Turning off Find My iPhone removes the remote lock and location tracking from your account
Find My iPhone is a feature built into iCloud that lets you locate, lock, or erase your device from another Apple device or a web browser. To turn it off, you go to iCloud settings on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, find the Find My section, and toggle it off. The process takes about two minutes and does not affect your other iCloud services like email, photos, or backups.
You might turn off Find My iPhone if you are selling or giving away a device, troubleshooting a technical problem, or straightforward do not want Apple tracking your location. Once it is off, you lose the ability to find your phone if it is lost or stolen, and anyone with your device can use it without needing to enter your Apple ID password during setup.
Key Takeaways
- Find My iPhone is turned off in iCloud settings under Find My, not in the Find My app itself.
- You must know your Apple ID password to turn off Find My iPhone on your device.
- Turning off Find My iPhone does not delete your iCloud account or affect email, photos, or other iCloud services.
- If you are selling your device, you should turn off Find My iPhone and sign out of iCloud completely before handing it over.
- You can also turn off Find My iPhone remotely from iCloud.com if you no longer have access to the device.
How to disable Find My iPhone on your iPhone or iPad
Open the Settings app and tap your name at the top of the screen. Tap iCloud. Scroll down and tap Find My. Tap Find My iPhone. Toggle the switch off. You will be asked to enter your Apple ID password to confirm. Type it in and tap Turn Off.
The toggle will turn gray, and Find My iPhone is now off on that device. If you have multiple devices linked to your iCloud account, you must repeat this step on each one if you want to disable Find My on all of them. Turning it off on one device does not affect the others.
How to disable Find My iPhone on your Mac
Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings (on macOS Ventura or later) or System Preferences (on older versions). Click Apple ID or iCloud, depending on your macOS version. Click iCloud in the sidebar. Find Find My Mac in the list and uncheck the box next to it. You may be asked to enter your Apple ID password.
On a Mac, the feature is called Find My Mac rather than Find My iPhone, but it works the same way. Once unchecked, your Mac will no longer be trackable through iCloud or the Find My app.
Disabling Find My iPhone remotely from iCloud.com
If you no longer have access to your device, you can turn off Find My iPhone from any web browser. Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID and password. Click Find My in the app grid. Click Find My iPhone. Select the device you want to disable from the list on the left. Click the device name and select Remove from Account.
This removes the device from your iCloud account entirely, which also turns off Find My iPhone for that device. The device will no longer appear in your Find My app or on iCloud.com. If you later want to use that device again, you will need to set it up as new or restore it from a backup.
What happens after you turn off Find My iPhone
Once Find My iPhone is off, you can no longer locate the device using the Find My app or iCloud.com. You also cannot remotely lock the device or erase it. If the device is lost or stolen, there is no way to track it through Apple's system.
The device will not be locked to your Apple ID during setup, which means anyone who has it can use it without entering your password. This is why it is important to also sign out of iCloud completely before giving a device to someone else. To do this, go to Settings, tap your name, scroll to the bottom, and tap Sign Out. You will be asked whether to keep or delete your iCloud data on the device.
Preparing a device for sale or transfer
If you are selling or giving away your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, turn off Find My iPhone first, then sign out of iCloud, and finally erase the device completely. This order matters because erasing the device while Find My is still on can lock it to your account, making it unusable for the new owner.
Go to Settings, tap General, tap Transfer or Reset, and tap Erase All Content and Settings. You will be asked to enter your Apple ID password one more time. The device will restart and be ready for the new owner to set up as their own. This process removes all your data, accounts, and settings from the device.
Troubleshooting Find My iPhone problems
If you cannot turn off Find My iPhone because you forgot your Apple ID password, you can reset it at iforgot.apple.com. You will need access to the email address or phone number associated with your account. Once you reset your password, you can sign back into iCloud and disable Find My iPhone.
If the toggle for Find My iPhone is grayed out or will not respond, make sure you are connected to the internet and that you are signed into iCloud with your Apple ID. If the problem persists, restart your device and try again. If you still cannot disable it, contact Apple Support for help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will turning off Find My iPhone delete my iCloud data?
No. Turning off Find My iPhone only disables the location tracking and remote lock features. Your iCloud email, photos, documents, and backups remain in your account. You would need to sign out of iCloud or delete your account separately to remove that data.
Can I turn off Find My iPhone if I do not remember my password?
You can reset your Apple ID password at iforgot.apple.com using your email address or recovery phone number. Once you reset it, you can sign back in and disable Find My iPhone. If you cannot access your recovery email or phone, contact Apple Support.
What if someone else has my device and I want to turn off Find My iPhone?
You can disable it remotely from iCloud.com by signing in with your Apple ID, clicking Find My, selecting the device, and choosing Remove from Account. This will turn off Find My iPhone for that device, though the person holding it will still be able to use it.
Does turning off Find My iPhone affect the Find My app?
Turning off Find My iPhone on a specific device removes that device from the Find My app. You will no longer see its location or be able to control it. The Find My app itself remains on your other devices and continues to work for those devices.
Can I turn Find My iPhone back on after I turn it off?
Yes. Go back to Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, tap Find My, tap Find My iPhone, and toggle it back on. You will need to enter your Apple ID password again. Your device will be trackable through iCloud and the Find My app once more.