Distribute profiles manually with Profile Manager on Mac
You can manually distribute profiles to users of both iOS devices and Mac computers.
If you don’t need to use Profile Manager as a mobile device management (MDM) service, you can still use Profile Manager to create configuration profiles that you distribute to users. The users can install them manually or use them with Apple Configurator 2.
To update a configuration profile that was manually installed, distribute the new profile to users and have them install the new version. If the profile name matches the one already installed, the new version replaces the old one.
Distribute configuration profiles using a mail message or website
In the Profile Manager
sidebar, select a device, user, or group.Click the Download button.
A .mobileconfig file is downloaded to the Downloads folder on your Mac.
Send the .mobileconfig file to your users as an attachment to a mail message, or link to the file from a webpage where users can download the file.
Do not compress the file or change its file extension. That’s because the device must be able to recognize the file in order to install it when users open the attachment).
Install configuration profiles on iOS and iPadOS devices
When a user downloads a profile from the web using Safari or opens the attachment using Mail, the device recognizes the .mobileconfig extension as a profile and begins installing it when the user taps Install.
If an Exchange account is specified in the configuration, the device also retrieves the Exchange ActiveSync policies from the server, and refreshes the policies, if they change, with every subsequent connection. If the device or Exchange ActiveSync policies enforce a passcode setting, the user must enter a passcode that complies with the policy in order to complete the installation.
If the installation isn’t completed successfully—perhaps because the Exchange server is unreachable or the user canceled the process—none of the information entered by the user is saved.
Locate the mail message or website that contains the configuration profile and download it to your iOS device.
Your iOS or iPadOS device should recognize the file and go to Settings > General > Profiles for you.
Tap Install to install the profile.
A .mobileconfig file will be installed on your iOS or iPadOS device.
During installation, the user is asked to enter necessary information, such as passwords that weren’t specified in the profile and other information required by the settings you specified. The user is also asked to enter passwords needed to use certificates included in the profile.
Install configuration profiles on macOS
When a user downloads the profile using Safari or opens the attachment using Mail, the Mac recognizes the file’s .mobileconfig extension as a profile and asks the user to confirm that it’s OK to install it.
During installation, the user is asked to enter necessary information, such as passwords that weren’t specified in the profile, and other information required by the settings you specify. The user is also asked to enter passwords necessary to use certificates included in the profile.
If the installation isn’t completed successfully, none of the information entered by the user is saved.
Users can view or remove the profiles they installed using the Profiles pane of System Preferences. If the configuration profile requires a removal password, you can override the profile’s password by entering an administrator password.
In the Profiles pane of System Preferences, hold down the Option key, then click the Remove button
to authenticate as an administrator.Locate the mail message or website that contains the configuration profile, and download it to your Mac.
Your Mac should recognize the file and go to System Preferences > Profiles for you.
Click Show Profile to view the profile, or click Continue to install the profile.
A .mobileconfig file will be installed on your Mac.
Manually update and remove configuration profiles
Delete the configuration profile.
On iOS devices, go to Settings > General > Profiles to delete a configuration profile.
In macOS, from the Apple menu, choose System Preferences > Profiles.
If the configuration profile requires a removal password, you can override the profile’s password by entering an administrator password. In the Profiles pane of System Preferences, hold down the Option key, then click Remove to authenticate as an administrator.
Removing a configuration profile removes policies and all information (including mail accounts) associated with the profile.