How to Turn Off Find My iPhone Before You Sell or Trade It In

Turn off Find My and remove Activation Lock before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone, so the next owner can set it up.

Why: Find My ties your iPhone to your Apple Account with Activation Lock, which stops anyone from erasing or reactivating the phone without your password. A remote or recovery-mode erase can leave Activation Lock enabled. Signing out turns it off; Erase All Content and Settings on the phone also turns off Find My and Activation Lock when you complete the required authentication. Use the sale checklist below before handing it over.

Step 1: Back up first

You’re about to erase this phone, so save a copy of your data: Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now, or back up to your computer. If you’re moving to a new iPhone, transfer your data and phone number/eSIM plan before erasing the old one. Confirm the new phone can make calls and receive texts. Contact your carrier if you need help transferring service.

Step 2: Unpair your Apple Watch (if you have one)

If an Apple Watch is paired to this iPhone, unpair it first in the Watch app so it’s ready to pair with your next phone.

Step 3: Sign out of your Apple Account

This is the step that turns off Find My and removes Activation Lock.

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Sign Out.
3. iOS 26 and later: choose Sign Out But Don’t Erase to complete sign-out before the separate erase below, then follow the authentication prompts. If you choose Erase this iPhone instead, follow that erase flow and remove the eSIM profiles too.
4. iOS 18 and earlier: enter your Apple Account password, tap Turn Off, and confirm Sign Out. Keeping temporary copies of data during sign-out does not replace the full erase in Step 4.

Step 4: Erase all content and settings

1. Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone.
2. Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
3. If you use an eSIM, choose the option to erase the phone and all eSIM profiles before selling, trading in, or giving it away. Keeping your plan means transferring it to your new phone, not leaving its profile on the old one. Erasing an eSIM does not cancel the plan; contact the carrier to cancel or transfer service if needed.
4. Enter your device passcode (and Apple Account password if asked), follow the prompts, and confirm Erase iPhone. Remove any physical SIM card before handing over the phone.

After it erases, the phone restarts to the “Hello” setup screen — that’s how it should look for the next owner.

FAQ

What if I already sold the phone or can’t access it? Ask the new owner to erase it through Erase All Content and Settings. If you must use iCloud.com/find, select the iPhone and erase it first; an offline erase waits until the phone next connects. After erasure completes, remove it from Find My to release Activation Lock for the buyer. Removing it from the account alone does not erase your data. Contact your carrier to secure or transfer any service still active on that phone. For a lost or stolen phone, keep it linked to Find My so Activation Lock continues to protect it.

Do I have to turn off Find My separately? No. Signing out of your Apple Account in Step 3 turns off Find My and removes Activation Lock for you.

Sources: Apple Support — What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad, Apple Support — Erase an eSIM, Apple Support — Turn off Find My on your devices and items