into e-waste sooner than it has to. This is good for both your wallet and the environment.

Also see: 21 useful things to do with your old iPhone or iPad

1. Upgrade its RAM and SSD to make it better

If you have a relatively old Mac that feels slow, the first thing you should do is check if its RAM can be upgraded. If it can be, you should consider doubling it. For instance, you can go from 4GB to 8GB or more.

Similarly, if your Mac has a hard disk, you should change it to an SSD. You won’t believe how much faster your Mac becomes after this upgrade. Everything from booting up the computer to opening apps and switching desktops will feel snappier.

2. Use it as a DVD player

I have several CDs and DVDs with video recordings of important life memories, such as birthdays and anniversaries. Now, modern MacBooks like my Apple silicon MacBook Pro do not come with a CD/DVD drive, so I bought an external DVD drive from HP. Apple also sells one and calls it SuperDrive.

However, after my purchase’s return period was over, I realized I had an old 2012 MacBook Pro with a functional DVD drive. I checked, and it worked perfectly.

So, if you have some CDs, you should hold onto your old Mac and use it as a CD/DVD player. You can even copy content from these onto a pen drive, external SSD, or cloud storage.

3. Pass it on to someone who doesn’t need the latest features

You might need a Mac with more cores, RAM, and the latest M-series chip, but others in your family may not. Their work may involve browsing the web or creating a few slides, and your old Mac is perfectly capable of doing these things.

Similarly, if you have parents or grandparents, you can set up your old iMac in their house, and they can use it as a big FaceTime screen to connect with you and other family members.

So, instead of abandoning your old computer or selling it cheaply, you can explore the option of passing it on to a family member who can use it for at least the next couple of years.

4. Let kids use it for online classes or using educational apps

If you have kids in your household, you can give them your old laptop, and they can use it for online classes, watching YouTube, saving their essential school files, and similar tasks.

Tip: Mac comes with handy Screen Time features that you can use to set up parental restrictions.

5. Use it as a backup computer

I’ve been using Macs as my only computer for over a decade, and I can attest that they are reliable. However, I have seen a handful of reports on social media from people complaining about their Macs giving up on them out of the blue.

I hope you don’t ever face such a situation, but a backup is always recommended if you work from home or your job revolves around using a computer.

6. Put it in the guest room

If you have a guest room in your house or are in the process of building one, you can keep your old MacBook in it. Just remember to enable the Guest User account from System Preferences/System Settings or create a new guest profile.

7. Make it your Wi-Fi router

Dedicated routers are cheap and work reliably, so I would not recommend using your Mac as your primary Wi-Fi source in your house. However, if you have an Ethernet port in the basement or someplace where your regular router’s connection doesn’t reach, you can repurpose your old Mac to work as a Wi-Fi router.

Of course, this can also serve as a safety net for times when your main Wi-Fi router fails to work.

8. Use your Mac as an AirPlay screen

If your Mac runs macOS Monterey or later, you can use it as a big AirPlay screen for your iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, and even another Mac.

So, if you have an iMac or a Mac mini hooked to a monitor, you can watch content on the big screen instead of your mobile phone.

9. Use it as a storage device

While you always have the option to buy an external SSD or thumb drive, if your old Mac already has a 500GB or more drive, why not use it as a backup solution to store your files?

Unlike an external hard disk, your Mac has a screen, making it easier to preview the files, copy them, or send them via email, AirDrop, and more.

10. Use it as a CCTV camera or display

You can research online for ways to turn your MacBook’s webcam into a video camera. Apps like iSentry should help do this.

If you already have cameras installed, you can use services like SecuritySpy to set up a surveillance system and watch feed from multiple cameras.

11. Install Windows, Linux, or ChromeOS Flex on it

In addition to macOS, you can also install Windows, Linux, or ChromeOS Flex.

Repurposing your Mac by installing Windows is handy if you use a piece of software that’s only available on Windows and not macOS.

Secondly, if your old Mac with an outdated processor and limited system resources feels slow with macOS, installing a lightweight operating system such as the right Linux variant or ChromeOS Flex can make it usable.

12. Turn it into a file-sharing machine (NAS)

macOS has a built-in file-sharing feature that allows you to share all the files on your Mac or just the chosen folders with other users on your network.

You can store essential movies, shows, and other files on this computer and set up file sharing so people in your family or your small business can access them wirelessly on their respective computers.

13. Make it your Plex server for media streaming

You can also use Plex to turn your old Mac computer into a media server for your home videos, movies, photos, and music. Check out these guides from OWC and Plex.tv for further instructions.

14. Use it for parts

Not only for repairing another Mac of the same model, but you can also salvage essential components from your old Mac to use them elsewhere.

For instance, I took out the 500GB hard disk of my old MacBook Pro (when I upgraded it to an SSD) and bought an enclosure from Amazon, which has turned that internal hard disk into a nice external drive that I use with my iPad and current Macs.

Similarly, you can use the RAM sticks with other computers or even repurpose MacBook’s internal CD drive.

15. Sell or trade it in

Lastly, you can always sell your old Mac in person or through sites like eBay. Local computer shops, repair places, or resellers may also give you a good price after inspecting your computer.

Apple also offers the trade-in option if you do not want to go through the above route. You can use the trade-in amount to buy a new Mac or get an Apple gift card to purchase other items in the future.

Note that if your Mac is very old, Apple won’t provide monetary value but will offer you the option to recycle your computer for free.

On a related note: 10+ things to do before selling, giving away, trading in, or recycling your Mac

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