To turn off Find My iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, tap Find My, tap Find My iPhone, and turn it off. Enter your Apple Account password when asked, then tap Turn Off. If Stolen Device Protection is on, you need to turn that off first. If you no longer have the phone, you can remove it from your account at iCloud.com instead.
Turning off Find My also removes Activation Lock, which is why Apple asks you to do it before you sell, trade in, or send your iPhone for repair.
How to Turn Off Find My on Your iPhone
These steps work on iOS 17, iOS 18, and later, and they match Apple’s guide to turning off Find My.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Tap Find My.
- Tap Find My iPhone.
- Turn off the Find My iPhone switch.
- Enter your Apple Account password, then tap Turn Off.
When the switch is off, your iPhone no longer shows up in the Find My app, and Activation Lock is removed.
Can’t Turn It Off? Check Stolen Device Protection
Apple says Find My must stay on while Stolen Device Protection is turned on. To turn it off:
- Open Settings and tap Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode).
- Enter your passcode.
- Tap Stolen Device Protection and turn it off.
If your iPhone is away from a familiar place like home or work, it may start a one-hour security delay before it lets you turn this off. Once it is off, go back and turn off Find My.
Other Reasons the Switch Is Grayed Out
- Screen Time restrictions: go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and make sure account changes are allowed.
- A work or school iPhone: your organization may lock this setting. Ask your IT team.
- Wrong password: use your Apple Account password, not your iPhone passcode.
Turn Off Find My When You Don’t Have the iPhone
If you already sold, gave away, or lost the phone, remove it from your Apple Account on the web:
- Go to icloud.com/find and sign in with your Apple Account.
- Select All Devices and choose the iPhone.
- Select Remove This Device and confirm.
If the phone was already erased, removing it also clears Activation Lock so the new owner can set it up. If the phone was lost or stolen, don’t remove it. Mark it as lost instead so it stays locked to you.
Before You Sell or Trade In Your iPhone
- Back up the iPhone to iCloud or your computer.
- Turn off Find My using the steps above.
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone and tap Erase All Content and Settings.
Erasing the iPhone also signs you out of your Apple Account. For more on resetting, see how to hard reset or factory reset an iPhone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off Find My iPhone turn it off for my AirPods and Apple Watch?
No. Each device has its own Find My setting. AirPods and Apple Watch are removed in the Find My app or on iCloud.com.
Will turning off Find My delete anything?
No. It doesn’t erase your photos, messages, or apps. It only stops the phone from being located and removes Activation Lock.
How do I turn Find My back on?
Go back to Settings > [your name] > Find My > Find My iPhone and turn the switch on. It’s also a good idea to turn on Send Last Location. Here’s how the Last Location option works.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.