How to Find a Missing Windows Laptop/Device

Authored by: Support.com Tech Pro Team

1. Introduction

In this guide, you learn How to Find a Missing Windows Laptop/Device.

2. How to Find Missing Device

Find a Missing Device

Now let's say you're stuck in a situation where your device is missing and you need to find out where it's hiding. To track down your device, sign into your Microsoft account site and head to the Devices page. Here, you will see all the Windows devices connected to your account.

If Find My Device is on, you will see each device's last recorded location. Don’t worry if the page shows an older location and date for a device; that information will be updated when you ping the device. If the missing device is turned on, simply click Find my device.

A page pops up showing you the date, address, and a map pinpointing the device's location. Using your mouse wheel or trackpad or the Zoom buttons on the map, you can zoom in or out to see the location up close or get a wider bird's-eye view. You can also pan the map with your mouse.

Click the Find button under an entry to update the device's location. The map and last location are updated to reflect the current whereabouts of your device. On the missing device's end, a beep sounds off to alert anyone located nearby. Plus, a message briefly appears indicating that "an administrator tried to locate this device."

If your device is near you, you should be able to hear the beep. If the device is located elsewhere, hopefully, someone will hear the beep and/or see the message and can alert you as to the device's whereabouts.

If you can’t quickly get to the location of your device, click the Lock button so that another person can’t access it without the necessary permissions. You can also type a message to be displayed on the screen for anyone who finds your device.

Locking the device logs out any active users and disables access for any local users. Anyone with an administrator’s account will still be able to sign in. As the device is locked, location tracking services will be enabled.