How to setup your University Mac Computer


Personal Information

No personal information is collected, such as the content or names of personal files (documents, email, etc) or any browsing history. 

Jamf Pro does NOT allow administrators to see location or users' private data stored on their Apple devices such as messages in university or personal email accounts, pictures, videos, phone calls, and text messages.  MDM Administrators will only enable internet activity monitoring and location upon request from the user of a missing iOS mobile device.

Setup: Before You Start

Check if your Mac is already Jamf enrolled

  1. Navigate to System Preferences
  2. Select Profiles
  3. Check for MDM Profiles

    MDM Profile in System Preferences

Duo Two-Factor Authentication

The Setup Assistant on University-owned Mac computers, iPhones and iPads is protected by Duo Two-Factor Authentication. For general information about Duo, see Duo Two-Factor Authentication

You must respond to the Duo prompt in order to proceed with setup process.

Are you On-Campus or Off-Campus?

Setup: Step-by-Step

Begin Setup

Some Setup Assistant screens are hidden by the Princeton Jamf Pro Enrollment Configuration. macOS features such as Siri, Passcode and Apple Pay may be configured after setup is complete. 

  1. Start the computer
    • If the computer does not display a Setup Assistant screen (i.e. it displays a login screen or Finder desktop), this is an "in use" Mac computer and must be completely erased before attempting to set it up. You will need to back up any data you want to keep before erasing the computer.
  2. Follow instructions in the macOS Setup Assistant screens
  3. On the Select your Wi-Fi network screen, select a network
    • You must connect to a network. The setup process will fail without a network connection and require the computer to be erased before attempting to set it up again.
    • If you are off-campus, select an available network and enter the password required to connect to that network
    • If you are on-campus, select Eduroam and authenticate using your Princeton netid in the form of netid@princeton.edu. Do not use an email alias. For more information about connecting to Eduroam at Princeton, see Eduroam: Connecting to the eduroam wireless network
  4. Click Continue on the Remote Management screen
    • If the Remote Management screen does not appear, restart the computer and reconnect to the network
    • If the Remote Management screen still does not appear, contact your SCAD/DCS support person or the OIT Suppport and Operations Center (SOC).
  5. Enter your Princeton credentials on the Central Authentication Service (CAS) screen. Use your netID. 
    • Note: You will see a CAS and Duo universal prompt on the device you're enrolling, if the device is running macOS 10.15 or higher. Devices running macOS 10.14 or below will continue to use Duo append mode. 
  6. Continue through the remaining Setup Assistant screens
  7. On the Create a Computer Account screen, keep the default account field, enter a secure password meeting Princeton's password requirements and click Continue. 
    • The initial account created in this step is an Administrator account. For more information on creating additional macOS user accounts after setup is complete, see the following Apple article: Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac 
    • If account creation fails, try again using a password containing at least 10 characters or using a different user name and account name. 
  8. Continue through the remaining Setup Assistant screens.
  9. When the Desktop appears, reconnect to your Wi-Fi network and wait for the following apps to be installed:
    • CrowdStrike
    • Firefox
    • Rapid7
    • Microsoft 365 Office Suite
    • Cisco Jabber
    • Zoom
  10. Enable FileVault by restarting the computer and entering your macOS password at the prompt that appears during the restart process.
    • Enter the password for the currently logged-in macOS account
    • If prompted to save the FileVault encryption key, click Continue
    • Jamf will store the recovery key automatically. This key is available from your department SCAD/DCS member or the Support and Operations Center (8-HELP)

*Note: The new enrollment CAS and Duo screens require macOS 10.15 or higher, if you have a device with macOS 10.14 or lower you will be presented with a generic username and password prompt with a silent duo prompt.

Completing Setup

After you have enabled FileVault and rebooted the computer, log in as the primary user of the computer to complete the setup process.

Princeton IT Self-service App

Users who do not have administrative rights on their computer can use the Princeton IT Self-service app to install apps, or in some cases, modify computer settings. 

How to use the Princeton IT Self-service app:

  1. Launch the Princeton IT Self-service app from the Applications folder
  2. Select an app or item and click the action button below the app icon

SCAD/DCS macOS Computer Setup Guide

SCAD/DCS support staff should use the setup instructions in  KB0010210 Mobile Device Management Environment - Enterprise and Site Admin Console Documentation

iPhone/iPad Setup Guide

Step-by-step instructions for setting up an Apple device running iOS or iPad OS are published in Article KB0013128.

Configurations applied to all devices managed by this service

The "Campus Base Configuration Profile" prompts the user to enter a passcode consisting of at least four (4) characters. The configuration also includes the Princeton SRA/VPN server setting for the SonicWall Connect Mobile app. Any additional distribution of configuration profiles are the responsibility of individual departments. If you have any questions about what additional profiles are enforced on your University-owned device, please contact your IT support group.

Lost/Stolen Device

Contact your SCAD/DCS member or the Support and Operations Center (SOC) at (609)258-HELP if you've misplaced your Mac, iPhone or iPad. If your iOS device is enrolled in the MDM program and is supervised, they will confirm your identity and then remotely lock your mobile device or, at your request, wipe the iOS device. If someone else gets possession of your device, the lock screen prevents access to log into the device. After the device is locked, you have time to think about your next steps or search for your device while leaving its contents intact.

Limitations & Known Issues

macOS Software

Automatically installed:

Additional Software Available to be installed:

Device Information Collected

Jamf Pro can only collect the data needed to support the Apple device. This information includes: 

No personal information is collected, such as the content or names of personal files (documents, email, etc) or any browsing history. 

Jamf Pro does NOT allow administrators to see location or users' private data stored on their Apple devices such as messages in university or personal email accounts, pictures, videos, phone calls, and text messages.  MDM Administrators will only enable internet activity monitoring and location upon request from the user of a missing iOS mobile device.