Erase a device in Find My on iPhone
Use the Find My app to erase an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, or Mac. In order to remotely erase a device, you must turn on Find My [device] before it’s lost.
Note: Finding devices isn’t available in all countries or regions.
What happens when you erase a device in Find My?
A confirmation email is sent to your Apple Account email address.
When you erase a device remotely using Find My, Activation Lock remains on to protect it. Your Apple Account password is required to reactivate it.
If you erase a device that had iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or later installed, you can use Find My to locate or play a sound on the device. Otherwise, you won’t be able to locate or play a sound on it. You may still be able to locate your Mac or Apple Watch if it’s near a previously used Wi-Fi network.
Erase a device
Go to the Find My app on your iPhone.
Tap Devices at the bottom of the screen, then tap the name of the device you want to erase.
Tap Erase This Device, then tap Continue.
If the device is a Mac, enter a passcode to lock it (you need to use the passcode to unlock it).
If the device is lost and you’re asked to enter a phone number or message, you may want to indicate that the device is lost or how to contact you. The number and message appear on the device’s Lock Screen.
Tap Erase.
Enter your Apple Account password, then tap Erase again.
If your device is offline, you see Erase Pending. The remote erase begins the next time it connects to a Wi-Fi or cellular network.
Cancel an erase
If you erase an offline device and find it before it comes online again, you can cancel the erase request.
Go to the Find My app on your iPhone.
Tap Devices at the bottom of the screen, then tap the name of the device whose erase you want to cancel.
Tap Cancel Erase, then enter your Apple Account password.
If you lose your iPhone, you can erase it using Find Devices on iCloud.com.