When I bought my used iMac the previous owner had logged out of iCloud but had't cleaned the HD properly. I honestly don't know what the heck he did because there was no password when I logged in, I could't find the disc image at all, and it was saying disc was full when I tried to download Geek Bench. So I just booted in recovery mode, erased the disc (which wasn't even close to full), and reinstalled OS.
If it's new enough to support activation lock, they can't do anything with it even if they erase it. Make sure you have that enabled.
Don't care about data just want extra means of hardware recovery. I don't really understand Activation Lock. So computers without Apple Silicon or T2 security chip can just be logged out of iCloud with no issue rendering Find My useless? I'm assuming you would still need access to the Mac OS user account password to do that though right?
If a NON activation lock Mac has a firmware password and an OS user account password would it also be a brick to a thief?I think you might be making this too complicated.
1) If FileVault is enabled, your data is safe on all Macs. On Macs without T2 or Apple Silicon and without a firmware password, a thief can erase your hard drive, reinstall macOS, and use the machine normally. Setting a firmware password prevents that.
2) Only T2 and Apple Silicon Macs support activation lock. Activation lock turns a stolen Mac into a paperweight, just like with iPhones, lessening the value to thieves. The machine is useless to thieves and can only be used for parts.
3) Find My is the only feature that helps you track lost Macs.
If your Mac is lost or stolen - Apple Support
If your Mac goes missing, these steps might help you find it and protect your information.support.apple.com
Yes, generally it will be a brick. On some older Macs there were ways around the firmware password so it really depends on which machine you own.
Right on... I just saw a Luke Miani video where he buys a bunch of old iMac's and half of them were firmware locked. He explained and demonstrated the method you can use to clear the PW on older models, but mine is 2019 so unless they figure something else out that gives me some peace of mind. Thanks
This is a good tip but it is only applicable to Macs which are now priced at $10-50 each, hence a bunch of Macs in this video. Not worth it for the 90% of the people.
M1 Macs don't have a firmware password. For the equivalent level of security on a Mac with Apple silicon, simply turn on FileVault.
