How to disable Activation Lock on broken and missing Apple hardware
Activation Lock prevents someone who hijacks your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or watch from hijacking it. Even after a device is erased, Activation Lock requires the person setting it up to enter the password for the associated Apple ID that has Find My enabled.
However, if you intended to sell or give away a device, or if you bought or received one that you were entitled to use, this can be quite frustrating. There’s an easy fix, as long as the owner of the hardware retains access to their Apple ID account — and if you’re not, if you can reach them.
With Apple, you can turn off Activation Lock through Find My on the iOS/iPadOS and macOS app or with Find My iPhone on iCloud.com. (It’s Find My device, really, but labeled “iPhone” on the site.) It’s an indirect process: you won’t find a label that says “Disable Activation Lock.” Instead, select your device and set it to erase.
On iOS/iPad in the Find My app:
- Select your device in the Devices list.
- Beat Delete this device.
- On the Erase Device screen, tap Continue.
- Skip entering your phone number as this is not part of any process to ship your device back to you.
- Beat Extinguish and confirm.
On macOS in the Find My app:
- Control-click or right-click your device in the Devices list on the left.
- Choose Delete this device.
- click Continue.
- Skip entering your phone number.
- click Extinguish and confirm.
To use iCloud.com:
- Go to Find My iPhone page.
- Enter your iCloud.com password when prompted.
- Select your device from the All Devices menu at the top center of the page.
- In the device information panel that appears, click Delete device.
- Confirm by clicking Extinguish.
Once you choose to erase a device, the next time it connects to the internet, the device will receive the command and erase itself. You will receive a notification. To finish removing Activation Lock, return to a Find My app or iCloud.com and remove the device from your Apple ID-linked hardware:
- iOS/iPadOS: Go to settings > Account designation > device name and type Remove from account.
- On macOS Mojave and earlier: Go to system settings > iCloud > Devicesselect the device and click Remove from account.
- On macOS Catalina through Monterey: Go to system settings > AppleIDselect the device in the left list and click Remove from account.
- In the upcoming macOS Ventura: Go to system settings > Account designationselect your device in the area under the device label and click Remove from account.
- On the Apple ID website: Go to Apple ID site, click log in and authenticate, click the Devices Link in the left list, select your device and click “Remove from account”.
Follow the confirmation prompts to finish removing your device. Only then is the activation lock disabled.
This Mac 911 article answers a question from Macworld reader John.
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