How to turn on Find My for a new MacBook

MacUpdated

To turn on Find My for a new MacBook, first turn on Location Services for Find My, then go to System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, click See All and turn on Find My Mac. Apple says Activation Lock turns on automatically when you add your Mac to Find My. It only helps if it's on before the Mac goes missing, so do it on day one.

Quick answer

In System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, turn on Location Services and Find My. Then click your name at the top of the sidebar, click iCloud, click See All, then Find My Mac. Click Turn On, then Allow. Leave the Find My network on so the Mac can be found while it's offline.

Why set it up on day one?

Apple's advice for a missing Mac starts with a condition: if you set up Find My Mac before your Mac went missing, you can use Find My to help locate and protect it. Apple also says Find My Mac is the only Apple service that can help locate a lost Mac. If it wasn't set up, Apple's steps are about protecting your data instead: change your Apple Account password and your other passwords, and report the loss to the police.

Step 1: Turn on Location Services for Find My

Find My needs your Mac's location.

  1. Go to System Settings, then click Privacy & Security in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
  2. Click Location Services.
  3. Turn on Location Services, then turn on Find My in the list of apps.

If you can't see Find My in the list, Apple says to go to System Services in the list of apps, click Details, then turn on Find My Mac.

Step 2: Turn on Find My Mac

  1. Go to System Settings, then click your name at the top of the sidebar. If you can't see your name, click "Sign in" and sign in with your Apple Account.
  2. Click iCloud, click See All, then click Find My Mac.
  3. If the Find My icon has a warning badge, go back and turn on Location Services first.
  4. Click Turn On. If asked, enter your Apple Account password.
  5. Click Allow when asked to let Find My Mac use your Mac's location.
  6. Choose whether the Find My network is on or off, then click Done.

Should the Find My network be on?

Apple describes the Find My network as an encrypted, anonymous network of Apple devices that can help you locate your device even when it's offline.

The difference shows on the map. Apple says that on icloud.com/find, a device that can't be located shows "Offline" and its last known location for up to 24 hours. With the Find My network turned on, the Find My app on any device signed in to the same Apple Account can show your device's location even if it's offline, and the last known location is stored for up to seven days.

Does Find My turn on Activation Lock?

Yes. Apple says that when you add your Mac to Find My, Activation Lock is turned on automatically, and it stays on as long as Find My is on. With Activation Lock, your Apple Account password or device passcode is needed before anyone can turn off Find My, erase your Mac, or reactivate and use it.

Apple's requirements include a Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip, the default security setting, and two-factor authentication on your Apple Account. If two-factor authentication isn't on yet, see Apple Account two-factor authentication. The full picture, including selling a Mac later, is in Mac Activation Lock.

How do I check it's working?

Look for the new Mac from somewhere else.

  1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Find My app and look under Devices. Or, on any web browser, go to icloud.com/find and sign in with your Apple Account.
  2. Select the new Mac. If it can be located, it appears on the map.
  3. Apple says that if the Mac is nearby, you can choose Play Sound to help find it.

If the new Mac isn't listed, go back to Step 2 on the Mac and check Find My Mac shows as on.

What if more than one person uses the Mac?

Apple says that if you set up your Mac with multiple user accounts, Find My Mac can be used by only one user at a time. Turn it on from the account of the person whose Apple Account should own the Mac.

If you're in a Family Sharing group, Apple says a family member you've set up location sharing with before the Mac goes missing can help you locate it.

What can Find My do if the Mac goes missing?

Apple lists seeing it on a map, playing a sound, Lost Mode and erasing it remotely, and says the Mac must be on and connected to the internet to lock or erase it. The steps are in what to do if your MacBook is stolen, and Lost Mode, and what Find My doesn't do, are in does Find My Mac take a photo.

Where Failshot fits

Find My is about where your Mac is. Failshot is about who unlocked it. Your password is the first layer. Failshot is the second: second layer device security for your Mac, and a new Mac is the moment to set up both.

While it's on, Failshot photographs whoever unlocks your Mac, then, with Pro, records a 5-second video, and its window tells them the unlock was photographed. With the Mac's built-in camera, the green light comes on. With Pro, turn on alerts and Failshot emails you about an unlock you don't confirm as yours, a wrong Failshot PIN or answer, or its camera access being switched off while it's on. Switching it off, or quitting it from its menu, takes Touch ID or your Failshot PIN and answer, never your Mac password.

Failshot runs on macOS 14 or later. Free to download. It's free to use. Pro adds video, email alerts and the encrypted vault, and you can try Pro free for 7 days. Your card is taken at sign-up and charged on day 8 unless you cancel. The trial is on failshot.app, for the Mac. iPhone, Android and Windows are coming soon.

More questions

Is Find My on by default on a new Mac?

Check rather than assume. Go to System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, click See All, then Find My Mac. Apple's iCloud settings page says Location Services must be on to use Find My Mac.

Why is there a warning badge on the Find My icon?

Apple says that if the Find My icon has a warning badge, turn on Location Services first. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and turn on Find My.

Do I need to remove the Mac from Find My before I sell it?

Apple says Activation Lock stays on as long as Find My is on, and that you disable it by turning off Find My, which asks for your Apple Account password. The selling steps are in Mac Activation Lock.

Can I use Find My on a Mac with two user accounts?

Apple says Find My Mac can be used by only one user at a time on a Mac with multiple user accounts.

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