Overview

The Apple Sharing Restrictions Policy controls how managed Apple devices share content and services. You can:

lock the Mac's Sharing settings, such as File Sharing, Printer Sharing, Internet Sharing, and Remote Management
turn off content caching and file transfers with Finder
block screenshots and screen recording
stop iPhones and iPads from helping set up nearby new devices

All settings are on by default. A new policy with no changes doesn't restrict anything.

Important: The "Modification" settings lock the current state. They don't turn sharing off. Settings such as Allow File Sharing Modification stop users from changing that setting in System Settings. If File Sharing is already on, it stays on, and users can't turn it off. To make sure a service is off, turn it off on the Mac before the policy applies, or use an agent script.

Supported platforms and requirements

Item	Details
Platforms	macOS, iOS, iPadOS
Minimum OS	macOS 10.14, iOS 13.0, iPadOS 13.0 (most Mac settings need macOS 14; see the table)
Device ownership	Company-owned devices; BYOD Macs, iPhones, and iPads
Supervision	Required only for Allow Setting Up New Nearby Devices

BYOD devices. On devices enrolled with Apple User Enrollment, Apple allows only Allow Screenshot. All other settings require device enrollment. See BYOD Limitation (Apple, Windows).

Settings reference

Mac Sharing settings

These settings correspond to the services in System Settings > General > Sharing. When a setting is off, users can't change that service. Whatever state it's in stays as it is.

Setting	What it does when turned off	Default	Minimum OS
Allow File Sharing Modification	Users can't change File Sharing.	On	macOS 14
Allow Printer Sharing Modification	Users can't change Printer Sharing.	On	macOS 14
Allow Internet Sharing Modification	Users can't change Internet Sharing.	On	macOS 14
Allow Remote Management Modification	Users can't change Remote Management (Apple Remote Desktop).	On	macOS 14
Allow Remote Apple Events Modification	Users can't change Remote Apple Events.	On	macOS 14
Allow Bluetooth Sharing Modification	Users can't change Bluetooth settings in System Settings.	On	macOS 14
Allow Media Sharing Modification	Users can't change Media Sharing.	On	macOS 15.1

Turn off a setting to lock that service in its current state.

Other Mac settings

Setting	What it does when turned off	Default	Minimum OS
Allow Content Caching	Turns off content caching on the Mac.	On	macOS 10.13
Allow File Transfer Using Finder or iTunes	Turns off iTunes file sharing services, which transfer files between the Mac and connected devices. Finder handles these transfers on macOS 10.15 and later; test the effect on your macOS versions.	On	macOS 10.13

Unlike the Mac Sharing settings, Allow Content Caching turns caching off; it doesn't just lock the setting. Keep it on for Macs that serve as content caches for your network.

All platforms

Setting	What it does	Default	Platforms and minimum OS	Supervision
Allow Screenshot	When off, users can't take screenshots or record the screen. The Classroom app also can't observe the screen.	On	macOS 10.15, iOS/iPadOS 13.0	Not required
Allow Setting Up New Nearby Devices	When off, the device doesn't offer to help set up a nearby new device (Quick Start). Starting with iOS 26.3, it also can't export data to set up a new Android device. Ignored on Shared iPad.	On	iOS 11.0, iPadOS 13.0	Required

Before you start

Decide which sharing services should be on or off on your Macs.
Set each service to the state you want before the policy locks it.
Identify Macs that are content caches. Leave Allow Content Caching on for them, or exclude them from a policy that turns it off.
Check supervision for iPhones and iPads that need Allow Setting Up New Nearby Devices.

Create the policy

In Swif, go to Device Management > Policies > New Policy.
Select Apple Sharing Restrictions Policy.
Enter a clear name, such as Mac Sharing – Locked.
Turn off each Mac Sharing setting you want to lock.
Set Allow Content Caching, Allow File Transfer Using Finder or iTunes, Allow Screenshot, and Allow Setting Up New Nearby Devices.
Save the policy.
Assign it to a device group.
Test on a few devices before a wider rollout.

Example configurations

Example 1: Company Macs with sharing locked

Sharing services are already off on these Macs, and users shouldn't turn them on.

Setting	Value
All Mac Sharing settings	Off
Allow Content Caching	Off
Allow File Transfer Using Finder or iTunes	Off
Allow Screenshot	On

Example 2: Office Macs that share a printer and cache content

Setting	Value
Allow Printer Sharing Modification	On
Allow Content Caching	On
Other Mac Sharing settings	Off
Allow Screenshot	On

Example 3: Supervised iPhones handling sensitive data

Setting	Value
Allow Screenshot	Off
Allow Setting Up New Nearby Devices	Off

Users can't capture the screen or move data to a new device with Quick Start.

Verify the policy

Mac

Open System Settings > General > Device Management and open the Swif profile. Confirm that it includes the restrictions.
Open System Settings > General > Sharing. Locked services should be grayed out, and their on/off state shouldn't be changeable.
If Allow Content Caching is off, confirm that Content Caching is off.
If Allow Screenshot is off, press Shift-Command-3 and confirm that no screenshot is saved.

iPhone or iPad

Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, open the Swif profile, and confirm that it lists Restrictions.
If Allow Screenshot is off, try taking a screenshot.
If Allow Setting Up New Nearby Devices is off, bring a new device nearby and confirm that no setup prompt appears.

In Swif, open the device and confirm that the policy shows as applied.

Troubleshooting

A sharing service is still on, and users can't turn it off

The policy locks the current state. Temporarily turn on that service's Modification setting, turn the service off on the Mac, then turn the setting off again.

Mac Sharing settings aren't locked

Check that the Mac runs macOS 14 or later (15.1 for Media Sharing).

Content caching stopped working on a Mac

Allow Content Caching is off in a policy assigned to that Mac. Turn it on, or remove that Mac from the policy.

The Classroom app can't observe screens

Allow Screenshot is off, which also blocks Classroom screen observation.

Quick Start still appears on an iPhone

Check that the device is supervised.
Check that it isn't a Shared iPad, which ignores this setting.

Only screenshots are restricted on a BYOD device

Apple User Enrollment supports only Allow Screenshot.

Related resources

Swif

Apple