How to enable Find My Mac
Why this matters
If your Mac is lost or stolen, Find My lets you locate it on a map, lock it remotely, display a contact message on the lock screen, or wipe it remotely so the thief can’t access your data. Combined with FileVault and a strong password, an opportunistic thief gets a paperweight instead of your life.
On Apple Silicon Macs, Find My also works when the Mac is shut down or restored — the chip can still report its location over a nearby iPhone’s network for several hours after power-off.
How to do it
- Open System Settings → [your name] at the top → iCloud.
- Scroll to Find My Mac and click Turn On.
- When prompted, allow Location Services for Find My.
- Confirm by visiting icloud.com/find on your phone or another computer — your Mac should appear on the map.
What you don’t need
You don’t need a third-party laptop-tracking service. Prey, LoJack for Laptops, and similar paid services were useful before Find My existed. Find My is now built in, always-on, encrypted end-to-end, and works even when the laptop is offline.
Go to icloud.com/find on another device and confirm your Mac appears in the list.
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