How to Disconnect iPhone From Mac (Temporary or Permanently)

Arshmeet has been a tech tinkerer since childhood, but she realized her love for technology and writing about 5 years ago. Since then, she has been honing her skills and helping people figure out how things work, troubleshoot problems, choose the right app and products, and dig deep into the new and old concepts of technology. She is a self-professed Apple Enthusiast who loves debating what’s good and what’s not. It is her passion for finding techniques, hacks, apps, and products that make everyday life simpler.

Paurush dabbles around iOS and Mac while his close encounters are with Android and Windows. Before becoming a writer, he produced videos for brands like Mr. Phone and Digit. On weekends, he is a full-time cinephile trying to reduce his never-ending watchlist, often making it longer.

Basic Ways

Method 1: Disable Handoff Between iPhone and Mac

Handoff is a key instrument for seamless integration in the Apple ecosystem. In fact, for most continuity features, like Continuity Camera, Continuity Markup, Universal Clipboard, etc., it’s a requirement.

Disable Handoff on Mac

For macOS Ventura and later

Step 1: Click theApple logo→System Settings→General.

Step 2: SelectAirDrop & Handoffand toggle offAllow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices.

Step3: Finally, selectDon’t Allow Handoff.

macOS Monterey and earlier

Click theApple logo→System Preferences→General→deselect Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devicesfrom the button on the page.

Disable Handoff on iPhone

Go toSettings→General→AirPlay & Handoff→toggle off Handoff.

Note: If you own multiple Apple devices, disable Handoff on any one device. This way, you can still use the feature with the rest of the devices.

Method 2: Disable Calls and Messages

On Mac

Step 1: Launch theMessagesapp on Mac. From the menu bar, selectMessagesand click onSettings/Preferences.

Step 2: Go to theiMessagetab.

Step 3: Here, clickSign Outto disable Messages altogether. Alternatively, you can uncheckEnable Messages in iCloudto turn off SMS but receive iMessages on Mac.

Step 4:Close the window and openFaceTimeon your Mac. Then, click onFaceTimefrom the top Menu Bar, and then selectSettings.

Step 5: In theGeneraltab, uncheckCalls From iPhone.

Note:If you also want tostop FaceTime callsHandoff, clickSign Outat the top

On iPhone

Go toSettings→Messages→ scroll toText Message Forwarding→ andToggle off the Macfrom here.

Calls will be automatically disabled when you do the same on Mac.

Method 3: Disable iCloud Syncing

Disable iCloud Sync on MacBook

Step 1: Click theApple logoat the top-left corner and selectSystem Settings/System Preferences.

Step 2: Click yourApple ID (profile name and image)and then selectiCloud.

Step 3:Turn offthe feature you don’t want to sync between your iPhone and Mac.

Disable iCloud Sync on iPhone

Go to theSettings app→ tapyour namefrom the top →iCloud→Show all→turn offthe features or app sync as per preference.

Suppose you want to keep iCloud sync on for one device and off for the other, the steps, as shown above, would suffice.

However, before you turn it off, you might want todownload iCloud contenton the device. Check out the next three sections for assistance.

Step 1: Take iCloud Drive Files Offline

Follow these steps to save any iCloud synced folders/files on Mac and files stored in the Files app (iCloud Drive folder) on iPhone locally.

Step 2: Save Notes Locally on Your Device

By default, Notes are saved on iCloud Drive to allow sync across devices. Subsequently, if you’re turning off the sync and still want to access some of the notes, here’s what you need to do.

Note: If you’re saving notes on a device and have turned off iCloud sync, any subsequent changes will not be saved on iCloud.

Step 3: Change Safari Download Location

The Safari downloads on iPhone are saved in iCloud Drive by default. And though you might have transferred the previous iCloud drive files offline, it’s wiser to change the download location for the future.

On youriPhone, launchSettings→ selectSafari→ scroll down and tapDownloads (under General)→ selectOn My iPhone or Other.

While Safari download on Mac is usually designated to Downloads (local folder), let’s check that off the list to be 100% sure.

OpenSafarion yourMac→ selectSettings/Preferences →GeneralTab → click on the drop-down menu next toFile download location→ choose the preferred option.

Method 4: Remove the Device From Apple ID

Only use this method for extreme case scenarios, like before selling your iPhone or Mac, or using different devices for personal and professional use.

Remove iPhone From Apple ID on Mac

Step 1: Go toApple logo→System Settings/Preferences→Apple ID.

Step 2: From theDevicessection on the right, select youriPhone.

Step 3: ClickRemove from Account.

Step 4: ClickRemoveagain to confirm the action.

Remove Mac From Apple ID on iPhone

Go toSettings→ click onyour namefrom the top → select theMacfrom the devices list → tapRemove from Accountand thenRemoveagain to confirm.

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Last updated on 26 April, 2024

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