How to Find and Remote Lock a Missing Windows 11 Device

Here's how to find and secure a Windows 11 laptop when it goes missing.

The "Find My Device" feature in Windows 11 lets you locate your stolen Windows device. You can also use it to remotely lock your device to prevent unauthorized access, send a help message, or emit a sound.

However, for all this to work, you must have the Find my device and location feature turned on for your PC. Here we show you how to enable and use Find my device in Windows 11 to locate and remote lock your device from anywhere.

What Do You Need to Make "Find My Device" Work?

Find my device in Windows works much like the phone tracking feature available on iOS and Android platforms. Here are the pre-requisites to track your device using Find my device in Windows 11:

• You must be signed in to Windows using your Microsoft account. Work and School accounts don’t work.
• Location Services must be on.
• Find my device saves the last location when connected to the network. To update the device’s current location, it needs an active Internet connection.

How to Turn on "Find My Device" in Windows 11

For the service to work, you must enable Find My Device on your PC. If you are using Windows 10, refer to our guide on how to set up Windows laptop tracking for theft and loss instead.

To set up Find My Device in Windows 11:

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Open the Privacy & security tab in the left pane.

3. Scroll down to the App permissions section and click on Location.

   
4. The location service is often enabled by default. If not, toggle the switch for Location services to turn it On.
5. Next, go back to the Privacy & security tab.
6. Click on Find my device option under the Security section.

7. Toggle the switch for Find my device to turn it on.

   
8. When turned on, Find my device saves your device’s last location when connected to the internet. In case of theft or loss, you can sign in to your Microsoft account to find your laptop or tablet.

How to Track Your Stolen Device

If you find your Windows 11 device to be stolen or missing, you can use the Find my device tracking feature to locate the device. Here’s how to do it.

1. Go to Microsoft’s Devices page. Sign in using your Microsoft Account. It will list all your connected Windows devices.
2. Locate the device you want to track and click on it to view more information. It will show you the most recent saved location with the date and time.
3. Next, click on Find my device.
4. You will see a map showing the pinpoint location of your device. Use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom into the map.
5. To update the device location, click the Find button. Find my device will update your device’s current location. A notification will appear on your device indicating an administrator tried to locate this device.

How to Remotely Lock Your Windows Device

Another nifty security feature in "Find My Device" is "Lock device". It lets you remotely lock your Windows device, log out any active users, and disable local users.

You can even leave a personal message that will appear on the screen if anyone tries to turn on the device.

To lock the device, click the Lock button on the Find my device page. Then, type a message in the Lock device dialog and click the Lock button.

If you recover your device, you can sign in with your administrator account details or use your Microsoft account.

Locate Your Missing Windows 11 Device Once More

Microsoft’s Find My Device is a handy feature to locate missing or stolen Windows devices. If you determine the device to have been stolen, you can remotely lock the device to protect your sensitive data.