Error 101 – Profile is not removable
If you manage a macOS environment chances are you use MDM (Mobile Device Management) software or the term I prefer UEM (Unified Endpoint Management). Whether you use Jamf Pro (f/k/a Casper), Microsoft Intune (now part of Microsoft Endpoint Manager), Rippling or Kandji, each of these UEM products install Profiles on your Mac to manage them.
Sometimes these Profiles can become
How to remove non-removable macOS Profiles
- Hold down Command + R during startup
- Go to Utilities and open Terminal
- Type the following commands to change the path and list the Volumes
cd /Volumes
ls- In the results list you should see the name of your Mac’s hard drive. Type the following command to change the path from Volumes to the hard drive where macOS is installed using a backslash to escape any spaces. My Mac’s hard drive is called “Macintosh HD”.
cd Macintosh\ HD- Next, change the directory from the root folder to the ConfigurationProfiles folder by typing the following command:
cd var/db/ConfigurationProfiles- To make sure you are actually in the ConfigurationProfiles folder we’ll use the print working directory command and ensure it outputs /Volumes/Macintosh HD/var/db/ConfigurationProfiles
pwd- Now that you’re sure you’re where you need to be it’s time to delete the directory. Type the following command to remove all the subfolders in the ConfigurationProfiles directory.
rm -rf *- Before we reboot we need to do one last thing and that is to create a folder called Settings and create a file in that folder called .profilesAreInstalled. To do this type:
mkdir Settings
touch Settings/.profilesAreInstalled- Reboot your Mac and all the configuration profiles should be removed.
