If your desktop, laptop, tablet, or Surface is lost or stolen, use Find my device to locate and lock it remotely. To find the lost device, it must be running Windows 10 and be signed in to your Microsoft account. You can also use Find my phone to find, locate, lock, and even erase your Windows Phone.
Full Answer
What should I do if my device has been stolen?
If the device has been stolen, it’s important to restrict the thief’s access to the computer’s files. In the right-hand column, there are several different options: If you wish to remote wipe the device and permanently delete the files, click Remote Wipe at the bottom of the column.
How do I Find my stolen laptop on Windows 10?
Locate and lock your laptop You can only do this if you enabled the “Find My Device” feature, as described above. To locate your laptop after it’s stolen, visit the devices page for your account on Microsoft’s website.
How to protect your laptop from theft?
One solution is to set up remote wiping on devices. This allows administrators to delete data even if the computer has been lost or stolen (although there are some limitations). Another useful safety measure is to implement full disk encryption so that the thief cannot access any data on the laptop unless they also manage to steal the key.
What happens if your laptop is stolen?
Even in the rare case that you witness your laptop being stolen and can race to log in and remote wipe the computer, it’s possible for the thief to access the data before you. In less favorable circumstances, they may have had days to trawl through the files and access everything they desire.
What if I didn't enable the "Find my device" feature?
Can you use the lock command on a device without internet?
Can my stolen laptop be accessed?
When your laptop is lost or stolen, you aren't just out $800 (or more). Your personal information is also accessible to whoever takes it, even if you have a password. “Unfortunately, a typical password-protected user account does nothing to protect your data,” says Dennis Stewart, a security engineer at CipherTechs.
What do thieves do with stolen laptops?
Immediately sold to the highest bidder Once your laptop gets stolen, thieves will want to get rid of it as quickly as possible. They might sell it right out on the street to anybody willing to pay—money and the risk—for a suspiciously cheap laptop.
Can a laptop be locked remotely?
Lock your Windows device remotely When you find your device on the map, select Lock > Next. Once your device is locked, you can reset your password for added security. For more info about passwords, see Change or reset your Windows password.
Can you track a stolen laptop with IP address?
Contact your ISP to see if the thief has accessed the Internet using your service. The ISP issues a location-specific IP address when a computer accesses the Internet. If the owner of a stolen laptop discovers an IP address assigned to her computer since the theft, then the police can track its location.
Can police track a stolen laptop?
By serving a subpoena on the company that provides the security services, police can get access to the laptop's identification information, where it's been logged onto Wi-Fi networks, what phone modems it's been using and even its GPS tracking information.
How likely is IT to recover a stolen laptop?
According to the FBI, approximately 2 million laptops are stolen each year. Even worse, only 2% are recovered....Here's a list of a few best practices to keep laptops from being stolen:Know where the device is all the time; it is OK to be paranoid. ... Mark the laptop to identify its owner.More items...
How do I lock my stolen HP laptop?
If your desktop, laptop, tablet, or Surface is lost or stolen, use Find my device to locate and lock it remotely. To find the lost device, it must be running Windows 10 and be signed in to your Microsoft account. You can also use Find my phone to find, locate, lock, and even erase your Windows Phone.
How can I remotely lock someones computer?
Create Shortcut to Lock Remote ComputerRight-click on your desktop, select “New,” then “Shortcut.”Type rundll32 user32. ... Type a name for your shortcut into the “Name” text field (e.g., “Lock My PC”) and then click “Finish.”Double-click on your new shortcut to lock your computer.
Can you track a stolen desktop computer?
Can A Stolen Desktop Computer Be Tracked? Yes, your desktop can be tracked utilizing its IP Address. When the PC gets activated and connected to the internet, its location will be tracked. Some programs are designed to locate your desktop's IP address, such as Advatrack and Absolute Software.
Can HP laptops be tracked?
Your computing device is lost or stolen – with all of your confidential data. Suddenly, all you can think about is how to get it back. With HP Tracking and Recovery Services, you can.
Can a laptop be tracked after factory reset?
Unfortunately, no. If the thief erases your hard drive, or restores your computer to factory settings (using the manufacturer's factory restore procedure,) your computer can no longer be located.
What if I buy a stolen laptop?
No, but once you realize it's stolen you have an obligation to turn it into the police to be returned to the rightful owner. Unfortunately,if you buy something that is stolen, the person who sold it to you had nothing to sell so you stand the loss.
What if I didn't enable the "Find my device" feature?
Even if your personal desktop computer, your laptop, or your tablet gets lost or stolen from your home or your office you can still enable"Find my device" through your Microsoft account online to speedily log out any currently active users remotely. You can also change your password and find your machine's location from your Microsoft account.
Can you use the lock command on a device without internet?
Note: for this to work your device MUST be connected to the internet. Otherwise, it will be impossible for the lock command to reach it.
Where was the laptop stolen?
At the end of 2018, a laptop was stolen from a government employee in Canada. The unencrypted laptop was taken from a locked car, and it contained health information concerning close to 40,000 individuals from the Northwest Territories.
How long does it take to know if your computer has been stolen?
When things are stolen, we often don’t notice straight away. It can be hours, days or even weeks before we realize that our computer has been stolen. This lag time is critical, because it may only take minutes for a cunning thief to access data from a stolen laptop.
What is remote wiping?
Remote wiping makes it possible to delete data from a laptop or computer without having to be in front of the device. It’s a critical feature that both individuals and companies should consider implementing on all computers that contain sensitive or valuable data.
How to check if my computer has a TPM chip?
Click Turn on BitLocker. The BitLocker wizard will start to run, scanning your computer to make sure it has a TPM chip and meets the other requirements. If system changes are required, the BitLocker wizard will recommend any necessary steps.
Why is remote wiping important?
Remote wiping your laptop or PC can help to protect your data if a computer is lost or stolen. However, it is generally best to complement it with full disk encryption, because remote wiping has several limitations. In this article, we'll explain the advantages of both and how to best protect your data. Many organizations and individuals have ...
What happens when you don't enable remote wiping?
When remote wiping hasn’t been enabled and other safeguards aren’t in place, attackers may be able to access anything on the laptop or PC. From massive data breaches to IP theft, this oversight can have huge impacts on businesses and individuals. These aren’t just theoretical attacks.
Why does my laptop keep being offline?
Any thief that knows what they are doing will keep the laptop offline for exactly these reasons – they don’t want the device to be tracked, or for the data to be wiped. This means that you may never get a chance to use the remote wipe functionality that you put so much effort into setting up.
How to find my laptop if it's stolen?
To locate your laptop after it’s stolen, visit the devices page for your account on Microsoft’s website. Click the tab that says “Find My Device” and select your laptop (look for the name it appeared under when you connected it to your local network). Click “Find.”
What happens if a laptop is stolen?
The manufacturer will flag your laptop in their system and notify the police if the thief contacts tech support or tries to file a warranty claim for your stolen laptop.
How to report theft to police?
You can do this by calling or visiting your local police department’s office, but you’ll also probably be able to file a theft report via their website.
Can a laptop get stolen?
Obviously, nobody expects their laptop to get stolen, but it can happen to anyone. It’s important to take steps to protect yourself while your computer (and your sensitive data) is still in your possession, as it makes recovering from a notebook theft much easier. In particular, you should make sure to:
Can I sign out of Chrome remotely?
If you use a Google account, sign out of Chrome remotely to deauthorize your device. Firefox and Safari also allow remote sign-outs.
Does renters insurance cover laptop theft?
Both homeowners and renters insurance cover theft of personal property, which includes your laptop. This means that if it was a work laptop, you might not be able to file a claim, since your employer’s property technically doesn’ t count as your “personal” belongings. If your work laptop gets stolen, contact your employer instead and see if they’ll provide a new one.
Can you wipe your computer with Absolute Home and Office?
If you’re on Windows and you installed the Absolute Home & Office software suite previously suggested, you can use that to wipe your data as well.
How to connect to a remote desktop?
Use Remote Desktop to connect to the PC you set up: On your local Windows 10 PC: In the search box on the taskbar, type Remote Desktop Connection, and then select Remote Desktop Connection. In Remote Desktop Connection, type the name of the PC you want to connect to (from Step 1), and then select Connect.
How to check if Windows 10 Home is remote?
To check, go to Start > Settings > System > About and look for Edition . For info on how to get it, go to Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro. When you're ready, select Start > Settings > System > Remote Desktop, and turn on Enable Remote Desktop. Make note of the name of this PC under How to connect to this PC. You'll need this later.
How to use Remote Desktop on Windows 10?
Set up the PC you want to connect to so it allows remote connections: Make sure you have Windows 10 Pro. To check, go to Start > Settings > System > About and look for Edition . For info on how to get it, go ...
How to protect your laptop from being stolen?
You can't predict whether your laptop will be lost or stolen, but you can take preventive steps to protect it if it ever is. Write down your device's serial number so you have it on hand. Secure your laptop with a password. Enable limits that will lock up your device after a certain number of failed login attempts.
What to do if you lose possession of a laptop?
Change your account passwords. This is the first step most security experts recommend if you lose possession of your laptop. If someone else can log into your device, then they'll likely have access to most or all of your online accounts — especially if you use your device's or browser's keychain to autofill your usernames and passwords.
What to do if you lose your wallet?
Just as you would if you lost your physical wallet, contact your bank and credit-card companies about any financial accounts that autofill when you make a purchase or that you have saved on e-commerce sites. You can freeze your debit and credit cards and let your financial institutions know about the possibility of suspicious activity.
How to stop a thief from accessing my account?
If you have autofill enabled in your web browsers, all a thief need do to access your accounts is open that browser. Turn off automatic sign-in options and delete your saved passwords.
What is the best way to secure a hard drive?
Use full-disk encryption to secure your hard drive.
Is losing a laptop a bad thing?
Losing your laptop is a costly inconvenience at best, and a significant threat to your digital security at worst.
What if I didn't enable the "Find my device" feature?
Even if your personal desktop computer, your laptop, or your tablet gets lost or stolen from your home or your office you can still enable"Find my device" through your Microsoft account online to speedily log out any currently active users remotely. You can also change your password and find your machine's location from your Microsoft account.
Can you use the lock command on a device without internet?
Note: for this to work your device MUST be connected to the internet. Otherwise, it will be impossible for the lock command to reach it.