How to verify a Mac, every way.
Reference guides on the tools and checks Mac buyers and sellers actually use. Apple's free checks, Macfax's signed report, third-party diagnostics, and the gaps between them.
What each Mac check actually does.
Mac diagnostic, explained
What a Mac diagnostic actually tests, what the free Macfax Basic report covers (identity, Apple Coverage, Activation Lock, MDM, spec match), and where Premium's hardware burn-in fits in.
Read the guide →Apple Coverage Check, how to read it
Every result state checkcoverage.apple.com can return, what 'Estimated Purchase Date' actually means, the common error cases, and what Coverage Check leaves out.
Read the guide →Activation Lock check before buying
How to confirm a Mac isn't bound to a prior owner's iCloud account, how Find My Mac and MDM enrollment interact with Activation Lock, and what to do if the answer is wrong.
Read the guide →
How Macfax fits next to the alternatives.
Macfax vs Apple Coverage Check
Apple's free Coverage Check validates a serial. Macfax verifies the device that bears it. Side-by-side: what each one tells you, and what each one cannot.
Read the comparison →Macfax vs PDF reports
PDF inspection reports are forgeable in 30 seconds. A Macfax report lives at a URL bound to one specific Mac. Comparison and the threat models each one covers.
Read the comparison →