Activation Lock is designed to prevent others from using your Mac if it's lost or stolen.
Activation Lock helps keep your Mac secure, even if your Mac is lost or stolen, and can improve your chances of recovering it. With Activation Lock, your Apple ID password or device passcode is required before anyone can turn off Find My, erase your Mac, or reactivate and use your Mac. Even if you erase your Mac remotely, Activation Lock can continue to deter others from reactivating your Mac without your permission. All you need to do is keep Find My turned on and remember your Apple ID and password.
To enable Activation Lock, turn on Find My
If your Mac meets the Activation Lock system requirements, just turn on Find My to enable Activation Lock. It remains enabled as long as you keep Find My turned on. Learn more about Find My.
macOS Ventura or later
Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
Click your name (Apple ID) in the sidebar.
Click iCloud on the right.
Click the Show More Apps button (or Show All button) on the right, then click Find My Mac and turn it on.
Earlier versions of macOS
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.
Click Apple ID.
Click iCloud in the sidebar.
Select the Find My Mac checkbox on the right.
To disable Activation Lock, turn off Find My
To disable Activation Lock, turn off Find My. Can't turn off Find My?
macOS Ventura or later
Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
Click your name (Apple ID) in the sidebar.
Click iCloud on the right.
Scroll down and turn off Find My Mac, then enter your Apple ID password when prompted.
Click the Show More Apps button (or Show All button) on the right, then click Find My Mac and turn it off. Enter your Apple ID password when prompted.
Earlier versions of macOS
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.
Click Apple ID.
Click iCloud in the sidebar.
Deselect the Find My Mac checkbox on the right, then enter your Apple ID password when prompted.
If you can't turn off Find My
If you can't turn off Find My in iCloud settings, use one of these other methods to disable Activation Lock:
Use the Erase All Content and Settings feature to erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings.
If your previously owned Mac shows an Activation Lock window that asks for someone else's Apple ID, the previous owner may need to remove Activation Lock for you.
System requirements for Activation Lock
Activation Lock is available on Mac computers with Apple silicon and Mac computers with the Apple T2 Security Chip. Additional requirements:
On a Mac with Apple silicon, the security policy must be set to Full Security, the default setting.
On a Mac with the T2 chip, startup security must be set to Secure Boot and “Disallow booting from external or removable media", the default settings.
Published Date:
