What to check on a refurbished MacBook or Mac in Peru

When you buy a refurbished Mac, check four things as soon as it arrives. The Mac must not be tied to someone else's Apple account, must not have a firmware password, must not still be managed by a company, and its battery must be in the state you were promised. Before paying, also check whether the model still receives the current macOS version, because almost every Intel Mac has been left behind. In Peru there is no general right to return an online purchase, so run the tests within the trial period the shop gives you, if it gives one. Prices by shop are on the laptops page.

The checklist

Before paying, identify whether the Mac has an Apple chip or an Intel processor and look the model up in the macOS compatibility list.
Ask for the serial number and look it up in Apple's Check Coverage tool.
Ask the seller to confirm they removed their Apple account and any firmware password.
Read the shop's whole warranty.
When it arrives, photograph the package and the device.
Confirm that setup does not ask for someone else's Apple account.
Open System Settings > General > Management and confirm that no organisation appears.
Check the battery cycle count in System Information.
Check the battery condition in System Settings > Battery.
On a Mac with an Apple chip, use Repair Assistant if it was repaired or you are not sure.
Keep the box, packaging, receipt and warranty until the shop's return period ends, if it gives one.

What we found about Apple in Peru

The address apple.com/pe returned 404, and so did apple.com/pe/shop/refurbished, when we checked them on 1 October 2026. It is an absence we observed and not a statement from Apple, and we did not research whether Apple sells refurbished devices to customers in Peru by another route.

An independent shop may call its own inspection "certified"; check who certified the device. Among the shops we reviewed, KPDM sells new and refurbished MacBooks, iMacs and iPhones with "up to 1 year" of warranty depending on the product, and CompuOutlet sells business laptops, Apple among them, with a 6 to 12 month warranty per product. We did not confirm which Mac models each shop has in stock.

Activation Lock

With Activation Lock, the Mac asks for the device passcode or the Apple account password before Find My can be turned off, the Mac erased or reactivated. Apple warns that the lock stays active even if the content is erased remotely. Macs with an Apple chip or the T2 security chip have it, with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later.

If, when erasing or setting up the Mac, it asks for an account that is not yours, the device is still tied to the previous owner. Apple only offers to open a support request to turn the lock off for someone who has proof of purchase. We did not find an Apple page dedicated to buying a used Mac, like the one it has for iPhone.

Parts locked to another account

Apple warns that a used part, such as a battery, an integrated display, a front camera or a Touch ID sensor, may be protected by Activation Lock and linked to another person's Apple account. Until it is unlocked, it has no coverage under Apple's limited warranty or AppleCare, and Apple says it cannot help remove that lock. If your Mac has an Apple chip and was repaired or you are not sure, Apple says to use Repair Assistant to check for an unfinished repair. We did not confirm that it applies to every Mac.

Firmware password on Intel Macs

On an Intel Mac with a firmware password, someone who does not know it cannot start from macOS Recovery or from a disk other than the startup disk. If the seller does not remember it, Apple says to schedule an in-person service appointment at an Apple Store or an authorised service provider, with the Mac and the original receipt or invoice as proof of purchase. A second-hand buyer without that document can be left with no way out. Ask the seller to remove it before shipping. That password does not exist on Macs with an Apple chip.

Macs managed by a company

With the Mac already set up, go to System Settings > General > Management. If at the top it says "This Mac is supervised and managed by" followed by an organisation's name, the device is still enrolled with it.

Only that organisation can release it. We did not find an Apple page describing what the buyer sees when first setting up a Mac that is still enrolled, so we do not describe that screen.

The battery

To see the cycles, hold the Option key, click the Apple menu and choose System Information. In the Hardware section select Power. The cycle count appears under Battery Information.

In Apple's table, MacBook Pro models from mid-2009 and MacBook Air models from late 2010 have a maximum of 1,000 cycles. Older models have maximums of 500 or 300. Apple says the battery is designed to keep up to 80% of its original capacity when it reaches that maximum. Apple does not define an acceptable cycle count for buying; what it publishes is the design maximum.

The condition is in System Settings > Battery and has two messages. "Normal" means it works normally. "Service Recommended" means it holds less charge than when it was new or does not work normally. Apple warns that third-party apps that report battery condition may not be accurate.

Which macOS version it receives

macOS 27 (Golden Gate) came out on 14 September 2026 and only works on Macs with an Apple chip. According to Apple's list, it covers the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with an Apple chip from 2020 onward, iMac from 2021 onward, Mac mini from 2020 onward, Mac Studio from 2022 onward, the 2023 Mac Pro and the MacBook Neo.

macOS Tahoe 26 is the last version with full Intel support, according to an Apple document for system administrators. The Tahoe 26 compatibility page includes four Intel models.

MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2019
MacBook Pro 13-inch, 2020, with four Thunderbolt 3 ports
iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, 2020
Mac Pro, 2019

No Intel MacBook Air or Mac mini appears on that list. The same document says Apple will keep providing security updates for Intel Macs for three years, without saying from what date they are counted or which macOS version receives them.

We did not find end-of-support dates on the Apple pages we read. What can be observed in its security releases list is that Tahoe 26.7.1 and Sequoia 15.8.1 came out on 28 September 2026, and that the last Sonoma release is 14.8.9, from 6 August 2026.

Apple coverage by serial number

Apple's Check Coverage tool accepts a serial number and shows the device's coverage. The result shows what coverage Apple has on record for that serial number; confirm the shop warranty separately. It does not say whether the Mac was repaired with non-genuine parts.

Your rights in Peru

In Peru, Ley 29571 (the Consumer Protection and Defence Code) sets no warranty period in months. It distinguishes the legal guarantee, the explicit one, which is what the shop states on its page, in its advertising or on the payment receipt, and the implicit one, which applies when the shop says nothing (articles 20 and 21). The law does not use the word "reacondicionado". Its article 11 requires used, rebuilt or remanufactured goods to be flagged prominently, on the product, its label, wrapping or packaging, and on the payment receipt. If your Mac was sold as refurbished, ask for the receipt to say it is used or refurbished, and get the warranty in writing. Confirm the listing warranty directly with the seller.

In Peru there is no general right to return an online purchase without giving a reason. The 7-day period in article 59 applies only when the shop used aggressive or deceptive practices (article 58). The returns some shops offer are voluntary and are worth what each shop wrote, so ask in writing for the period, the conditions and who pays the shipping. KPDM states "up to 1 year" and its terms say products may carry a warranty according to their condition, so the term is per product. CompuOutlet states 6 to 12 months depending on the product. Confirm the term on the offer. If the shop gives a trial period, use it to check the Mac and do not use it as your own machine until you decide. If the product is not fit for its use because of defects or hidden flaws, or if the defects remain after the legal guarantee is honoured, article 97 gives the right to repair, replacement or a refund.

If the shop does not answer, file a complaint in its Libro de Reclamaciones, which it must answer within 15 business days. If it does not answer or you are not satisfied, go to INDECOPI (Lima 224-7777, regions 0-800-44040). The full route is in your rights when buying refurbished. The screen, port and sound tests are in what to check when it arrives.

Sources

The Apple pages were read on 1 October 2026. Shop warranties are what each site stated that day and may change. None of this replaces advice from a lawyer.