How To Enable Activation Lock On Your Mac Computer.
If you are afraid of losing your Mac through theft or loss, there are several steps you can take to protect yourself. One is to take advantage of the new Activation Lock feature included in the latest iMac, Mac Minis, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. It uses a new security chip called T2 Security Chip that allows you to remotely lock and erase data on your Mac.
Even after erasing it, Activation Lock prevents anyone from using your Mac, making it completely useless for anyone else. To activate it, you need macOS Catalina, your Apple ID has two-factor authentication enabled and Secure Boot is set to Full Security by default.
What is Activation Lock on Apple Mac?
Owners of Apple devices such as iPhone and iPad are already familiar with the Find My app. It allows you to track lost or stolen Apple devices by locating them on a map. It also allows you to securely lock or erase data from your device to prevent its use and prevent theft of your data.
Mac Activation Lock provides this security previously limited to iOS devices on newer Apple Mac devices. T2 Security Chip is required to securely lock and wipe your Mac. This chip is found in the new iMac Pro, as well as Mac Minis and MacBooks (Pro and Air) starting in 2018.
Like iPhone and iPad users, it gives you remote control over the security of your Mac in the Find My app. You can access it online or from the Find My app on your iOS or other Mac devices.
If you want to control your Mac remotely and have multiple MacOS devices, you can do so using the Find Me app. To access it, search for Find Me in the launcher accessible from the dock at the bottom of your Mac screen.
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Check T2 Security Chip and Activation Lock Status
If you are not sure if your Mac has a T2 security chip to enable activation lock mode, you can quickly check it in your Mac’s system report.
- To access your Mac system report, click to enter the Apple menu in the upper left corner of your screen, then click About This Mac.
- On the Overview tab in the Mac Information dialog box, click the System Report button.
- Under Hardware in the left menu, click Controller. If you don’t see Controller, search for iBridge instead. The Apple T2 Security Chip should be displayed under Model Name.
- If you have T2 Security Chip installed, check if Activation Lock is already activated. To do this, click Hardware in the system report and check the Activation Lock Status field.
- If set to Enabled, Activation Lock is active and you do not need to do anything. If Disabled is displayed, you will need to activate it by following the instructions below.
- To enable Activation Lock on Mac, you need to set up Find My Mac. However, if you’ve ever changed your Secure Boot setting, you’ll have to change it first.
Set Safe Boot to Full Security
The Activation Lock setting will only work if the Secure Mac Boot option is set to Full Security. Secure Boot is another advanced Apple option introduced on modern Mac hardware that ensures that only legitimate, trusted Apple and Microsoft operating systems can boot.
- To change this setting, you will need to boot macOS recovery and open the Startup Security Utility. To do this, hold down the Command + R keys on your keyboard as soon as the Apple logo appears during the boot process.
- From there, click Utilities, then Startup Security Utility. Use your macOS username and password to authenticate, then under Secure Boot, make sure Full Security is enabled.
- Restart your Mac as usual to continue after this point.
Launch Find My Mac
Apple Find My app lets you track your Apple devices. It allows you to find them, remotely monitor and block them, and completely erase them if necessary.
Activation Lock is the centerpiece of this remote protection and requires Find My Mac to be enabled.
- To turn on Find My Mac, click to enter the Apple menu in the upper left corner, then click System Preferences.
- In System Preferences, click Apple ID. On macOS Catalina, this entry is in the upper right corner of the window.
- In Apple ID preferences, click iCloud. In the list of apps using iCloud, select the Find My Mac check box.
- macOS prompts you to confirm if you want to turn on Find My Mac. Click “Allow” to confirm.
Once enabled, you can confirm that Activation Lock is enabled by submitting a report to the system report (Apple menu About This Mac System Report Hardware).
Using Find My Mac
You can use Activation Lock on your Mac using the Find My app on other Apple devices you own or by visiting the iCloud website.
- Sign in to the iCloud website with the same Apple ID that you use on your Mac. Click the Find My iPhone button to access Find Me Online. Regardless of what is said about the iPhone, this will still work on your Mac.
- You will need to sign in again with your Apple ID. With it selected, click the drop-down menu in the top menu bar and choose your Mac from the list.
- To use Activation Lock mode, click Lock in the options menu that appears on the Find Me page. You can also click Erase Mac if your device is lost and you want to keep your data safe.
When you click any of these options, your Mac will begin to remotely lock or wipe data.
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