Screen Time was already enabled with a passcode on my new MacBook Air

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Level 1

4 points

Screen Time was already enabled with a passcode on my new MacBook Air

Hello,

I recently purchased a brand new MacBook Air directly from the Apple Store. I signed in with my own Apple ID during the initial setup. However, I’ve discovered that Screen Time is enabled and there’s already a passcode set — I never created one myself.

There’s no “Forgot Passcode” option available when I try to turn Screen Time off, and I’m unable to make changes to app limits like YouTube. I’m the only owner and user of this Mac, and this issue started from the very beginning.

Could you please help me reset or remove the Screen Time passcode?

Thank you!

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: screen time passcode set on new Mac I didn't set up

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 15.5

Posted on Jul 13, 2025 12:07 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

neuroanatomist

Level 9

52,275 points

Jul 14, 2025 04:45 AM in response to marua176

If you set up Screen Time on another Apple device, those settings would be applied to the new Mac after logging into your Apple ID.

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Answer 2

sberman

Level 10

271,480 points

Jul 13, 2025 12:16 PM in response to marua176

marua176 wrote:

I recently purchased a brand new MacBook Air directly from the Apple Store.

Seek assistance at the Apple Store where you made the purchase.

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

157,302 points

Jul 14, 2025 07:45 AM in response to marua176

As neuroanatomist has already mentioned, Screen Time settings (including passcodes) can sync across devices if you have Screen Time sharing enabled for your Apple Account in iCloud.

So if you had Screen Time previously set up (with a passcode) on another Mac, iPhone, or iPad using the same iCloud account — and if you had “Share Across Devices” enabled in the Screen Time settings — then those preferences would indeed carry over to the new Mac during setup.

But if you’re absolutely certain you never set a Screen Time passcode on any of your Apple devices before, or you had “Share Across Devices” turned off, then this behavior is a little suspicious — especially on a supposedly brand-new machine. It's rare, but occasionally Macs may be opened and configured at Apple Stores for demos or setups and then sold as "new." You could double-check this by going to System Settings > General > About > Coverage to verify warranty status and if the Mac was ever previously registered.

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