MacBook Pro locked as lost/stolen

C_a_m_i wrote:

Back in 2017, my ex gave me his used MacBook and I created a separate user with a separate Apple ID connected to it. We sometimes shared the computer, he would use his user and I would use mine.

I have

this weekend he erased and locked this MacBook as lost/stolen and I can no longer access. All my documents are there and I don’t have another computer to work. Is there a way for me to recover it? Or at least recover the data?

As you can imagine, I no longer communicate with this ex, he’s very abusive. I don’t know what to do. :(

If your Mac is lost or stolen

Find My for your missing Mac..https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204756

How do I unlock my Mac?

After you locate your Mac, you can unlock it with your passcode on iCloud.com. Make sure to use the passcode that you created when you locked it with Find My, not your device passcode.

Here's how to see the passcode that you used to lock your Mac:

—Sign in to icloud.com/find. 

—Select your Mac from the Devices menu. 

—Select Unlock. After you follow the steps to verify your identity, you'll see the passcode that you need to unlock your Mac.

You can look up your passcode for a limited time.

If you forget your passcode or can't verify your identity to see it, take your Mac to an Apple Authorized Service Provider along with your proof of purchase.

Hi C_a_m_i,

Thanks for those details. You're lucky that your Mac was made in 2017 or earlier; if it was made in 2018 or later it would support Activation Lock, which would persist after an erase and be tied to his Apple ID.

It's possible for your ex to only lock the Mac and not erase it. If he did choose to erase it though, unfortunately your data is most likely toast (unless you made a Time Machine backup earlier).

If you have sufficient proof of purchase, I would recommend bringing your Mac to the nearest Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider and asking them to remove the lock. (They do have a backdoor to the iCloud locking system, whether that is a firmware password, Activation Lock, or both.)

If you don't have sufficient proof, and if you can afford it, I would recommend purchasing a new Mac (ideally with the M1 chip for security and speed). Be sure to sign into iCloud using your own Apple ID and enable Find My Mac. This does two things:

• It allows you to track, lock or erase your Mac if needed.

• It enables Activation Lock, which prevents a thief (or your ex) from using your Mac even if it gets completely erased. Your Apple ID and password will be required before your Mac can be re-used.