You've heard this story before. I purchased a used MacBook from a pawnshop. The sale was final, and it's stuck with an activation lock to an iCloud account that's not mine. I started the process with Apple to remove the lock, and they denied my request. I believe this is because the receipt I provided was from the pawnshop and not the original one that came with the computer. Before several people comment yOu sToLe iT, I didn't. It was a legitimate purchase. I have accepted that this computer will not get unlocked. But what do I do with it?

You can't clear the Apple ID off the MacBook with some sort of system restore. The parts are serialized, so selling this for just parts seems inefficient. And I don't think there's a refurbisher that accepts locked devices like this. Is there genuinely no way these things can be repurposed?

I found a M1 MacBook Pro on eBay purchased it and now it has been delivered. However upon powering it on it seems that it is iCloud locked, waiting on an activation. I have looked into this but turned up with nothing. I looked at iRemove tools to bypass it but it only works on the Intel MacBooks. I also have seen a usb configurator for like $200 that bypasses the lock if you open up the MacBook and take out the chip and insert it into the configurator. Though I feel like at that point it’s just not worth it. Is there maybe like a third party service where I can send it in and they unlock it for you?

Hi, what to do with this M1 16" Macbook Pro, it belonged to a russian guy who left the country after the war has started, I'm from Czech republic. Police won't search beyond the borders. So what to do now, any chance to get contact for the real owner. The seller that sold it to me has already blocked me so he is deffinitely not the original owner.

I purchased a second hand macbook pro, i’ve been having battery issues since purchasing it. I even spoke to apple help who did the screen control but still the battery was draining quickly. I decided to reset it to factory settings however, I cant get past internet recovery because it goes into activation lock and it’s the old owners icloud. They’re not responding anymore to my messages so i’m stuck! I have the proof I purchased it on ebay but will this be enough?

The photos on the ebay purchase does include the serial number as well .

Hello,

I bought a broken for parts Macbook Air m1 and I was able to at least partially repair the logic board but now I'm stuck at activation lock.

I asked the previous owner to erase remotely from his phone and he did but I still get the Activation Lock.

I've done this before in older macs were you just asked to create a pin code to unlock after the erase but seems to be different with newer models.

There any way for him to disable this without being physically present or providing me with his iCloud details (which I'm not comfortable asking)?

As someone that buys broken devices for repair attempts and refurbishing I got learn what is the exact process so I can deal with this situations.Thanks

I have a pair of MBP with M1 chips that were returned to me with activation locks still in place from the previous users. Is there a way to bypass this and factory reset these machines? I've been looking around and all signs point to GFY, but here I am asking the community anyway.

I bought a 2020 M1 MacBook Air recently on Facebook marketplace. The seller showed me it working in a public area, and we did some performance tests and verified that it would suit my needs. So she factory resets it and I buy it, but when I got home I found that it has activation lock on it. I tried to erase it in the recovery menu, but that's also locked behind her Apple Id. She is not getting back to me after 2 weeks, and I can't unlock it. Is there any way around this?

So I would like to preface this by stating clearly: I reported it to Apple, and they determined it is not a security concern. Obviously this is a major security concern for all Intel Mac devices, as it requires no exploitation and cannot be patched, due to the fact that it is possible to reinstall earlier, unpatched Mac versions.

Explanation:

This vulnerability exists because of two reasons; the firmware, which is stored on the actual device hard disk, and the fact that iCloud does not conduct token validation between iCloud and the device itself.

The lack of token validation means that after doing the bypass on the Mac device, it is automatically unlocked on the iCloud account used to lock it, without any user or account validation.

In the best case scenario, this means that the anti-theft measure is completely irrelevant. In the worst case scenario, if someone steals your Mac and knows your password, they have access to everything on your system, even if you flag the device as lost.

I have no idea why Apple does not consider this a security concern, but it is a concern, and one that they apparently have no intention of resolving, or at least acknowledging as an issue in that report. You, as a Mac user, deserve to know the risk.

Be careful with your Mac devices, folks.

Edit:

Actual process:

1. Lock your Mac in Find My, using a different device.

2. Allow the device to reboot to PIN code screen. Power it down.

3. Hold Command-Option-R, wait until the password prompt. Power down.

4. Boot up. You’re at the user login screen and the device is now unlocked on your iCloud account.

It’s unpatchable because it’s possible to revert to a vulnerable version of MacOS using Apple Configurator 2.

Edit 2: I had initially discovered it on my 2019 Intel MBP. u/BourbonicFisky tested and was able to validate this on a 2017 Intel. Multiple users were unable to validate on M1/M2. There may still be a vulnerability there, using a different recovery mode key sequence, but I am unable to validate it due to lack of access to Apple Silicon.

Edit 3:

Because of all the hate I’m getting, here’s Apple’s response to this vulnerability.

I gave them every opportunity to treat this as a serious security concern. I had initially reported it on Nov. 20th. They finally responded with this statement today.

So I bought a M1 Mac off eBay that's activation locked. (I knew it was locked, I got it cheap) for the purpose of trying to get around the activation lock. And found it had 16gb 2tb sdd. (it was sold as 8/256) I am now slowly coming to the realization that unlocking this thing may be truly impossible by me right now. But is it possible to use it with a different OS? I know the surface pro has an arm version of windows on it. Has anyone been successful in booting windows or linux from startup on an apple silicon chip?

Good afternoon, after trying to reach this employee with no luck and after 2 months we’ve basically given up hope. We reimbursed this employee for the laptop to said individual and they said they removed the iCloud lock but didn’t.now but they cannot be reached and have decided not to give us the iCloud info so another employee can use it. We are thinking about taking them to small claims court for the cost of the laptop unless anyone knows how to bypass it. I was able to get into the files/folders as shown the in pics attached. But not sure if this does me any good given the situation. Any advice or direction would help a ton thank you

Hey there,

Found this M1 Mac Mini with an iCloud lock on it. Was curious if there are actual real and reliable ways to wipe the device and reinstall macOS, or bypass the lock so that I could use this device? I haven't bought it or anything, just exploring my options. Thanks for the help!

I do a bit of refurbishing in my freetime for more cash on the side and I had 2 laptops returned without the icloud locks removed so now im trying to get them removed.

I have tried the erase mac button at the top left didn't work so i tried the DFU mode with both on clear password, erase mac, and the one where it reinstalls mac on the 2019 it would just say chip doesn't support this feature except for the reinstall where it goes halfway and than boots to the activate mac screen. the m1 says its not booted for the clear mac and erase mac and for reinstall also brings me to the activate mac screen.

I have heard about programs like Checkm8.info and Iremove.tools but i worry about them stealing my card info and they say they only work on intel based macs to the 2019 only. are these tools legit and is there some work around for the m1 pro?

Any help is appreciated. almost forgot to say I am unable to get in contact with the people that returned it that was my first attempt.

I have an macbook air m1 activation locked. i have seen a lot of icloud lock and activation lock remove videos on YouTube but most of them just seem so fishy is there a tool thats well known and preferably legit for me to use and fix this macbook? its literally perfect condition it would hurt my heart (plus my wallet) to just sell it off for parts

anyone have any info on a trusted mdmbypass for m1 macbooks?

Hello,

I occasionally see posts of iCloud locked Apple Macs especially M1 macs and asking for bypassing this security lock provided by Apple. However, it is also true that Apple uses this lock to prevent unauthorized people from using these macs. It is also true that most of the iCloud locked macs that are listed on or purchased from online listing sites are actually stolen or illegally acquired.

What to do if you receive a MacBook that is iCloud locked either by getting scammed or didn’t know before that iCloud locked Macs are dangerous?

In this case, first contact the seller of the Mac that you purchased. If he doesn’t respond, blocks you or refuse that the Mac is iCloud Locked, please report this situation to admins online site and also police.

Should you bypass or attempt to bypass iCloud Lock on Macs?

No, this would only make this case worse. iCloud bypasses should not be used on any Mac that you are not sure if it is stolen or not. Bypassing or attempting to bypass iCloud on a stolen Mac can you put you into very serious legal trouble.

Should you buy iCloud locked Mac for parts?

No. As stated, most of those Macs are stolen, even if the seller is stating that someone forgot password. This is a very common scam on online listing sites and any Mac that is iCloud locked shouldn’t be purchased from online. A Mac with broken logic board would be a good alternative for salvaging parts as chances are much lower for being stolen.

Hopefully, you will never have such situation and you will be fine. The question is, should such content be prohibited on this subreddit as it is in grey area in terms of legality?

Hey there!

I found something. So I have MacBook Pro 16 M1 Activation locked.

In diagnostic mode (cmd+D)

I found a bug. You need to hold CMD+Option+L in the diagnostics window. The screen flashes and opens the top line. Also throws a Finder window with files locations.

You could go to safari and put there ssh://. Hit enter. Then You will get a message to allow terminal, but nothing happens after that.

Maybe we could do something here to bypass activation lock?

So I deleted my Apple account from this computer resting to get it reset, and it locked. I had deleted it using my phone rather than my laptop because I was at work and my partner, who I was giving it to, needed to put in her Apple ID. Now it seems we’ve bricked it. It has bug sur on it. 2014 pro.