Apple School Manager is a service that lets you buy content, configure automatic device enrollment in your mobile device management (MDM) solution, and create accounts for your students and staff. Apple School Manager is accessible on the web and is designed for technology managers, IT administrators, staff, and instructors.
Apple School Manager is still in preview. During the preview period, there will be occasional updates and bug fixes.
Upgrade to Apple School Manager
Before you start the upgrade process, you might need to consolidate your existing DEP or VPP accounts under a single Apple Deployment Programs organization.
When you’re ready to upgrade*, log in to deploy.apple.com or school.apple.com using your Apple Deployment Programs Agent account, and then follow the onscreen instructions. Upgrading only takes a few minutes.
After you upgrade, Apple School Manager will have all of your:
- Accounts
- Account credentials
- MDM servers
- MDM devices
- Server tokens
- Device orders
- Other items associated with your account
After you complete the upgrade, you will use the Apple School Manager portal to access your data. You won’t have access to the Apple Deployment Programs website after you upgrade.
*If you're using a Mac to upgrade, use Safari version 8 or later. If you're using a PC to upgrade, use Microsoft Edge version 25.10 or later.

Changes to roles for Apple School Manager
Apple School Manager introduces some changes to the roles you assign to your users.
Agent is now Administrator
In Apple Deployment Programs, Agent was the highest level of administrative access, including the ability to accept Apple Deployment Programs Terms and Conditions.
In Apple School Manager, this role is now called Administrator. There can only be one Administrator in Apple School Manager for your institution.
Apple Deployment Programs Admins are now Managers
In the Apple Deployment Programs, there were roles called Admins for the Device Enrollment Program, Volume Purchase Program, and Apple ID for Students.
In Apple School Manager, these Admins become Managers. There are three types of Managers in Apple School Manager.
The type of Admin a user is converted to depends on their responsibilities:
Apple Deployment Program |
Role in Apple School Manger |
Device Enrollment Program |
Device Manager |
Volume Purchase Program |
Content Manager |
Apple ID for Students Program |
People Manager |
Any Admin that could create other Admins in Apple Deployment Programs also becomes a People Manager in Apple School Manager.
A single user can have multiple roles in Apple School Manager. If your user was an Admin for more than one program, they’ll be assigned all roles that apply. The Administrator or Site Manager can add, remove, or change Manager roles after you upgrade.
Managed Apple IDs for all roles
When your previous Agent and Admins log in to Apple School Manager for the first time, their Apple IDs are converted into Managed Apple IDs. If their accounts weren’t previously set up with two-factor authentication, the user should set it up then.

After you upgrade to Apple School Manager
After you upgrade to Apple School Manager, you might experience the following issues.
If two-factor authentication requests a second factor on managed devices
For two-factor authentication, a managed device registered with Apple School Manager acts as the second factor when a user logs in with a Managed Apple ID.
In some cases, a user might be asked for a second factor, even though the device is already registered with Apple School Manager. If this happens, the user should wait a few hours, then try to log in again.
If this issue persists, the user can request a 6-digit Verification Code from an Administrator or Manager. Verification Codes can be printed through the Apple School Manager web portal.
If you can't log into the Apple or VPP Store
- Make sure you have a phone number associated with your Apple ID for two factor authentication. Log into Apple School Manager. If you don't have a phone number associated with the account, you will be prompted to add one.
- Make sure your Apple ID is the same as the primary email address for the account. If they don't match, your administrator can update the email address for your account in Apple School Manager.
If you get the message 'An Unknown Error Has Occurred' when you buy apps in the Volume Purchase Program store
Make sure your VPP account information is complete. Click your account name in the top right corner of the VPP store website and select Account Summary. Click Edit Payment Information and enter any missing information, like a phone number or title.
