Have you ever bought a new laptop and have no idea what to do with your old one? Same. I was in this exact situation recently. I didn’t want to just toss my old laptop if there was a potential way to make money from it or put it to use somehow. That’s why I did some heavy research to find the best ways on how to make money off your old laptop which is our focus in this article!
What To Do With Your Old Laptop
Even if your laptop barely works, you would be surprised what you can still get it to do. However, there are a couple of boxes you need to check before getting your hopes too high.
- Is all of your data (files, pictures, etc.) backed up onto another laptop/drive/something?
- Does your old laptop start?
- Is the hardware still good? If you have to replace the hard drive, it could cost a little but it could be worth the returns you can receive from some of the options below. If you’re not sure how to look for this, try out some of the tests outlined in this article.
Once you answer these basic questions, I encourage you to look into each of the options below before choosing one. Although many of these could make you money, if you aren’t in a spot where you could use the extra cash, a lot of less fortunate people could find a lot of use in an old laptop. Some great places that accept old computer donations and give them to those who are less fortunate include:
Please keep in mind there are dozens of other helpful organizations that will take your old laptop off your hands and give it to those in need of one.
That said, let’s take a look at all of the options for your old laptop.
Options For Your Old Laptop
All of the options below assume that your laptop still starts, has fine hardware (or has been replaced), and that all of your personal items are off of the computer and stored elsewhere. If these are not the case for your laptop, they can either be fixed so you can follow along to the options below or you may have to try to just sell it for parts.
#1. Install Linux
When you do, the software gets rid of any bugs in the computer and overwrites your existing operating system and replaces it all with Linux which is similar to Windows and repels viruses. Your old laptop will be running faster than you’ve seen it run in years. Then your old laptop can easily be used again either by you to freelance and make some money side hustling OR it can be sold to make a dime. The decision is up to you but installing Linux will without a doubt make your old laptop shape up.
#2. Sell Your Spare Internet Bandwidth
You can monetize your old laptop by using it to sell your spare internet bandwidth. One of the interesting features of the modern economy is that your bandwidth has economic value. A number of companies will buy it from you for between 50 and 10 cents per gigabyte. Why is it valuable? Well, what these companies do is they maintain private proxy networks and sell the bandwidth to businesses who need it for research or other reasons. If you have unlimited internet and you want to pickup some extra money, its a good option.
Here are four companies that work reliably. You can download all four onto your laptop.
Peer2Profit
#3. Use It To Mine Crypto
If your old laptop has a decent graphics card, you might consider using it to mine cryptocurrency. A couple of options to look at here are Loadteam and Kryptex. Both of these are software that you can download on your laptop. They’re easy to install and run pretty much hassle free. You should be aware that mining crypto isn’t a panacea. Unless you have a dedicated mining rig and the cost of electricity in your local area is low, you likely won’t make a whole lot of money. Mining is also hard on your laptop – your processors and graphics cards tend to wear out.
#4. Create a Digital Picture Frame
Looking to amp up your home decor or give your loved one a really meaningful present or heck even make this and sell it for the right price? A digital photo frame could be the best option for you.
You will literally take apart the laptop piece by piece and turn it into something completely different than what it once was. The YouTube video above does a great job walking you through the exact process and there are dozens more if this specific video doesn’t do it for you.
The bonus part about this option is that since you are taking the laptop apart anyway, you can turn your hard drive into an external USB which is always nice to have that much extra storage.
#5. Build Yourself a Tablet
This option is definitely not for me because I am nowhere even close to an engineer. However, if you are, or if you enjoy taking apart and rebuilding items then this might be a great hobby for you. The linked instructions in the header do a great job explaining step-by-step exactly how to conduct this change.
Additionally, if you are a visual learner like me, use this video to help walk you through the process:
The benefit of a tablet is that if you want to sell it, a lot more people would rather a newer looking tablet than an older looking computer. It brings the street appeal if you will.
#6. Make it your HotSpot
This is possibly one of the best options for personal use and for selling if you ask me. In today’s world, every single person is always looking not only for internet connection but for a smooth and fast connection. Doesn’t it just feel weird and frustrating when you have to wait minutes for something to load on your phone? Prehistoric if you ask me.
That’s where this hotspot would come in super handy. You could bring it wherever you go or travel to to help curb any fear you had of lack of internet. You could also sell it to someone because let’s face it, they are scared of the exact same thing as you.
This tutorial linked in the header shows you exactly how to create a hotspot that you will greatly benefit from.
#7. Create Your Own NAS
What is NAS? Well, this means a network-attached storage system. Do you find yourself constantly running out of space on your computer or phone? Maybe it’s from pictures, documents, apps, etc. This NAS would allow you to store all of your files on your own network instead of the cloud and it would be accessible from your phone, PCs, tablets, etc. Additionally, it could be accessed from anywhere in the world that you are connected to.
This is something my brother did to help out our family. See my family takes a lot of pictures and we normally try to store them on google drive however we have really run up our storage limit so my brother creates a NAS with his old laptop and now every member of the family stores photos on there to get them off of personal devices like cell phones and tablets. It honestly has been put to such good use and I know for a fact the whole family appreciates it.
#8. Sell Sell Sell
Sell your old laptop! Seriously.
With sites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, Amazon, etc. there is no reason or excuse for you to not try to sell your old laptop. Maybe there is someone who absolutely loves to make tablets (see #5) out of old laptops and they would buy it or maybe they could use some of the spare parts in it.
Or maybe you do one of the above options prior to selling to get it in it’s best possible condition and then get a bigger payout afterward. Regardless, if you need the money you should definitely try to sell your old laptop rather than just letting it sit around in a cabinet somewhere.
You never know who could get use from it.
Final Thoughts
Whether you fix up your old laptop and keep it for yourself, sell it or donate it, the options are definitely plentiful for what it can be turned into. Without a doubt, the many options above prove how you can make money from your old laptop. There are lots of options and one of them is bound to suit your needs. With that, have you ever done any of the above options for your old laptop? If so, tell us about it in the comments!
What do you normally do with your old laptop?
For more reads, check out these recent articles!
Gina DiMasi
Gina DiMasi is an organizational finance whiz. Gina is an avid investor, educator and aficionado of bitcoin and other modern investments. In addition to being an all around nice person, Gina has a degree in personal finance studies from Framingham State University. When she's not running numbers or blogging up a storm, Gina actively volunteers with Habitat for Humanity.
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