Can You Add Non Dep Devices Back Into Dep

Manually adding Macs to DEP

Hey everyone, I was wondering if it is possible to add non-DEP purchased Macs to DEP to automate with MDM. My company used Apple Configurator to convert most of the iPads we had to DEP. So far so good for those iPads. However, Apple docs only show it for iOS and tvOS. Is it possible to do same for our old Macs? Thanks.

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level 1

Depending on where you purchased your Macs it may be possible to have them do a look back and add the machines. I know that a few years ago when I worked with Apple to get DEP set up with an organization I was working with enrolled, I don't remember if it was Apple who told me this, or if it was CDW, but they said they could do what's called a "look back" and could enroll machines we'd previously purchased from them. But this was only available if the Macs had been purchased from certain resellers.

level 1

You cannot add Macs to DEP manually. It is a frustrating experience trying to talk to Apple about this.

level 2

Oh, that sucks. I was afraid you were gonna say that. Thanks.

level 2

Yepp. We had to return six brand new macbooks recently because we accidentally bought them on the wrong account. Apple said they couldn't add Macs to DEP. They said it can ONLY be done at the factory. (Which i doubt... but okay)

level 1

Some retailers are DEP compatible like Best Buy for example so you may be able to transfer over ownership but from what I understand it's a pain in the ass.

Within the last couple of years, Apple added the ability to change ownership in configurator for iPads. Hopefully they make this possible for Macs soon.

level 2

Unfortunately, my company is not in USA or EU. Therefore it'll be a bit more painful process if we can achieve something similar. But I'll definitely check, thanks.

level 1

If you purchased them from a reseller who is set up for DEP with your organization, then the reseller can add them for you. We do this somewhat regularly. You'll need to supply the reseller with serial numbers and POs for the devices you want added.

level 2

This. As long as the Macs were not purchased from Apple but an authorized reseller, they can add your machines to your DEP account. For some reason, it's only machines purchased through Apple that it isn't possible with.

I just did this with macs all the way back to 2012 purchased from B&H, Adorama, and Mac Mall.

level 1

We were able to add some of ours purchased through Apple on the DEP portal. Ones that were bought outside the 'proper' channels just error when you try. Have you tried from there at all?

level 2

We haven't tried it yet. We are currently using an imaging solution for managing our Macs but it doesn't support APFS so we'll need to change our solution/methodology for managing them. I am just checking whether it is possible or not. Also, I wanted to hear from other people who did such a thing in the past.

level 1

We do this some at the university I work for, for us to manually add it has to be the same apple account that it was purchased with. Otherwise, sometimes with proof of purchase, Apple can add them for you.

level 2

I'll check how we obtained those Macs. Thanks

level 1

I have a pool of Macs bought from Apple Retail (via their in-store Business Team) that apparently cannot be added to the now-established DEP setup.

It's totally backwards that you can release a device from the DEP setup, but NOT add one.

Who signed that off?!

level 1

A Meraki rep I was taking to yesterday said the policy had changed and you could add devices running OSX 10.11?+ ( don't remember the specific ver)

I have a call with apple on Monday, really hoping he's right.

level 2

yeah, they lied to you. It's not possible currently.

level 2

Please give us an update after the call. Thanks

level 2

Enrolling iPhone/iPads into DEP requires physical access and allows you to opt out for a period of time afterwards. I'm sure Apple could figure out a reasonable way to enroll a Mac.

Can You Add Non Dep Devices Back Into Dep

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/macsysadmin/comments/947dma/manually_adding_macs_to_dep/

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