How to turn off Find My on iPhone and iPad

Open Settings, then tap Privacy. Scroll down and tap Location Services. At the bottom of that screen, you'll see "Find My" — tap it. You'll see two toggles: "Find My iPhone" and "Find My Network". Turn off whichever one you want to disable. If you turn off Find My iPhone, your device won't be findable through iCloud.com or the Find My app, and you won't be able to use Activation Lock (the security feature that prevents someone else from using your phone if it's stolen).

If you want to turn off location sharing with specific people instead of disabling Find My entirely, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Find My, then tap "Share My Location" and toggle it off. This stops your location from appearing to family members or friends who have permission to see it, but Find My itself stays on.

How to turn off Find My on Mac

Click the Apple menu, then System Settings. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar. Scroll down and click Location Services. At the bottom, you'll see Find My — uncheck the box next to it. On a Mac, turning this off means your computer won't show up in the Find My app on your other devices.

If you only want to stop sharing your location with specific people, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Find My, then uncheck "Share My Location".

Key Takeaways

  • Turning off Find My iPhone disables device tracking through iCloud and the Find My app, and also turns off Activation Lock.
  • You can turn off location sharing with specific people without disabling Find My entirely by toggling off "Share My Location".
  • On iPhone and iPad, Find My settings are in Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Find My.
  • On Mac, Find My settings are in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Find My.
  • Disabling Find My means you won't be able to locate a lost or stolen device through iCloud.com or the Find My app.

What happens when you turn off Find My

When you disable Find My iPhone on an iPhone or iPad, that device stops sending its location to Apple's servers. You won't be able to see it on a map in the Find My app or at iCloud.com, and nobody else will be able to locate it either — even if they have permission to see your location normally.

Turning off Find My also disables Activation Lock, which is the security feature that locks your device to your Apple ID. If someone steals your phone and you've turned off Find My, they can erase it and set it up as their own without needing your Apple ID password. This is why Apple keeps Find My on by default.

When you might want to turn off Find My

Some people turn off Find My because they don't want Apple to know their location, or they don't want family members to see where they are. Others disable it because they're selling or giving away a device and want to remove it from their account first (though you should use "Remove from account" in Find My instead, which is safer).

If you're concerned about privacy, turning off location sharing with specific people is usually a better choice than disabling Find My entirely, because you keep the ability to locate your device if it's lost or stolen. You can also turn off "Share My Location" without affecting Find My's core function.

How to remove a device from Find My without turning it off

If you're selling or giving away a device, don't just turn off Find My — remove the device from your account first. On the device itself, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My > Find My iPhone (or Find My Mac), then tap "Remove This Device" or uncheck the box. You'll need to enter your Apple ID password.

Alternatively, go to iCloud.com, sign in, click Find My, click "Devices", select the device you want to remove, and click "Remove from Account". This is the cleaner approach because it fully disconnects the device from your Apple ID, so the new owner can set it up with their own account without any issues.

Turning Find My back on

If you change your mind, go back to the same location in Settings or System Settings where you turned it off and toggle Find My back on. You'll need to enter your Apple ID password. Once it's on, your device will start sending its location to Apple again, and you'll be able to see it in the Find My app.

If you turned off location sharing with specific people but left Find My on, you can turn sharing back on the same way — go to Find My settings and toggle "Share My Location" back on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off Find My delete my data?

No. Turning off Find My only stops your device from sending location information to Apple. All your photos, messages, contacts, and other data stay on the device. If you want to erase the device, you have to do that separately through Settings > General > Transfer or Reset.

Can I turn off Find My for just one person?

Yes. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Find My, tap "Share My Location", then tap the person's name and choose "Stop Sharing My Location". They'll no longer see your location, but Find My stays on for you and anyone else you're sharing with.

What if I lose my device after turning off Find My?

You won't be able to locate it through the Find My app or iCloud.com. Your best option is to contact your carrier (if it's a phone) or check with places you've been. This is why most people keep Find My on — the ability to find a lost device is usually worth the location tracking.

Does turning off Find My affect iCloud backup?

No. iCloud backup is separate from Find My. Your device will still back up to iCloud even if Find My is off. The only thing that stops working is device location tracking and Activation Lock.