Geek Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 <div class="KonaBody"><p><img src="http://osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/remotely-wipe-mac.jpg" alt="How to Remotely Wipe a Mac" title="remotely-wipe-mac" width="620" height="349" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-28543" /></p> <p>In an extreme situation, say a Mac is lost or stolen, you can remotely wipe the Mac of all its data and contents with the help of iCloud. Remotely wiping a Mac goes a step further though and not only removes all data from the computer, but locks it down so that it’s unusable without a set passcode, plus displays a message you provide. This is excellent anti-theft protection, and even if you never end up using it, it’s good to know how to do.</p> <p><strong>Requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="http://osxdaily.com/2011/10/12/how-to-setup-icloud/">iCloud configured</a> on the Mac in question</li> <li>OS X Lion 10.7.2 or later installed on the Mac</li> <li>Access to a web browser and iCloud.com, or the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-my-iphone/id376101648?mt=8">Find My iPhone iOS app</a> (free)</li> </ul> <p>If you meet the requirements, here is how to use the remote wipe feature.</p> <h2 style="font-size:1.3em;">Remote Wipe a Mac with iCloud</h2> <ol> <li>Go to iCloud.com and click on “Find My iPhone”, or launch the Find My iPhone app in iOS</li> <li>Locate the Mac on the map, and click the “i” next to the computers name</li> <li>At the Info screen, click on “Remote Wipe”</li> <p><img src="http://osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/remote-wipe-mac.jpg" alt="Remote Wipe a Mac" title="remote-wipe-mac" width="385" height="347" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-28540" /></p> <li>Enter a passcode twice for recovery, this will be necessary to know if the Mac is recovered so that it can be unlocked</li> <li>Enter a message to be shown on the Mac after it has been wiped, putting a “Property of Bill Gates, if found please contact 1-888-555-1212″ message is a good idea</li> <p><img src="http://osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/set-wiped-mac-message.jpg" alt="Set a Wiped Mac message" title="set-wiped-mac-message" width="398" height="258" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-28541" /></p> <li>Click on “Wipe” and confirm</li> </ol> <p>The Mac will be wiped clear of personal data and become essentially useless until the passcode has been entered. This rates up there with some of the best anti-theft software available, and considering that iCloud and Find My Mac is completely free to use, there is no reason to not have this setup in case of emergency.</p> <p>It should be noted this is not a reasonable approach to simply <a href="http://osxdaily.com/2010/05/03/securely-format-a-mac-hard-drive/">formatting</a> a Mac hard drive, which is best done locally with the Disk Utility application.</p> <p>For more remote control fun, remember that you can <a href="http://osxdaily.com/2012/03/14/remotely-sleep-mac/">sleep a Mac remotely through email or SSH too</a>. It’s less dramatic, but perhaps more practical on a day to day basis.</p> </div> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mZneYmPSuQ5CK9EhFEf-30WGbIo/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mZneYmPSuQ5CK9EhFEf-30WGbIo/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mZneYmPSuQ5CK9EhFEf-30WGbIo/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mZneYmPSuQ5CK9EhFEf-30WGbIo/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?a=gp31o0w08BI:_sfBNaKnzZY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?a=gp31o0w08BI:_sfBNaKnzZY:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?i=gp31o0w08BI:_sfBNaKnzZY:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?a=gp31o0w08BI:_sfBNaKnzZY:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?i=gp31o0w08BI:_sfBNaKnzZY:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?a=gp31o0w08BI:_sfBNaKnzZY:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?a=gp31o0w08BI:_sfBNaKnzZY:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/osxdaily?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/osxdaily/~4/gp31o0w08BI" height="1" width="1"/> View the full article
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