Erase a device in Find My on Mac
If your Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch is lost or stolen, or you’re planning to sell it or give it away, you should erase the device. To remotely erase a device, you must add it to Find My before it’s lost.
Tip: You can also erase a device online in Find Devices on iCloud.com.
What happens when you erase a device?
All of your personal content and settings are deleted.
Activation Lock remains on to protect your device. To turn it off, remove the device from Find My.
If you erase a device that had iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or later installed, you can use Find My to locate or play a sound on the device. Otherwise, you won’t be able to locate or play a sound on it.
You may still be able to locate your Mac or Apple Watch if it’s near a previously used Wi-Fi network.
See the Apple Support articles about preparing to sell, give away, or trade in your Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or AirPods.
Remotely erase a device
Go to the Find My app
on your Mac.Click Devices, select the device you want to erase, then click
on the map.Click Erase This Device.
Enter a phone number or message, then click Erase.
Enter your Apple Account password, then click Erase again.
If the device is offline, the remote erase begins the next time it connects to a Wi-Fi or cellular network.
You can also erase your Mac in Settings. See the Apple Support article Erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings.
Cancel an erase
If you erase a device that’s offline and find it before it comes online again, you can cancel the erase request.
Go to the Find My app
on your Mac.Click Devices, select the device whose erase you want to cancel, then click
on the map.Click Cancel Erase, enter your Apple Account password, then click OK.
Note: Finding devices isn’t available in all countries or regions.