Disabling Find My stops Apple from tracking your device location and sharing it with your contacts
Find My is Apple's built-in location service that lets you track your own devices and see where your contacts are. It works across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirTags. When you turn it off, Apple stops recording your device's location, and anyone you've shared your location with will no longer be able to see where you are. You can disable Find My entirely, or turn off just the location sharing part while keeping the ability to find your own devices.
The steps differ slightly depending on what device you're using and whether you want to disable the whole feature or just location sharing with contacts.
Key Takeaways
- Find My has two parts: the ability to locate your own devices, and the ability to share your location with contacts — you can turn off either one separately.
- On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My to turn off location sharing or disable Find My entirely.
- On Mac, open System Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Find My and uncheck the box next to your device name.
- If you turn off Find My completely, you won't be able to locate a lost device using iCloud.com or another Apple device.
- Turning off Find My does not affect other location services like Maps or weather apps — those have separate settings.
How to disable Find My on iPhone or iPad
Open the Settings app and tap your name at the top of the screen. Tap Find My. You'll see two options: "Find My iPhone" (or "Find My iPad") and "Share My Location."
To turn off the entire Find My feature, tap Find My iPhone and toggle it off. This prevents Apple from tracking your device's location for recovery purposes. To keep Find My on but stop sharing your location with specific people, tap Share My Location and toggle it off instead. You can also tap into this section to remove individual contacts from seeing your location without disabling the whole feature.
If you've set up Family Sharing, disabling Find My may affect whether family members can locate your device in an emergency. Consider whether other people in your household rely on this feature before turning it off completely.
How to disable Find My on Mac
Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions). Click your name in the sidebar, then click iCloud. Look for Find My Mac in the list and uncheck the box next to it.
If you don't see Find My Mac listed, your Mac may not support the feature, or it may already be disabled. Older Mac models and some configurations don't include Find My. You can verify whether your Mac supports it by checking Apple's official specifications for your model.
What happens when you turn off Find My
Once Find My is disabled, you lose the ability to locate that device using iCloud.com, the Find My app on another Apple device, or by asking Siri. If your device is lost or stolen, you won't be able to track it down remotely. You also won't receive notifications if someone tries to locate you.
Disabling Find My does not affect other location services. Maps, weather apps, and location-based reminders will continue to work normally because they use separate location settings. If you want to keep those services but disable Find My specifically, you don't need to change anything else.
Turning off location sharing without disabling Find My
If you want to keep the ability to find your own devices but stop sharing your location with contacts, you have that option. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Share My Location and toggle it off. On Mac, the process is the same — uncheck "Share My Location" in the Find My section of iCloud settings.
You can also manage location sharing on a per-person basis. In the Share My Location section, you'll see a list of people who can see your location. Tap or click any name and select "Stop Sharing My Location" to remove just that person without affecting others.
Re-enabling Find My later
If you change your mind, you can turn Find My back on using the same settings path. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My and toggle the feature back on. On Mac, open System Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and check the box next to Find My Mac again. You'll need to sign in with your Apple ID to re-enable it.
When you turn Find My back on, it does not automatically restore your previous location-sharing settings. You'll need to manually add back any contacts you want to share your location with.
Why someone might disable Find My
People disable Find My for different reasons. Some want to prevent location tracking entirely for privacy reasons. Others are concerned about what happens if their Apple ID is compromised — disabling Find My means a person with access to their account can't locate their devices. Some people disable it temporarily while traveling or when they're concerned about their physical safety and don't want their location visible to anyone.
The trade-off is that you lose the ability to find a lost or stolen device. Whether that trade-off makes sense depends on your own situation and how much you value that recovery option.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I turn off Find My, can someone else still track my device?
No. When Find My is disabled, Apple stops tracking your device's location entirely. No one — not Apple, not your contacts, not someone with your Apple ID — can locate your device through Find My. Other tracking methods exist (like cellular carriers or law enforcement with a warrant), but Find My specifically will not work.
Does turning off Find My affect Family Sharing?
Yes. If you disable Find My, family members won't be able to see your location or find your device through the Family Sharing feature. If you want to keep Family Sharing but disable location sharing with other contacts, turn off "Share My Location" instead of disabling Find My entirely.
Will I still get location-based reminders if I disable Find My?
Yes. Location-based reminders use a different system than Find My. They rely on your device's general location services, which remain active even when Find My is off. You can manage location-based reminders separately in the Reminders app settings.
Can I disable Find My on just one device but keep it on others?
Yes. Find My settings are per-device. You can disable it on your iPhone while keeping it enabled on your iPad and Mac. Each device has its own toggle in its settings, so you control them independently.
What's the difference between disabling Find My and turning off location services?
Turning off location services entirely disables location for all apps and features on your device. Disabling Find My only turns off Apple's tracking feature — Maps, weather, and other location-based services continue to work. If you want to keep those services but disable Find My specifically, toggle off Find My in Settings rather than disabling location services as a whole.