If you can’t find your Windows laptop or tablet, Microsoft has a feature called Find My Device that can help you can pinpoint its position via an on-screen map. On Windows 10 and Windows 11, you can then lock the device, have it emit a sound, or send a message to the screen. If you have a desktop PC, this feature can be helpful during a move or other transition.
In addition to finding one of your own devices, you can locate devices registered to other people in your Microsoft family. The main requirement is that you need a Microsoft account to sign into your device and to track its location. Here’s how this all works.
Set Up Find My Device in Windows 10
In Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & security > Find my Device. For more information, click the Learn more link at the bottom of this page. If the feature is currently disabled, you’ll see a line that says “Find My Device is off.” Click the Change button.
A small window pops up with a setting that says “Save my device’s location periodically.” Click the switch to change that setting from off to on.
Below the Change button, you may see a message that says: “Your device’s location setting is turned off, so tracking this device won’t work.” If so, click the Turn on the location setting link.
At the Location screen, click the Change button and turn on the switch for Location access to this device.
Set Up Find My Device in Windows 11
If you want to turn Find My Device on in Windows 11, head to Settings > Privacy & security > Find my Device and make sure the switch next to Find my device is enabled. For more information, click the Get help link on this page.
The Find My Device feature requires that Location settings be enabled. To make sure the Location setting is turned on, go to Settings > Privacy & security > Location. Turn on the switch for Location services if it’s turned off.
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.
