Unregistering a Mac

When you perform a synchronization to your .Mac account, any Mac you use to initiate a sync is automatically registered with your .Mac account. If you sell your Mac or otherwise don't want a computer associated with your .Mac account (for example, if you sync a temporary user account set up on a friend's computer), you can unregister the computer from your .Mac account so that it's no longer eligible for synchronization.

To Unregister a Mac

1.	From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences. The System Preferences application launches, and the main System Preferences window opens.
2.	Click the .Mac icon. The .Mac pane opens, with the Account tab selected.
3.	Click the Advanced tab. The .Mac Advanced preferences load, showing all computers registered for synchronization with your .Mac account (Figure 8.15). Figure 8.15. The Advanced pane lets you control which computers are authorized to synchronize with your .Mac account, as well as reset synchronization data.
4.	From the Registered Computer list, select the computer that you want to unregister, and click the Unregister button. A dialog slides down, asking if you're sure that you want to unregister the selected computer (Figure 8.16). Figure 8.16. Before you're allowed to unregister a computer, a dialog slides down to ask if you're sure and to warn you of the consequences (which are minor). Click Unregister.
5.	Click Unregister. After a short wait, the selected computer is unregistered and no longer appears in the list (Figure 8.17). Figure 8.17. After you unregister a computer, it no longer appears in the Registered Computer list.
6.	From the System Preferences application menu, choose Quit System Preferences (Command-Q) to quit the application and save your .Mac Sync changes. System Preferences quits.

Tip

• Unregistering doesn't require logging in to your .Mac account from the computer you want to unregister. You can do it from any Macintosh. If the Mac you're using isn't registered to your .Mac account, you'll have to register it temporarily, and then just select it along with the Mac you originally wanted to unregister, and unregister them both.