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Activation lock

Hello I move into a new house and in the basement I found a Imac and decided to tried it and because I did not know the login password I decide to lock online to factory reset it to make it mine. After I did that when I was at the last step to reinstall os x I was stop for the apple id I put mine thought any apple id work😅 and it did not and now stuck don't know what to do. Can any of you help me please fix or find a way because I would really like to own an imac.

Thank

Posted on Aug 8, 2023 4:03 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 8, 2023 7:51 PM

The previous owner should have done the things in this support article What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support


Apple has two related features, Activation Lock ( Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support ) and Find My ( iCloud+ - Find My - Apple ), which are designed to prevent anyone else from using a Mac if it's ever lost or stolen. Deactivation of either requires knowing the Apple ID and password that set the feature, or by placing a special request to Apple to reset the device. This Apple ID information essentially defines the current ownership of the device.


If you do not know the required information, are not the signed-in owner, or do not have Apple accepted proof of purchase, get the owner of the account to remove the lock (described in How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support ), or return the device for a refund, or recycle the Mac. The device is otherwise useless to you. If the owner is unknown and has not provided contact information as a message showing in the login screen, there is no way to contact the owner unless the person who gave you the device knows them.


Here are additional resources if you can find the previous device owner to get their assistance or help them with this information:


● Read this article to learn how to remove Activation Lock either on the device itself or on the web --> How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support

or this one for disabling Find My if activation lock has not yet engaged --> Turn off Find My on your iPhone or other devices - Apple Support

or if the owner no longer has access to a device it can can be removerd from Find My on iCloud.com. as described in this support article Remove a device from Find Devices on iCloud.com - Apple Support --> "You can use Find Devices on iCloud.com to temporarily remove a device from the Devices list or turn off Activation Lock on a device you already gave away or sold."


● Help with a lost Apple ID or password:

• For help with a forgotten Apple ID (this is likely an active email address or one used in the past), click here --> If you forgot your Apple ID email address or phone number - Apple Support

• For help with a forgotten Apple ID password, click here --> If you forgot your Apple ID password - Apple Support


● Reset device if you can prove to Apple's satisfaction you are the owner:

Apple can completely reset a device if a person can provide sufficient evidence of valid ownership. This is done online* at: Activation Lock support request - https://al-support.apple.com/#/additional-support Apple says, "Proof of ownership documentation is required," but does not provide many details in the article as to what is acceptable proof. Prior to this official service Apple typically required the original receipt** issued by Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller and documented provenance (so typically it would be the first owner who does this, or a descendant with legal proof of ownership transfer). Note that while this will let you get use of the device again, it will not help you with lost access to an account.


* There is a special link for this service. To save time you should use it instead of https://getsupport.apple.com/ .



1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 8, 2023 7:51 PM in response to MAJDMAC

The previous owner should have done the things in this support article What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support


Apple has two related features, Activation Lock ( Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support ) and Find My ( iCloud+ - Find My - Apple ), which are designed to prevent anyone else from using a Mac if it's ever lost or stolen. Deactivation of either requires knowing the Apple ID and password that set the feature, or by placing a special request to Apple to reset the device. This Apple ID information essentially defines the current ownership of the device.


If you do not know the required information, are not the signed-in owner, or do not have Apple accepted proof of purchase, get the owner of the account to remove the lock (described in How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support ), or return the device for a refund, or recycle the Mac. The device is otherwise useless to you. If the owner is unknown and has not provided contact information as a message showing in the login screen, there is no way to contact the owner unless the person who gave you the device knows them.


Here are additional resources if you can find the previous device owner to get their assistance or help them with this information:


● Read this article to learn how to remove Activation Lock either on the device itself or on the web --> How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support

or this one for disabling Find My if activation lock has not yet engaged --> Turn off Find My on your iPhone or other devices - Apple Support

or if the owner no longer has access to a device it can can be removerd from Find My on iCloud.com. as described in this support article Remove a device from Find Devices on iCloud.com - Apple Support --> "You can use Find Devices on iCloud.com to temporarily remove a device from the Devices list or turn off Activation Lock on a device you already gave away or sold."


● Help with a lost Apple ID or password:

• For help with a forgotten Apple ID (this is likely an active email address or one used in the past), click here --> If you forgot your Apple ID email address or phone number - Apple Support

• For help with a forgotten Apple ID password, click here --> If you forgot your Apple ID password - Apple Support


● Reset device if you can prove to Apple's satisfaction you are the owner:

Apple can completely reset a device if a person can provide sufficient evidence of valid ownership. This is done online* at: Activation Lock support request - https://al-support.apple.com/#/additional-support Apple says, "Proof of ownership documentation is required," but does not provide many details in the article as to what is acceptable proof. Prior to this official service Apple typically required the original receipt** issued by Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller and documented provenance (so typically it would be the first owner who does this, or a descendant with legal proof of ownership transfer). Note that while this will let you get use of the device again, it will not help you with lost access to an account.


* There is a special link for this service. To save time you should use it instead of https://getsupport.apple.com/ .



Activation lock

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