Ask HN: How do I unlock the Activation Lock on my M1 MacBook?

vitovito · 2026-02-02T19:35:39 1770060939

If you still have your proof of purchase (if you bought it from Apple directly, they should also have it), you can take your receipt and the laptop to an Apple Store and they'll remove the activation lock. They may wipe the machine in the process, I don't recall.

(We had some company iPhones in our device lab, not on MDM, and people would attach them to their personal accounts, so this was an occasional hassle.)

reliefcrew · 2026-02-02T16:49:53 1770050993

Interestingly, this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_T2#Security_vulnerabilit...

reads as though it is possible using "checkra1n". But again... it might be easier to just buy something else :-/

haunter · 2026-02-02T12:21:32 1770034892

You don't that's the best part of it!

You can try to reset your iCloud password https://iforgot.apple.com/ If that doesn't work either then it's a paperweight and you can sell it for parts

reliefcrew · 2026-02-02T15:11:53 1770045113

> If that doesn't work either then it's a paperweight and you can sell it for parts

C'mon! It can't be that dire... at worst you should be able to reinstall or reset to factory defaults somehow. Granted the data may be lost, but the whole is still more than the sum of its parts :-)

haunter · 2026-02-02T15:21:31 1770045691

Trust me it’s impossible. All Macs are iPhones are like this nowadays. You can’t do anything to bypass the activation lock.

reliefcrew · 2026-02-02T15:48:29 1770047309

I find "impossible" hard to believe. Perhaps it's so difficult that it's not worth the opportunity cost though.

You may have to remove the disk or use a JTAG programmer, or heck... maybe even re-solder something.

The more nuanced question in these situations isn't "is it possible" but "is it economically viable".