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How To Track A Laptop If Stolen

Did you lose your Laptop and want to know how you can recover it? Do not worry anymore because you are in the right hands. A laptop is a very important device in the current world because it helps us carry out many tasks very simply. Laptops have significant resources that help us in our day-to-day lives, including essential documents stored in their memories.

As such, if you lose your Laptop, your data is also lost and can be accessed by unauthorized hands. One of the most convenient ways of locating your Laptop is by the use of tracking software.

The biggest challenge is when you lose your Laptop, and you had not installed any tracking software, but you don’t have to mind because there are also many other techniques that you can use to recover your lost Laptop.

What To Do If Your Laptop Stolen

There are several ways of tracking your Laptop, both on mac laptops and windows laptops. Apart from the known ways, you can also use Facebook, dropbox, iCloud and Gmail to locate your lost device.

If your Laptop is stolen, it is just like having a significant part of your personal life stolen from you since you lose a lot of sensitive and confidential information.

Many laptop users do not know how to track their lost laptops using serial numbers or tracking software. This article will guide you on how to track your stolen Laptop using a serial number.

How To Track a Windows Laptop If Stolen

how to track a laptop

There are various ways that you can use to track your stolen Laptop that has windows ten installed on it. As a result, it is important to know that you can use Dropbox, Gmail, Facebook and Find my device options to track your lost Laptop by following the steps described below.

Method 1: Finding Your Lost Windows Laptop Using The ‘Find My Device’

How To Find a Windows Laptop If Stolen

This is a new feature that is preinstalled in windows 10. You can use this feature to trace your Laptop’s location.

Below are some of the steps that you should follow when tracking your lost Laptop using the Find My Device option;

  1. Start the process by signing into your Microsoft account.
  2. Navigate to your “Windows Settings.” Option. 
  3. Then navigate to “Update & Security.”
  4. Click on the ‘Find my device” option.
  5. Click on the enable option “Find my device.” Option 

After you have activated this feature, you can see your device’s last login location. If this feature is not enabled, you cannot be able to locate your lost Laptop.

Method 2: Tracking Your Laptop Using Gmail

Tracking Your Laptop Using Gmail

You can also be able to track your lost device using a Gmail account when it is connected to a network.

Follow the below step-by-step guides to track your lost device;

  1. Log into a Gmail service that is web-based.
  2. Below the “Last account activity” button, click on the details at the bottom right corner.
  3. Mark the IP address of the suspected stolen device.
  4. Then inform the relevant institutions about the lost device.

Method 3: Using Dropbox to track a lost laptop

Using Dropbox to track a lost laptop

Dropbox works the same as Gmail. You can track your device using Dropbox once you log into it.

Follow the below step-by-step guide to locate your lost Laptop using Dropbox;

  1. Using a web browser, log into your Dropbox.
  2. Next to the “Search” button, you will see the “Account,” button and click on it.
  3.  After getting into the setting, click on the security tab.
  4. Now locate your device by clicking the “Most Recent Activities,” button.
  5. Copy the IP address and report it to the nearest police station

Method 4: Find a Lost Laptop With Facebook

Find a Lost Laptop With Facebook

You can also try using Facebook if the methods mentioned above do not work. You can use your Facebook account to check the last connection and the IP address involved.

  1. To start the process, you need to log into your Facebook account, click on the setting tab and then choose the security option.
  2. After that, select the “Security & Login” option.
  3. Using your cursor, hover on the city below the “Where You’re Logged In” suggestion.
  4. On the “Recent Activity” option, you will be able to see all your most recent activities, including location, date, IP addresses and time.

Using all the information provided above, you can be able to track your lost Laptop with a lot of ease.

Here is How To Track a Lost MacBook

You can be able to trace your stolen Mac using two of the ways that we used on Windows 10. You can still use the” iCloud” or “Find My Device” feature to track your MacBook.

Below is a different methods on how to track your lost Mac device;

Method 1: Using iCloud to Find Your Lost MacBook

Using iCloud to Find Your Lost MacBook

To find your lost Mac laptop, follow the below-detailed guide:

  1. Start the process by navigating to your dashboard and selecting “System Preferences.” Option.
  2. Log into your iCloud by choosing the Apple account tab.
  3. Select your Mac device, and then select the “My Mac” option
  4. Then click on “Find my phone.”
  5. After that, click on the “Missing MacBook.” Option.
  6. After that, you will see the location of your Mac laptop.

After creating your iCloud account, use it to track your Laptop in case it gets lost. iCloud is a wonderful feature because it gives you the option of deleting your sensitive data from your stolen device.

If you try these steps and realize that your device position is not being captured, you should know that your device is not online. Keep trying until the device is connected to a network. The apple services from iCloud should inform you about the location of your device.

Method 2: Track Your MacBook Using Mac Address

Track Your MacBook  Using Mac Address

Your Mac Address is made up of two figures that are held together by a hyphen. To get your address, you need to launch your terminal by pressing “Command + Shift + U”. Ensure that you register your Mac laptop to a central network for you to have a good chance of recovering your device once it gets lost.

  1. Ensure that you report the issue instantly to the relevant authority in case your Laptop is stolen.
  2. \After reporting, the investigating personnel will use your unique Mac address by employing a technique called MAC address filtering to track your device.
  3. Ensure that your MAC Address is hidden so that you can notify the relevant experts because the device is not in your hands.

Tips for Preventing Your Laptop From Being Stolen Permanently 

You can do several things to enhance the recovery of your Laptop once it is stolen. The tips below will help you recover your Laptop more easily and simply.

Below are some of the things that you will be required to do before your Laptop is stolen;

#Register Your Device to the Manufacturer

There are many advantages of registering your device with the manufacturer; one of them is that you will always be notified about the latest updates by the manufacturers.

All the information that you send to the manufacturer is recorded. As a result, the manufacturer becomes stronger in helping you in case of any problem or challenge.

#Install Tracking Software Once You Buy Your Laptop

The simplest way to recover your device once lost is by using tracking software. This means that you will never lack your Laptop at all costs. The best thing is that you can access your device at any place after you register your device.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have found many ways of tracking your lost Laptop. The most important thing is to prepare yourself before your Mac or Windows computer is stolen. We have guided you on all the possible ways of securing your Windows and Mac computer. In case your Laptop is stolen, follow the mentioned step-by-step guide on how to recover your device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to trace a stolen laptop?

Yes, you can be able to trace your stolen Laptop any time you want to trace it. We have discussed many ways on this blog, and the most simple way is to use tracking software such as Adeona, Absolute and Advatrack. All that these software will require you is to enter your password and username to find your Ip address.

Is it possible to use an IP Address to Track a Laptop?

Yes, it is very easy for those who have the relevant knowledge. For the process to be straightforward, you must have software for tracking your Ip Address.

Can I be able to trace my Laptop’s IP Address?

No. Your Ip address is not revealed by the IP address you might use to route your internet traffic. There is no tracking of your IP Addresses. As such, it is not possible to track your IP Address.

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