How to disable Find My on iPhone — required before selling, trading in or repairing.
⏱ 2 min readEasyUpdated June 2026
Quick Answer
Settings → tap your name (Apple ID) → Find My → Find My iPhone → toggle off. You’ll need to enter your Apple ID password to confirm. This also removes Activation Lock, which is required before selling or giving away the device.
How to Turn Off Find My iPhone
1
Settings → your name at the top
Open Settings. At the very top, tap your name (your Apple ID profile). This opens your Apple ID settings.
2
Tap Find My
Tap Find My in the list of options.
3
Tap Find My iPhone → toggle off
Tap Find My iPhone at the top. Toggle the switch to off (grey). You will be prompted to enter your Apple ID password. Enter it and tap Turn Off. Find My is now disabled on this device.
Alternative: Remove via iCloud.com
If you no longer have the iPhone (it was lost, broken or already sold without signing out): go to icloud.com/find on any browser. Sign in. Click All Devices → select the iPhone → click Remove from Account. This removes the device from your Apple ID and disables Activation Lock remotely.
Why You Need to Turn Off Find My Before Selling
Find My iPhone is linked to Activation Lock — a security feature that ties the device to your Apple ID. If you sell or give away an iPhone with Find My still on, the new owner cannot set it up without your Apple ID and password. This makes the device essentially unusable for them. Always sign out of your Apple ID (Settings → your name → Sign Out) before selling, which disables Find My and Activation Lock simultaneously.
The complete pre-sale checklistBefore selling or trading in an iPhone: back up (Settings → iCloud → iCloud Backup), sign out of Apple ID (Settings → your name → Sign Out — this disables Find My automatically), then erase all content (Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings).
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — with Find My off, the phone will not appear in Find My on your other Apple devices and cannot be remotely located, locked or erased. Only turn it off when you specifically need to (selling, repairing, or if instructed by Apple Support). For normal use, keeping Find My on is strongly recommended as it is your primary tool for recovering a lost or stolen iPhone.
Reset your Apple ID password at iforgot.apple.com using your recovery email, phone number, or trusted device. Once you have access to your Apple ID, you can disable Find My. If you have completely lost access to your Apple ID and recovery options, contact Apple Support directly — they have an account recovery process that takes several days for security verification.