Windows · Accounts & Family
Locate a lost or stolen PC
Find My Device uses your Microsoft account to record your PC's last known location, helping you locate it on a map if it's ever lost or stolen.
How to open Find My Device
- Open Settings → Accounts → Find my device
- Turn on the Find my device toggle
- Ensure Location services are enabled in Privacy settings
- Visit account.microsoft.com/devices to view location later
What you should know
- Enable or disable location tracking tied to your Microsoft account
- View your device's last known location from account.microsoft.com
- Requires location services and an active internet connection to update
- Works alongside device encryption for stronger loss protection
Find My Device requires location services to be turned on system-wide; disabling location services elsewhere will prevent this feature from updating.
Why it matters
A lost or stolen laptop represents both a financial loss and a security risk, since it may contain personal files, saved passwords, and access to online accounts. Find My Device gives you a fighting chance of recovering the machine by showing its last known location, which can be shared with local authorities. It also provides peace of mind for anyone who regularly travels with their laptop, such as students or business travelers. Combined with encryption and a strong sign-in method, it forms part of a layered defense against data exposure if a device is misplaced.
Best practices
- Turn on Find My Device as soon as you set up a new PC
- Keep location services enabled system-wide so location data stays current
- Pair with device encryption so data stays protected even if the device isn't recovered
- Check the account portal periodically to confirm location reporting is working
Common problems and fixes
- Device location isn't updating
- Verify location services are turned on and the device has an active internet connection.
- Feature is greyed out
- Confirm you're signed in with a Microsoft account rather than a local-only account, since Find My Device requires it.
- Location shown is outdated
- The location only refreshes when the device connects to the internet; a powered-off device won't update.
Tips and tricks
- Check account.microsoft.com/devices from any browser to view your PC's last known location
- Enable this alongside a strong lock screen PIN for layered protection against theft
Frequently asked questions
Does this let me remotely wipe my PC?
No, Find My Device only shows location; remote wipe requires a business or Intune-managed device.
Does it work without an internet connection?
No, the device must be online to report its current location.
Is this the same as Find My iPhone?
It serves a similar purpose but is Microsoft's implementation for Windows PCs specifically.
Related settings
- Your InfoYour Info shows the account currently signed into this PC — your name, profile picture, and whether it's a local or Microsoft account — with quick links to manage your Microsoft account online.
- BackupWindows Backup uses OneDrive to continuously back up your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders, along with your list of installed apps, saved Wi-Fi network passwords, and select personalization settings like your theme and wallpaper. It's designed to make restoring your setup on a new PC, or after a reset, far less painful than starting from scratch.
- Sign-in OptionsSign-in Options controls every way you can sign into this PC — Windows Hello face and fingerprint recognition, PIN, security key, or password — and lets you require sign-in after sleep for extra security.
More Accounts & Family guides for Windows
- Family SafetyMicrosoft Family Safety lets you create a family group to manage screen time limits, content filters, spending, and location sharing for children's Windows, Xbox, and mobile devices from one place.
- Email & AccountsEmail & Accounts lists every account — Microsoft, work/school, or other — that your installed apps (Mail, Calendar, OneDrive, and third-party apps) are allowed to use to sync data. You can add new accounts here or remove ones apps no longer need.
- Other UsersOther Users lets you add separate sign-in accounts for other people who share this PC — family members, guests, or coworkers — each getting their own desktop, files, and settings, isolated from yours.
- Access Work or SchoolAccess Work or School lets you connect this PC to an organization's Azure AD / Microsoft Entra environment so you can access company or school email, apps, and resources, and so IT can apply required security policies.
- PasskeysPasskeys let you sign into supported websites and apps using Windows Hello (your face, fingerprint, or PIN) instead of typing a password — they're stored securely on this device and can't be phished or reused if a website is breached.
- Linked DevicesLinked Devices shows phones and other PCs connected to your Microsoft account, enabling features like continuing a browser tab from your phone on this PC, or seeing your phone's photos and notifications through the Link to Windows / Phone Link app.