How To Turn Off Find My iPhone
Find My iPhone helps you locate a lost or stolen device, but sometimes you need to turn it off — when selling your iPhone, trading it in, sending it for repair, or troubleshooting iCloud issues. Here’s how to disable Find My iPhone in 2026.
How To Turn Off Find My iPhone on the Device
- Open Settings on your iPhone
- Tap your name at the top (Apple ID banner)
- Tap "Find My"
- Tap "Find My iPhone"
- Toggle "Find My iPhone" to Off
- Enter your Apple ID password when prompted
- Tap "Turn Off"
Find My iPhone is now disabled. Activation Lock is also removed, which means the device can be set up by someone else.
How To Turn Off Find My iPhone From Another Device
If you don’t have the iPhone with you (already sold it, lost it, or it’s broken):
From iCloud.com:
- Go to icloud.com/find on any browser
- Sign in with your Apple ID
- Click "All Devices" at the top
- Select the iPhone you want to remove
- Click "Erase iPhone" first (if you want to wipe it remotely)
- After erasing, click "Remove from Account"
- The device is now removed from Find My and Activation Lock is cleared
From Another Apple Device (Find My App):
- Open the Find My app on another iPhone, iPad, or Mac
- Tap the "Devices" tab
- Select the iPhone you want to remove
- Scroll down and tap "Erase This Device" (if needed)
- After erasing, tap "Remove This Device"
How To Turn Off Find My Before Selling Your iPhone
Before selling or giving away your iPhone, follow these steps in order:
- Back up your iPhone — Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now
- Sign out of iCloud — Settings → [Your Name] → scroll down → Sign Out → enter Apple ID password → tap Turn Off → Sign Out
- This automatically disables Find My and removes Activation Lock
- Erase the iPhone — Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings
- The iPhone is now ready for the new owner
Important: Signing out of iCloud (step 2) is the cleanest way to disable Find My because it also removes all your data from the device.
How To Turn Off Find My iPhone Without Password
You need your Apple ID password to turn off Find My iPhone. If you’ve forgotten it:
- Go to iforgot.apple.com
- Enter your Apple ID email
- Follow the steps to reset your password via email, security questions, or two-factor authentication
- Once you have your new password, go back and turn off Find My
There is no way to bypass the Apple ID requirement — this is an intentional security feature to prevent stolen phones from being unlocked.
How To Turn Off Find My iPad
The process is identical to iPhone:
- Settings → [Your Name] → Find My → Find My iPad → toggle Off
- Enter Apple ID password
- Tap Turn Off
How To Turn Off Find My on Mac
- Go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
- Click your name at the top (Apple ID)
- Click "iCloud"
- Scroll down and click "Find My Mac"
- Click "Turn Off"
- Enter your Mac login password, then your Apple ID password
When Should You Turn Off Find My?
You should turn off Find My when you’re selling, trading in, or giving away your device, when sending it for repair (Apple Store or third-party), when troubleshooting iCloud or activation issues, or when someone else will be setting up the device as new.
You should NOT turn it off just because you don’t think you need it — Find My protects your device and data if it’s ever lost or stolen, and it costs nothing to keep enabled.
Troubleshooting
"Turn Off" Is Grayed Out:
- Make sure you’re connected to the internet (WiFi or cellular)
- Check if Screen Time restrictions are blocking this: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Account Changes → must be set to "Allow"
Forgot Apple ID Password:
- Go to iforgot.apple.com to reset it
- If you have two-factor authentication, use another trusted device to reset
Can’t Remove Device From iCloud.com:
- Make sure the device is erased first, then try "Remove from Account"
- If the device shows as offline, you may need to wait until it connects to the internet
Tested on iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone SE (3rd gen), iPad Air M2, and MacBook Air M3 running iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3. Last updated March 2026 by the DevX editorial team.
