How To Turn Off Find My From Computer, iPhone, iPad, iPod, iCloud, Or Apple Watch

Find My, formerly known as Find My iPhone, is the security system that makes sure your device and its data are secure if it is ever lost or stolen.

In normal circumstances, you should always keep Find My switched on.

There are only a couple of reasons that you would turn off Find My:

• If you are trading in, selling, or giving away your device.
• If you are getting your device repaired or serviced.

On both of these occasions, the person being given the device needs to be able to access your device without being prompted for your Apple credentials. This means Find My needs to be disabled.

Luckily, Find My iPhone is really easy to turn off.

There are a number of methods to choose from – which we explain how to do step-by-step in this guide, including:

• On a Windows or Mac computer.
• Using a web browser.
• Via Apple Watch.
• With iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

Find out more:

• Everything you need to know about Find My
• Does Find My iPhone work when the phone is off?

Turn off Find My on a Windows computer

To remove Find My on a PC, do the following steps:

1. On your Windows computer open a web browser and go to iCloud.com.
2. If you have Two Factor Authentication turned on or you use a web browser that isn’t trusted, you will be prompted for an authentication code. So before you can sign in you need to either use a trusted browser or have access to another Apple device to receive the authentication code.
3.  After you’ve signed in, click Find iPhone.
4. When prompted, enter the password for your Apple account again then click the Sign In button.
5. Now, all your Apple devices will be located.
6. At the top of the screen, Click All Devices and select your device.
7. Next, click the Remove Device from Account.
8. On the dialog box that pops open confirm the removal.
9. Find My will be turned off on your device.

Turn off Find My on a Mac computer

On a Mac computer do the following:

1. At the top left, click the Apple menu.
2. On the drop-down menu, click System Preferences.
3. On the window that opens, click Apple ID.
4. On the left sidebar, click iCloud.
5.  On the right, scroll down and untick Find My Mac.
6. When prompted, enter your Apple ID and password.
7. Find My will be turned off on your Mac.

Turn off Find My using iCloud

To switch off Find My Device via the icloud.com website do the following steps:

1. On Safari, go to iCloud.com.
2. If you have Two Factor Authentication turned on, you will be prompted for your authentication code.
3. At the bottom of the authentication screen, click Find iPhone.
4. All your Apple devices will be located.
5. Once your devices have been located, they will appear on a map.
6. At the top of the screen, Click All Devices and select your device.
7. Next, click the Remove Device from Account.
8. On the dialog box that pops open confirm the removal.
9. Find My will be turned off on your device.

You can also use this technique to turn off Find My from another device.

Turn off Find My on iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

To turn off Find My on the Apple device itself, do the following:

1. Tap Settings.
2. Tap [Your Name] at the top.
3. Tap Find My.
4. Tap on Find My [device].
5. Tap the toggle to disable Find My [device].
6. When prompted, supply your Apple ID and password.
7. Find My will be turned off on your device.

Turn off Find My on Apple Watch

In order to switch off Find My on Apple Watch, you need to unpair it from your iPhone using the following steps:

1. Place the Apple Watch and your pared iPhone beside each other.
2. Open the Watch app on the iPhone.
3. Tap the My Watch tab.
4. At the top of the screen, tap All Watches.
5. Find the correct Apple Watch on the app, then tap the i info button opposite.
6. Tap Unpair Apple Watch.
7. When prompted enter the Apple ID and password.
8. Tap again to confirm you want the Apple Watch unpaired.

Once unpaired, Find My will be disabled on your watch.

What happens when I turn off Find My?

The purpose of Find My is to allow you to locate a lost or stolen device. This works because the device constantly supplies Apple with its current location. If the device is turned off or runs out of batteries it will show its last known location so it can be tracked.

In addition, Find My also includes a feature called Activation Lock which prevents an unauthorized person from erasing and reusing a device they found. It also protects your device’s private data from unauthorized access.

When you turn off Find My, you will be no longer able to track a lost device or prevent it from being reused with the Activation Lock. The only time it is advised that you switch off Find My is when you plan to sell, give away, or trade-in your Apple device.

For further information on Activation Lock see:

• • Apple iPod Touch Activation Lock
  • Activation Lock on Mac computers
  • Activation Lock on iPad
  • Activation Lock on iPhone
  • Activation Lock on Apple Watch