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I recently acquired a MacBook Pro 13 (Model A2251 EMC 3348), and when setting it up, I encountered an MDM (Mobile Device Management) window that I cannot bypass. Unfortunately, I have no way of contacting the organization that originally enrolled the device, and contacting Apple Support is not an option for me. System Information:

  • macOS Sequoia
  • Product Version: 15.0.1
  • Build Version: 24A348
  • Model Identifier: MacBookPro16,2 (compatible with macOS Sequoia)

What I've Tried So Far:

  • Reinstalled macOS Sequoia using the recovery mode.
  • Formatted the disk and volumes, followed by a clean reinstall of macOS.
  • Booted into recovery mode to try the following actions:
    • Modified the hosts file to block MDM server communications.
    • Attempted to modify system files related to MDM to disable the enrollment.
    • Tried to create a new local user via Terminal using dscl.

Reference Links I Followed:

The Problem:

Despite disabling SIP (csrutil disable), none of these attempts have worked. The Mac keeps restoring a snapshot upon each reboot, and I cannot delete this snapshot. Every modification I make is undone on restart, and I am still forced to face the MDM enrollment window.

I feel stuck at this point and am looking for any additional ideas or solutions to bypass the MDM or stop the system from reverting to the snapshot. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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  • Apple Support will not do anything for you unless you can provide proof of ownership. eBay, Swappa, or the like invoices do not count.
    – Marc Wilson
    Commented Oct 23 at 18:56
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    Get your money back. The Mac may have been stolen. Good MDMs are next to impossible to remove.
    – IconDaemon
    Commented Oct 23 at 18:56
  • Re the snapshot... yes, that's how the OS works. The snapshot is what it boots from.
    – Marc Wilson
    Commented Oct 23 at 18:57
  • Great documentation of the workaround you tried. Apple makes this very hard to bypass, I’ll put up an answer on possible things for others who would be willing to engage Apple support.
    – bmike ♦
    Commented Oct 23 at 21:49

1 Answer 1

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Contact the owner of the MDM and see if they can release it since I’ll assume your acquisition was lawful.

Apple will assist if you are the original owner and present a verifiable bill of sale, otherwise this activation lock is generally not something they will adjust unless there is evidence of a mistake in the serial number that was marked as MDM enrolled.

Other scenarios, get legal advice. That is off topic here, so let’s cover all the on-topic reasons why you won’t contact Apple support to locate the MDM or DEP account that controls that hardware. Going through Apple is the best scenario here for good results.

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