Apple Configurator 2 is an OSX program that allows one to create configuration profiles for Apple devices, including iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, and iPod Touch, for easily deploying in business or school. You can mass enroll and supervise devices with Apple Configurator. Use Apple Configurator 2 to quickly configure large numbers of devices connected to your Mac via USB with the settings, apps, and data you specify for your students, employees, or customers. Apple Configurator 2 integrates with device enrollment and purchasing in Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager to seamlessly distribute apps from the App Store. Apple Configurator 2 Alternatives. Apple Configurator 2 is described as 'makes it easy to deploy iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV devices in your school or business'. There are more than 25 alternatives to Apple Configurator 2 for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android Tablet and i. Essentially, Apple Configurator 2 is a platform that lets you create and install configuration profiles on your company devices so you can make sure that every device has the right settings, apps, and data before you roll them out to your employees. Apple Configurator is a macOS application that allows administrators to create configurations and apply them to iOS devices. Before Apple Configurator, Apple offered iPhone Configuration Utility. Apple Configurator is the continuation of this sunset utility. The range of configuration options in Configurator is extensive.

1. Apple Configurator For Windows 10
2. Apple Configurator Tool
3. Apple Configurator Abm
4. Apple Configurator Dmg

Apple Configurator For Windows 10

Common Apple Configurator 1.7.2 Errors

1. On the MacBook, check the time at the top right of the computer screen.
2. If incorrect, click the Apple Menu at the top left of the computer screen.
3. In the menu, click System Preferences.
4. In the System Preferences window select Date & Time.
5. Click the padlock icon in the lower left corner of the window.
6. Enter administrator credentials when prompted
7. In the right pane look for the Set date and time automatically check box and field. The field should display the following: Apple Americas/U.S (time.apple.com)
8. If the check box next to Set date and time automatically is not checked, check it
9. If the time is wrong on the MacBook and the box is checked, uncheck and manually adjust the date and time.
10. Restart the MacBook and attempt to launch Apple Configurator again.

1. Close Apple Configurator.
2. Click the wifi signal icon on the upper right hand corner of the computer screen.
3. Verify the MacBook is connected to the CPS Wi-Fi network.
   1. If the MacBook is connected to the CPS Wi-Fi Network
      1. Click Turn Wireless Off
      2. Connect the MacBook to an Ethernet connection
      3. Restart the MacBook and attempt to launch Apple Configurator
   2. If the MacBook is not connected to the CPS Wi-Fi Network
      1. Select the CPS network
      2. Attempt to launch Apple Configurator

1. Locate the iPad and disconnect the sync cable.
2. Remove the iPad from the cart and open to the Home screen.
3. Reconnect the sync cable.
4. If prompted to “Trust this computer” tap Trust on the iPad.
5. If no “Trust” prompt appears then disconnect the sync cable.
6. Tap the Settings app.
7. Tap General tab in the left pane.
8. Tap Reset.
9. Tap Erase All Content and Settings
10. If prompted enter the passcode for the iPad. If you do not know the passcode see restoring iPads.
11. Tap Erase in the prompt to confirm the erase.
12. The iPad will restart.
13. Wait until the lock screen appears and reconnect the sync cable
14. This iPad is now ready to be Prepared. Please continue with the User Guide iPad Enrollment Instructions

Apple Configurator Tool

1. Locate the iPad and disconnect the sync cable
2. Remove the iPad from the cart
3. Check the iPad to see if Guided Access has been enabled
   1. If it has been enabled
      1. If a Guided Access notification appears triple click the Home Button in rapid succession
      2. When prompted enter the passcode for Guided Access
      3. At the top left of the screen tap End
      4. Press the Home Button once more to return to the home screen
      5. If you do not know the passcode see Restoring iPads
   2. If it has not been enabled, continue to step 4
4. Tap the Settings app
5. In the left pane tap Wi-Fi
6. Confirm there is a check mark next to either the CPS network or your school’s Guest wi-fi network in the right pane
7. If neither network is checked then tap CPS
8. Once connected to CPS or your school’s guest wireless reconnect the sync cable

1. Locate the iPad and disconnect the sync cable
2. Remove the iPad from the cart
3. Check the iPad for a passcode
4. If prompted enter the Passcode ​Note: If you do not know the passcode, you will need to restore the iPad.
5. Tap Settings
6. Tap Passcode in the left pane
7. Enter the Passcode when prompted again
8. Tap Turn off Passcode at the top of the right pane

1. In the Supervise tab of Apple Configurator, click on the Apps button.
2. Uncheck all apps listed.
3. Click the Apply button and allow iPads to refresh.

Apple Configurator Abm

1. Disconnect all iPads from the cart.
2. If the error disappears begin plugging iPads in one at a time until the error returns.
3. Unplug the hub from the MacBook
4. Unplug the iPad that triggered the error from the hub
5. Restore this iPad. Please see the steps on how to Restore iPads

1. In the Prepare tab of Apple Configurator, click on the Apps button.
2. Uncheck the iBooks app listed.
3. Click the Apply button and allow iPads to refresh.

1. In the Prepare tab of Apple Configurator, click the Stop button to clear the errors.
2. With the devices plugged in, touch each iPad and tap Trust, to trust the syncing computer
3. Prepare the devices again. Be sure to check the name field to make sure the devices are numbered the way you want.

Last updated October 29, 2019

What is Apple Configurator?

Apple Configurator is a macOS application that allows administrators to create configurations and apply them to iOS devices. Before Apple Configurator, Apple offered iPhone Configuration Utility. Apple Configurator is the continuation of this sunset utility.

The range of configuration options in Configurator is extensive. Administrators can control minimum security requirements for passcodes, VPN configurations, on-device certificates, and even fonts. Generally, any configurations that can be applied via mobile device management (MDM) are also available in Apple Configurator.

Additionally, Apple Configurator provides the ability for an administrator to select which apps to install to iOS. Sign in with an Apple ID and select any app downloaded or purchased previously under that Apple ID.

How Does it Work?

Apple Configurator combines these two capabilities to create a blueprint:

1. Configurations (aka profiles – made up of individual payloads)
2. Apps

An administrator is able to create multiple blueprints. Common groupings include role-based (executive, manager, contributor) or department-based (sales, marketing, support). Blueprints can also be layered on a device, allowing multiple configurations to overlap.

With blueprints configured, place Apple Configurator in ‘prepare’ mode. Then, each iOS device connects via USB or lightning and Apple Configurator pushes the configuration to the device. Also during this time, administrators can wipe devices, upgrade iOS, place into supervision mode, enroll with an MDM, etc.

The process can be time-consuming if one’s upgrading iOS or switching to supervised mode (which requires a system wipe). In these cases, we find many administrators use high-capacity USB hubs. Though we haven’t used it personally, the Cambrionix PowerPad15 is an example of a USB hub for this very purpose.

Sidenote: If looking to purchase a hub, check the capacity of power to the hub. If the wattage is too low, devices may not charge while plugged in. Decide if this is a requirement for your organization.

Why Use Both Configurator and MDM?

After explaining the functionality of Apple Configurator, an often asked question is: So why do I need MDM if I can manage configurations and apps this way? The question is a fair one, and the answer largely depends upon your organizational needs.

Apple Configurator can provide parity with MDM for some organizations with limited requirements. The big difference is the ability to control configurations after deployment. With Configurator, once an administrator unplugs the device, no further communication occurs unless the device plugs back into a computer. With MDM, administrators control configurations via WiFi or cellular connection.

Limited abilities exist to manage apps in Configurator. It only enables the basic process of installing selected apps. However, MDM will allow administrators to distribute company-owned app licenses purchased through Apple Business Manager (formerly Volume Purchase Program – VPP) as well as remotely update and remove apps. MDM is even capable of pushing app-specific configurations.

If you’re interested in how MDM can be used to simplify app deployment, we strongly recommend this read: Install Apps Remotely to iPads and iPhones which provides a comprehensive view of the many ways to deploy apps, each having its own strengths.

MDM provides additional features that an administrator can enable remotely. They can lock a device, wipe its contents, and monitor app installation. MDM also allows an administrator to access advanced functionalities, like forcing a device to only display a single app. A great example is the Square point of sale system.

Organizations learn to establish a balance when using both technologies. Apple Configurator is able to make sure all devices run the latest iOS version, are supervised and have an initial WiFi network connection. MDM is then used for all further configurations and management.

Apple Configurator Dmg

How To Enroll With MDM Using Apple Configurator

Enrolling a device with MDM generally occurs via a link either sent to the device by SMS or email or manually typed into a browser. This is reasonable for only a few devices or if employees will be enrolling their own devices. It absolutely does not scale for companies with a large number of company-owned devices that need to be set up. Instead, an organization will generally use the Apple Device Enrollment Program (read Explained: The Apple Device Enrollment Program) to have devices automatically configured with their MDM out-of-the-box, or they’ll use Apple Configurator.

We’ll now explain how to configure a device with MDM using Apple Configurator. To start, if you haven’t already, download Apple Configurator from the Mac App Store. Install the app and run it.

Once the application is running, plug your device into the computer.

Next, click the ‘Prepare’ button from the top bar of the app.

Configurator will ask you which mode you’d like to use. Select ‘Manual’ unless you have an Apple Business Manager account and want to add devices to it.

Apple Configurator will ask you if you’d like to assign the device to an MDM. Select ‘New server…’ if you haven’t completed this process before. The following screen will allow you to specify a name for your MDM as well as the enrollment URL.

The process for getting an enrollment URL varies between MDM vendors. For SimpleMDM, you must create an Enrollment (either group or one-time) in order to generate the URL as shown below. Paste the enrollment URL into Apple Configurator.

The remaining steps are not MDM-specific. The prompt asks if you’d like to:

1. Supervise the device and block other computers from managing it
2. Provide information about your organization to display on the device
3. Skip certain set-up screens during the initial iOS startup
4. Create or use an existing configurator identity. This is essentially a certificate that allows you to re-access these devices down the road with Apple Configurator on the same or on a different computer.

Once you’ve completed these steps, Configurator will begin setting up the devices you selected initially or plugin subsequently. The devices appear automatically in your MDM as they configure.

We run Windows. Can I Use Apple Configurator?

The strict answer is ‘no’. Apple Configurator software is only for macOS; Apple does not distribute a Windows version.

The nitty-gritty answer is ‘sort of’. None of these methods are recommended and may provide more pain than gain, so we generally recommend that organizations in this scenario purchase a Mac Mini to have as a resource for around the office. If interested in going down the rabbit hole, here are some methods that we’ve heard employed:

1. Apple used to distribute a Windows version of the iPhone Configuration Utility. It’s still available on c|net here. The last software release was January of 2013. At best it’s missing many features and at worse it won’t work at all.
2. Run macOS as a virtual machine on Windows. We’re pretty sure this breaks Apple macOS software licensing rules, so we cannot recommend this methodology. We’ve heard some reports that most virtual machine software handles USB emulation in a manner that causes issues when connecting and disconnection iOS devices, but we cannot confirm this.
3. Use Apple DEP instead. When using MDM, Apple DEP substitutes for Apple Configurator. Apple DEP devices are ready out-of-the-box, eliminating the need for USB/lightning connections and extra touches. Referenced earlier, you can learn more about Apple DEP via this article. If you’d like to use DEP, apply for an account at deploy.apple.com.

If you aren’t already using MDM, manage your devices with a SimpleMDM account. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section. We’re here to help!