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Platform compatibility

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Wipe a device

1

Open the device

Go to Devices and open the device details page.
2

Launch the wipe action

Click Actions > Wipe.
3

Select the wipe mode

Select the wipe mode (where applicable).
4

Confirm the action

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 former employee’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 the Apple Account settings

Open System Settings and select the employee’s Apple Account.
2

Sign out of iCloud

Sign out of iCloud — this disables Find My Mac. The employee’s Apple ID password is required.
3

Check Find My Mac

Confirm Find My Mac is disabled and no Apple Account session remains.
4

Back up data

Back up any data you need — the wipe is irreversible.
5

Launch the wipe

Launch the wipe.
6

Check Setup Assistant

After the device reboots, confirm it reaches Setup Assistant without showing the Activate Mac screen.
On an unsupervised Mac, never wipe before signing the employee 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 employee or Apple Support — see Recover a Mac stuck on the Activate Mac screen.