Find My Mac is an incredibly powerful security feature tied to your iCloud account. It allows you to track the physical location of your MacBook if it is stolen, remotely lock it, or even completely erase its hard drive over the internet. However, there are times when you might need to disable it. For example, if you are selling your Mac, trading it in, sending it to Apple for hardware repairs, or preparing to erase the drive manually, you absolutely must turn off Find My Mac first to remove the Activation Lock. Failing to do so will leave the computer permanently locked to your Apple ID.
How to Turn Off Find My Mac
You must have your Apple ID password handy to disable this security feature.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings from the drop-down menu (or System Preferences on older versions of macOS).
- Click on your Apple ID name/profile picture at the very top of the left-hand sidebar.
- In the main window on the right, click on iCloud.
- Scroll down through your list of iCloud apps and click on Find My Mac.
- A new window will slide down. Click the Turn Off… button next to the Find My Mac status.
- macOS will immediately prompt you to enter your Apple ID password to verify your identity.
- Enter the password and click Continue.
The feature is now disabled, and the Activation Lock is removed. Your Mac is now safe to be wiped, sold, or sent in for a logic board repair without any risk of it becoming permanently locked.