Skip to main content

How to find a lost or stolen MacBook

If you’ve accidentally misplaced your MacBook when traveling or commuting to work, it’s been stolen, or you simply cannot locate your laptop, then Apple provides a straightforward method to finding it through its Find My feature — a tool that has led to countless iPhones and MacBooks being retrieved by their rightful owners.

Here's how to find a lost MacBook.

Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • PC, tablet, or phone with internet access

  • Apple device (iPhone, iPad, etc.)

Setting up Find My on your MacBook

Before we show you how to use Find My to locate a lost MacBook, let’s first take a look at how to set it up. For anyone who takes their MacBook with them to university, when traveling or commuting, or just to the coffee shop, it’s essential that you activate this tool for your system. If your system becomes lost at any given time, Find My is the closest you’ll get to a guaranteed recovery.

Step 1: Enable Location Services for your MacBook by heading to Security and privacy within System preferences, and then choosing the Privacy field.

The Security & Privacy option on Mac.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Select the Enable location services box, after which you’ll need to choose Find My.

The Enable Location Services box on Mac.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 3: Select the Apple ID icon within System preferences, select the iCloud tab and Find My Mac, and then hit the Allow box.

Enabling the Find My Mac feature on Mac.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: To turn on the Offline finding feature (though it should be enabled by default), choose the Options button within the Find My Mac field.

The Offline Finding feature for Find My Mac on Mac.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Using Find My to locate a lost MacBook

If you’ve already enabled Find My on your MacBook before it was lost, then you have a few options.

Step 1: On another device, sign in to your iCloud account on iCloud.com/find. Select the All devices option.

Step 2: Wait for Location Services to track your MacBook and showcase it.

Step 3: Once located, there are a few options to choose from. Play sound will do just that if your system is nearby. You can also Lock it or Erase it. The latter two choices should be considered if it’s been stolen.

The Find My feature for Find My Mac via Apple’s iCloud website.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Using Find My on iPhone to locate a lost MacBook

If you don’t have immediate access to a desktop or another laptop or would prefer to just use your smartphone instead, then you can do so with your iPhone’s version of Find My.

Step 1: Select Settings, followed by your Apple ID at the top, and then select your MacBook from the available devices section.

Choosing a MacBook from the Find My feature on iPhone.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Below the name of your MacBook, select Show in Find My.

The Show in Find My button on iPhone.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 3: You should now be able to see the location of your MacBook, with the ability to play a sound and be given directions to its location. You can also wipe the entire device by hitting the Erase this device setting.

The Find My tool on iPhone showing the location of a MacBook.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Finding a lost MacBook that’s offline

If your lost MacBook is in sleep mode, which more or less means it’s offline, Apple’s offline search mode can still locate your system (via the use of Bluetooth signals with other systems).

There is a caveat, though — you’ll need another device created by Apple, like an iPhone or iPad.

Step 1: On your other Apple device, select Settings, followed by your Apple ID, then select Find My > Find My iPhone, and then see if Find My network is enabled.

The Find My network button on iPhone to enable the offline searching function for lost Apple devices.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: In the Apple ID main settings page, see if your device is shown. If the MacBook is in a coffee shop or an area with other devices, then there’s a higher chance of it showing up even if the laptop has been closed.

Ultimately, however, there is no 100% guarantee you’ll be able to locate a lost MacBook. With Find My enabled, your chances increase significantly, but there can still be setbacks that prevent you from retrieving it. In this case, you can report the situation to the relevant authorities, for which your MacBook’s serial number will come in handy (situated on the packaging box and receipt of purchase).

It goes without saying that if you have lost your MacBook, you should immediately change all your sensitive data, including login credentials and your Apple ID.

Consider an AirTag

The Find My feature could yield no positive results if the device isn’t online or it’s been destroyed, etc. For an added safety measure, you can always use an AirTag and place it, say, within your MacBook’s laptop bag just in case it is stolen or misplaced.

If you've lost an iPhone or want to know how to find it for future references, then check out our guide on how to use Find My iPhone. We also have an in-depth guide on using the Find My app itself on an iPhone.

Editors' Recommendations

Zak Islam
Computing Writer
Zak Islam was a freelance writer at Digital Trends covering the latest news in the technology world, particularly the…
The MacBook Pro we all want is still many years away
An open MacBook Pro on a table.

As great as the MacBook Pro is right now, there's one important feature that's always been missing. A touchscreen. It's something Windows laptops have enjoyed for years now, and many have viewed it as a missing piece of the puzzle for the Mac.
The latest rumors, however, suggest that a solid road map is in place that could potentially end with touch-enabled OLED screens coming to the MacBook Pro.
The news comes from @Tech_Reve on X (formerly Twitter), who indicates that Apple has plans to reveal MacBook Pro models featuring OLED displays in the 2026 to 2027 time frame. These models might come in 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch variants and are also expected to be touchscreen enabled.

After the introduction of the OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro, Apple is expected to push both features to MacBook Air models in 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch variants. This could happen starting in 2026 and beyond, depending on the tentative timeline of the MacBook Pro launch.
According to @Tech_Reve, Apple is working with Samsung and LG as its display suppliers. Each manufacturer has their own updated version of touchscreen technology that integrates the touch panel directly into the display. Samsung's technology is called Y-OCTA and LG's is Touch On Encapsulation. However, they ultimately produce the same result, a thinner panel at a lower cost. The current standard entails layering the OLED panel and then a separate touch panel, WCCFTech noted.
The OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro might trickle down from the OLED iPad Pro, which is one of the big Apple rumors for a launch during the first half of 2024. The tablet already has a touchscreen display, so many believe it would be an easy transition to add an OLED screen for a similarly high-end product. Additionally, the rumored 11-inch and 13-inch models are expected to be solid testers for future OLED touchscreen devices, such as the 2026-2027 MacBook Pro.
WCCFTech made the point that the OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro would likely require tweaks to the macOS interface to accommodate for the precision needed when using touch on a display. Notably, the iPad Pro already has the assistance of the Apple Pencil, but there's no telling how accessories will fit into the equation.

Read more
5 things you need to know before buying a new MacBook Pro
The lid of Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air seem from above.

Apple recently introduced new MacBook Pro laptops with the M3 processor. On the surface, little else changed. The new machine sports the same high-quality and minimalist design (albeit with a striking new Space Black color), the same awesome mini-LED display, and the same exceptional keyboard and touchpad.

You might be tempted to think that choosing a new MacBook Pro will be as simple as it was with the previous generation. If so, think again. There are several important gotchas with the new machines that need careful consideration. I list five of them here.
Apple Silicon has gotten much more confusing

Read more
There are two sizes of MacBook Pros. Here’s the one you should buy
MacBook Pro laptops.

MacBooks are among the best laptops you can buy, but there are some critical differences between Apple's two MacBook Pro models.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro is a relatively new arrival on the market, with a bigger screen size than the now-discontinued 13-inch model. The 16-inch model was a refresh of the existing MacBook Pro, but there were enough changes to call it a new laptop entirely. Both of them are worthy of being listed among the best MacBooks out there, and our review of the new M3 Max MacBook Pro 14 just confirms how great the laptops really are. The question is, which model is right for you?
Design

Read more