Get started using Apple Business Essentials
Get started quickly with Apple Business Essentials. Use a supported browser and ensure your organization has successfully enrolled. See Supported browsers and Sign up.
Before you begin, keep in mind that every user you add to Apple Business Essentials receives a Managed Apple Account that they use to sign in on their devices. Your domain name determines the Managed Apple Account format when you sign up for Apple Business Essentials (you can change this format at any time). Although you can change the Managed Apple Account for users at any time, any change requires users to sign out and sign back in on their devices. See Use Managed Apple Accounts.
It’s easy to quickly get started using Apple Business Essentials. You need to use a supported browser and have successfully enrolled your organization to use Apple Business Essentials. See Supported browsers.
Before you begin, keep in mind that every user you add to Apple Business Essentials will have a Managed Apple Account. This is what they’ll use to sign in on their devices. The Managed Apple Account format is determined by the domain name you used when you signed up for Apple Business Essentials (you can change this format at any time). Although you can change the Managed Apple Account for users at any time, any change requires users to sign out and sign back in on their devices. See Use Managed Apple Accounts.
It’s easy to quickly get started using Apple Business Essentials. You need to use a supported browser and have successfully enrolled your organization to use Apple Business Essentials. See Supported browsers.
Before you begin, keep in mind that every user you add to Apple Business Essentials will have a Managed Apple Account. This is what they’ll use to sign in on their devices. The Managed Apple Account format is determined by the domain name you used when you signed up for Apple Business Essentials (you can change this format at any time). Although you can change the Managed Apple Account for users at any time, any change requires users to sign out and sign back in on their devices. See Use Managed Apple Accounts.
Get your devices managed
You need to manage devices in Apple Business Essentials to view critical device information, assign apps and settings, and send commands. There are several ways to get them managed, depending on the device type and plan. See Enrollment methods.
Add users
With Apple Business Essentials, assign plans to users so they sign in with a Managed Apple Account and you automatically manage all their devices. Add users one at a time or in bulk by connecting to an identity provider (IdP). See Add users and Assign roles.
For manually added users, you need to create and share their Managed Apple Account and temporary password (which they’ll change to a permanent password when they sign in the first time). See Create a new sign-in.
Create a second Administrator
To avoid being locked out of Apple Business Essentials, assign the Administrator role to at least one additional user. See Add a new user with the role of Administrator.
Create user groups
Use user groups to conveniently assign multiple users at a time to Apple Business Essentials plans or Collections You can create two types of user groups: Smart User Groups and User Groups. See Add user groups.
Select a plan
Choose from eight different plans and mix and match them based on your organization’s needs. You can change your plan selections at any time. Assign employee plans to Smart User Groups, manually created User Groups, and individual users. Assign device plans to individual devices without dedicated users, like kiosks or conference rooms. See Manage plans.
Buy apps
After you enter your payment method, buy apps from the App Store to assign them to devices, user groups, or users. See Intro to buying apps.
Set default device management
For “zero touch” setup of devices, enable Automated Device Enrollment by linking Apple Business Essentials to purchases from Apple, a participating Apple Authorized Reseller, or an authorized cellular carrier. See Assign, reassign, or unassign devices.
Add devices
There are two ways to add devices to Apple Business Essentials:
Automatically: Link Apple Business Essentials to Apple, a participating Apple Authorized Reseller, or an authorized cellular carrier. See Manage device suppliers.
Manually: Add devices using Apple Configurator. See Add devices from Apple Configurator.
After devices appear in Apple Business Essentials, assign them to a device management service. If you’ve already set a default service for every device type, manual device assignment happens automatically.
Configure Settings
Use Apple Business Essentials to manage device settings like Wi-Fi, VPN, and iCloud. When you change a setting from its default, it becomes a configured setting. See Intro to Settings.
Apply Collections
Collections bundle apps and settings that you can assign to Smart User Groups, manually created User Groups, users, or directly to devices. See Apply Collections.
Create a sign-in for every user
Create a sign-in for every user’s Managed Apple Account, distribute it via email or other means, and have users sign in on their device with a temporary password they’ll change to a permanent password immediately. See Create a new sign-in.