Unlocking Macbooks LEGALLY Purchased

Software & Operating Systems Mac
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I know this is going to sound like BS - especially since it’s my first post here - But a friend LEGALLY purchased a few A2251 Macbooks from a company. I think they laid off a bunch of people (including IT staff) and were just clearing stuff out. But all of these Macbooks are locked and we can’t get them unlocked via Apple’s restore as none of the email addresses exist anymore. And there’s almost no one left in IT to help…which is why they sold them as “parts” - They don’t want to deal with unlocking and washed their hands of the whole problem.

Is there any way to unlock them and reformat the drives (I know how to reinstall MacOS, I just need unlock help). I’ve seen a bunch of “insert this USB stick at boot to unlock” adapters. Are those scams? Any better options than scrapping them for parts? They’re all in good condition and I’d like to get them in the hands of people who need good, cheap laptops.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

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Short answer, No.

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What about those unlock sticks?

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Double no
Even if you managed to unlock it, I’d still reach out to Apple servers and get activation locked again or pull MDM certificates

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Here’s an answer to similar question over at ifixit.com -

If it is password protected and FileVault is enabled, but not iCloud locked (so it’s asking for an admin account password, not an Apple ID password) . Boot into recovery mode (press and hold cmd+ r at boot). When it’s on the screen asking for an administrator account password , click the Apple menu in the top left corner and there should be an option to Erase this Mac. One that’s done you can reinstall the OS and start all over.

If it is iCloud locked, or was enrolled in any sort of device management through the business, it may still ask for a password or credentials in order to activate the device once it was erased. If that is the case, the company would need to unlock it for you in order for it to be usable.

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If you have an invoice showing proof of purchase, then you can reach out to Apple support to unlock it.

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I’d guess Apple support will say no and laugh after the call but it is still worth a try before a lot of things.

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All good suggestions. Thanks very much! I’ll give them a try this weekend and will post the results.

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You need to get the seller to unlock or refund.

If they were legally purchased this shouldn’t be an issue.

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This happens with a lot of macs dumped at recycle places. If they were advertised as fully working I could see a leg to stand on asking for a refund.

Best of luck reaching out to Apple even with proper documentation, chances are of it is former fleet of a larger business they’re part of a DEF program. The only way to remove is for the DEF admin at the company (not Apple) to remove the device and reset the device.