Activation Lock Issue

Refer to How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support There are only two ways to remove a lock:

#1 If you have the necessary information you can do this yourself by simply signing in with the owner account and password information. The school should have done this and What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support. If you do not have the required information then you can try method 2 —>

#2 I'll post this anyway but since you do not have the original receipt it probably won't help you.

Apple can completely reset a device if a person can provide sufficient evidence of valid ownership. Read the requirements and steps for an Activation Lock support request at: https://al-support.apple.com/#/additional-support Apple says you need to have "proof of purchase documentation” and “proof of ownership documentation”, but does not detail what currently constitutes proof other than it “must include the product serial number, IMEI or MEID.” User reports on this community indicate that typically Apple will ONLY accept an original receipt issued by Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller. Presumably this is the only kind Apple can authenticate against fraud since Apple is not involved in third party sales. Apple recommends that you "Keep your receipt after you buy an Apple device" --> Keep your receipt after you buy an Apple device - Apple Support

If Apple resets the device this will give you access to the device but won't restore access to the account used to lock it. There is nothing that can be done to expedite an Activation Lock request.

If you cannot unlock the Mac you can continue to use it if you can but eventually it may lock permanently and then you can only recycle it. If you cannot get the device unlocked then read this section from the very bottom of Apple Trade In - Apple :

"Does Apple offer recycling?

Yes. Apple Trade In lets you recycle any Apple device (including devices from Apple-owned brands) at any Apple Store and on Apple for free. That includes your batteries and old electronic products as well as free, on-demand packaging recycling for our commercial, education, and institutional customers. When we receive your device, it will be thoroughly inspected to determine if components can be recycled or reused. Whether recycled or reused, all activities relating to the processing of your device will be managed in an environmentally responsible way."

naemezure wrote:

• Hello,

I need help removing Activation Lock from my MacBook, which I purchased in person and have used for several years. The device is currently locked to my old school email, which has since been disabled. I no longer have the original receipt, as the purchase was linked to that school account.

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

I reset the MacBook and previously set it up with a different Apple ID, but it still shows the Activation Lock for the original school email.

• I attempted to sign in to the old Apple ID, but the school account is permanently disabled and cannot be recovered.

I understand that Apple typically requires proof of purchase for Activation Lock removal, but I no longer have the physical receipt. However, I can provide the serial number and detailed information about the device and its ownership history to verify that I am the rightful owner.

What are my options in this situation?

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Your only option is to recycle the device, since you can't access the old apple id that was used to set it up.

There is no way around it.

The lock requires the account that set it to also remove it. If you change the address used for an account that new address will function. Some people do not actually change the address but instead make a new account. They then are not using the same account to unlock the device. So it depends upon what you did. The old address doesn't even have to be active anymore, you just have to enter the one Apple expects to see.

I don't know about Bank of America. All I know is what Apple says, as I mentioned earlier, and what other users report. Even though Apple is pretty vague in what it says, I haven't seen anybody say they have ever found any proof other than an Apple certified receipt to be accepted. This is understandable since only Apple can verify the authenticity of something run through their system

naemezure wrote:

Do you think the Apple store would have some record of my purchase? I'm not sure if I want to recycle it.

Unless you purchased it from Apple, no. You would have to have the Apple Account information for the purchaser and even that might not help. When I bought my mini they took no personal information from me and the paper receipt I keep securely stored is the only proof of purchase I have.

You would have to contact the store but I am not optimistic they would still have a 6 year old receipt. Plus, as I said for my Mac I just bought, Apple has no official connection between me as my Mac's owner and my Mac except that I have a paper receipt in my files at home. If I were to go to the store and ask for a duplicate receipt they would have no way of knowing I was the actual purchaser. I don't know if they kept my name from my credit card in their database but my name certainly does not show on my receipt. If my Mac was stolen from me I would not want somebody to be able to go to a store (there's only 2 in town) and say, "Here's a serial number from my Mac. Can you give me a receipt for it?" If it had been an online purchase then that would probably have been different.