remotely remove apple id from macbook

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Level 1

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remotely remove apple id from macbook

My Macbook 12 (2017) won’t turn on anymore. It’s completely dead. I am sending it in for repair but they want me to remove it from the ‘find my’ app so they can access/ repair my machine.

I have two options there:

-erase this machine

-remove this machine

What is the difference? I am not sure what the repairshop needs to access my machine ( I asked ofcourse but no clear answer).

Is my Apple-id removed when I choose ‘remove this machine’ or is the macbook just not showing in the ‘find my’ app anymore? And after it is connected to the internet again it shows again?

I have a (2 day old) back-up so I could also erase my SSD harddrive (from the iCloud website).

If I first remove my machine from the ‘find my’ app, is it still possible to erase my machine after that?

Thanks

MacBook, macOS 10.14

Posted on Nov 18, 2021 6:14 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Limnos

Level 10

411,379 points

Nov 18, 2021 6:47 AM in response to objektør

This talks about iPhone but it's probably similar:

If you no longer have access to your iPhone, you can remove a device from Find My iPhone on iCloud.com. --> https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/remove-a-device-mmfc0eeddd/icloud --> "You can use Find My iPhone on iCloud.com to temporarily remove a device from the Devices list or turn off Activation Lock on a device you have already given away or sold."

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Answer 2

Nov 18, 2021 7:08 AM in response to objektør

Since it won’t turn on there is nothing you can do to that Mac itself (including erasing the SSD since it has to power on in order to erase it).

You can login to www.iCloud.com in any browser and remove it from the Find My app there. However, to disable activation lock so they can perform repairs you will need to login at https://appleid.apple.com/ and remove it from your trusted devices there as well.

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Answer 3

objektør Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 18, 2021 7:50 AM in response to Limnos

Thanks. I don’t think there is activation lock on my Macbook (2017). It is on Macos Mojave (monterey on a another volume) and it does not have a T2 chip.

I can remove the Macbook from the list but it is temporarily as you said. As soon as it is connected to the internet (eg at the repairshop if they can fix it), it shows again. What’s the point then to remove it? What does ‘remove this device’ actually mean???

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Answer 4

objektør Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 18, 2021 9:36 AM in response to Limnos

On my iPhone under - settings- AppleID, my Macbook shows as well. There I found ‘remove from account’. I wonder if this is the same as ‘remove this device’ in the ‘find my’app, which is what the repairshop asks me to do. Confusing.

I would like to remotely erase my ssd/ harddisk. It looks like that I can do this from iCloud.com. There is an option ‘erase Mac’.

But if I first ‘remove from account’ then I might not be able to use ‘erase Mac’ afterwards maybe?

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Answer 5

Limnos

Level 10

411,379 points

Nov 18, 2021 11:55 AM in response to objektør

As noted earlier, if the Mac is completely dead then all remotely erasing will do is tell Apple/iCloud to erase the disk in the unlikely scenario the Mac should ever wake up. It really is too late to do anything about erasing it now.

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Answer 6

objektør Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 18, 2021 1:56 PM in response to Limnos

I have sent it in for repair with the hope they can get it back to life. If that happens ( no idea how) and they connect it to the internet the erasing will start. AFAIK now they told me they will need to format the SSD anyhow. So I think that ‘remove this device/ remove from account’ will let them get access to the machine since it is not on my Apple ID any longer.

Thanks for the help

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