Apple streamlines MDM migrations in iOS 26 and macOS 26

For about as long as MDMs have existed, or at least as long as Apple’s Automated Device Enrollment (formerly Apple DEP) has existed, moving devices from one MDM service to another has been a hassle. Although many tools have been created over the years (with many variations using SwiftDialog in some form or another) to help ease this process, migrating from one MDM to another was still a hands-on process.

Former migration options

Previously, for iOS, devices had to be erased to kick off the re-enrollment process using Automated Device Enrollment (ADE), with the obvious downside of data loss from wiping the device. The only alternative path to avoid wiping iOS devices was to unenroll them from the current MDM, then re-enroll them using Device Enrollment (AKA manual enrollment, enrollment by link, etc.). One of the significant downsides to this approach is that the MDM profile would then be removable — an end user could manually unenroll the device from management.

For macOS, there was at least an option that allowed re-enrolling Macs without wiping them, but it was still cumbersome for many users. Regardless of what solution an admin was using, the gist was essentially the same:

Re-assign the device to the new MDM service in ABM.
Make sure the new MDM enrollment was set up as desired.
Unenroll the device from the current MDM.
Run

sudo profiles renew -type enrollment

On macOS 15+ this command can be run without admin credentials and does not need sudo:

profiles -N

Older macOS versions could also be migrated by rerunning Setup Assistant, which could be kicked off by deleting the .appleSetupDone file from the device. This option was removed in macOS 13.

There were many tools built on the concept of automating the running of the above scripts, but ultimately, every tool had edge cases and required user interaction.

Updating to iOS and macOS 26

Need help getting your devices up to date with the latest OS version? Check out our guide for managing modern OS updates using SimpleMDM.

New MDM migration path with Apple Business Manager

At WWDC25, Apple announced a very exciting update: the ability to initiate an MDM migration for devices through Apple Business Manager. This drastically simplifies the migration process, eliminates the need for third-party tools, and, given the first-party nature, helps avoid many rough edges. Apple also added the ability to set a deadline for devices to be migrated. Somewhat in the same vein as Managed Software Updates, users are notified and reminded to migrate their device with increasing frequency leading up to the deadline, at which point they are forced to migrate their device. Let’s walk through how to set up this migration and what the user experience looks like on macOS 26 and iOS/iPadOS 26.

Prerequisites

Apple Business Manager account
Admin account in ABM with device enrollment manager permissions
Old MDM
New MDM account configured and ready for migration

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How to configure Apple Business Manager for migration

First, sign in to business.apple.com as an administrator with device enrollment manager permissions. Make sure you have connected an MDM server in ABM to your new MDM account and have the new MDM account set up the way you want it.

Next, re-assign your device from the current MDM server to the new MDM server in Apple Business Manager. To re-assign a device, navigate to Devices, search and click the device, click Edit and choose Re-assign Device Management. Select the server connected to your new MDM.

When assigning the server, you will see a new option: Set deadline. If you do not set this deadline, the device will not be forced to migrate, but it will if it is erased or if the profiles command mentioned earlier is run. To force the migration to occur, choose Set deadline and pick your migration deadline date.

macOS user experience for MDM migration

As the deadline approaches, users will get notifications informing them that management of their device needs to be updated by a specific date. I’ve observed these notifications at 24 hours and then hourly leading up to the deadline. When the user clicks this notification, it opens a System Settings panel with the option to enroll in the new MDM.

A macOS system notification with a dark blue background titled “Enrollment Required.” It states: “Your organization requires this device to enroll in a different device management service. You are required to complete enrollment by June 11, 2025 at 12:00 AM.” The notification includes a generic icon of a grid on the left.

The notice will be displayed in System Settings as well:

A macOS System Settings window showing the "Enrollment Required" section selected in the sidebar. The right pane displays a message stating that the organization requires the device to enroll in a different device management service by June 11, 2025 at 12:00 AM. A button labeled "Start Enrollment" appears on the top right of the message. The left sidebar also shows a red badge for a syncing issue under "Some iCloud Data Isn't Syncing," and various system categories like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Battery, Accessibility, and others.

When the user clicks Start Enrollment, they will get a full screen pop-up where they can click Enroll. If the user clicks this before the deadline, they will have the option to cancel. If they have waited until the deadline, they will not see a Cancel button and will be forced to enroll to proceed.

A macOS dialog box titled "Device Management" with a blue gear icon at the top. The message states that the organization requires enrollment into a different device management service and that enrollment must be completed by June 11, 2025 at 12:00 AM. It notes the Mac is owned by "White Room Projects LLC." There is a blue link labeled “Learn more about device management…” at the bottom. Two buttons are visible in the lower-right corner: “Not now” and “Enroll.”

Once Enroll is clicked, the user gets some feedback that things are installing. After a few moments for everything to download, the device is released from AwaitConfiguration and it’s done. The user can now exit the full screen modal.

And that’s it! No running scripts in Terminal, no clicking download links, no deleting obscure files.

iOS user experience for MDM migration

The experience on iOS is relatively similar with one main exception: The device does need to perform a restart to finish the enrollment and complete the MDM migration.

When the deadline is reached, the user will receive a notification:

An iPad lock screen with the time displayed as 6:36 on Thursday, June 12. The battery icon in the top-right shows 93% charge. A notification appears at the bottom of the screen stating: “Enrollment Required – Your organization requires this device to enroll in a different device management service. You are required to complete enrollment by June 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM.” The background features a gradient of blue, green, and purple abstract shapes.

Following this prompt will bring the user to the Settings app:

An iPad screenshot of the Settings app open to the “VPN & Device Management” section. A pop-up titled “Enrollment Required” states that the organization requires the device to enroll in a different device management service, with a deadline of June 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM. The message warns that system access will be lost if enrollment is not completed. Below the message are two buttons: “Not Now” and a blue “Start Enrollment” button.

Selecting Start Enrollment will trigger a subsequent prompt notifying the user that a restart is required:

An iPad screenshot of the Settings app open to the “VPN & Device Management” section. A pop-up message titled “Restart Required” states, “Enrolling your device requires it to restart.” Below the message are two buttons: a blue “Not Now” button and a gray “Restart” button.

After selecting Restart, the device will promptly reboot and complete the enrollment in the new MDM service. The migration is now finished.

If the user elects to exit this flow at any point by selecting Not Now, they will be able to re-initiate it through Settings by tapping the Enrollment Required notice.

Offline devices and past deadlines

If devices are offline when the migration deadline lands, users will receive the prompt to migrate the next time that the device comes back online.

Conclusion

This update, available for macOS and iOS 26+, drastically simplifies the MDM migration process. If you are an IT admin who previously felt stuck with your current MDM solution due to the difficulty of migrating, this process should save you a lot of time and headaches. If you are in the market for a new MDM, put this new migration process to the test with a free 30-day trial of SimpleMDM.