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Platform compatibility

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Wipe a device

  1. Go to Devices and open the device details page.
  2. Click Actions > Wipe.
  3. Select the wipe mode (where applicable).
  4. Confirm the action.
The device receives a Wipe pending status. Once acknowledged, it updates to Wiped.
On macOS, a remote wipe erases all user data and reinstalls macOS from recovery. The Mac returns to factory defaults.
  • If the device has Activation Lock enabled, disable it first or confirm a valid bypass code is escrowed — see Activation Lock bypass.
  • For zero-touch deployment devices, the Mac automatically re-enrolls on first boot.
  • Otherwise, the employee must re-enroll manually.
Before wiping: release Activation LockIf Activation Lock is still active when the wipe completes, the Mac reboots to the Activate Mac screen and asks for the previous user’s Apple ID. On supervised devices the escrowed bypass code unlocks it, but on unsupervised (manually enrolled) devices the code can be a false positive — see the three scenarios.While the device is still accessible and unlocked:
  1. Open System Settings and select the user’s Apple Account.
  2. Sign out of iCloud — this disables Find My Mac. The user’s Apple ID password is required.
  3. Confirm Find My Mac is disabled and no Apple Account session remains.
  4. Back up any data you need — the wipe is irreversible.
  5. Launch the wipe.
  6. After the device reboots, confirm it reaches Setup Assistant without showing the Activate Mac screen.
On an unsupervised Mac, never wipe before signing the user out of iCloud. If Find My was enabled before MDM enrollment, no valid bypass code exists and the device will lock on the Activate Mac screen. Recovery then requires the former user or Apple Support — see Recover a Mac stuck on the Activate Mac screen.