How to protect your laptop from theft, and your data if it's taken

MacWindowsUpdated 14 October 2026

A laptop is easy to carry, which also makes it easy to take. Protecting it comes down to two things: making it less likely to be stolen, and making sure that if it is, the thief gets a locked, encrypted machine.

Quick answer

Keep your laptop with you and out of sight, never on show in a car, and record its serial number. Then set it up before anything happens: on a Mac, turn on Find My Mac and check FileVault; on Windows, turn on Find my device and device encryption. Register it on Immobilise, and check your insurance covers it.

How do I stop my laptop being stolen when I'm out?

Keep it on you and out of view. Avon and Somerset Police advise not leaving bags or valuables unattended, even briefly, and not hanging bags on the back of a chair or tucking them under a chair or table where you can't see them.

In a cafe, library, train or office:

Keep the laptop bag where you can see it, not hung on a chair back or tucked under a chair or table out of sight.
Don't leave the laptop on the table while you queue or go to the toilet. Take it with you.
Stay alert if someone approaches your table. The same police advice warns that thieves may ask for directions and use a map or newspaper as cover to take valuables from a table.

If someone tries to take it from you, the police advice is to consider letting them have it rather than risk getting hurt.

How do I stop a laptop being stolen from my car?

Don't leave it in the car if you can avoid it. Avon and Somerset Police say to take valuables, including electrical equipment, with you, and if you can't, to lock everything out of sight in the boot.

Take the laptop with you whenever you can.
If you can't, lock it out of sight in the boot.
Close every window and sunroof, so no one can reach in.
Lock the car, even if you'll only be gone a few moments, and double-check electronic or keyless locking.
Park in well-lit, ideally secure places.

Which Mac settings protect my laptop if it's stolen?

Two settings do most of the work: Find My Mac, and encryption. Set both up now: Find My can only help with a Mac it was set up on before it went missing.

Find My Mac and Activation Lock. Find My lets you see the Mac's approximate location, lock it with Lost Mode and erase it remotely. On a Mac with Apple silicon or the T2 chip, with two-factor authentication on your Apple Account and the default security settings, it also turns on Activation Lock, which Apple says is designed to prevent others from using your Mac if it's lost or stolen. Our guide to Mac Activation Lock explains it in full.

Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click your name, then click iCloud.
Click See All (or Show More Apps), then click Find My Mac, and turn it on.

FileVault. Apple says a Mac with Apple silicon or the T2 chip encrypts its data automatically, and FileVault adds protection by requiring your login password to see your data. On an Intel Mac without the T2 chip, you need FileVault for disk encryption.

Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Privacy & Security, then click FileVault.
Turn on FileVault, and choose how to unlock the disk if you forget your password: your iCloud account, or a recovery key you store somewhere other than the Mac.

A password after sleep, and a message on the lock screen.

Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Lock Screen.
Set "Require password after screen saver begins or display is turned off" to a short time.
Turn on "Show message when locked". Apple says it can provide contact information for a lost Mac.

For quick ways to lock the screen as you leave, see how to lock your Mac screen.

Which Windows settings protect my laptop if it's stolen?

On Windows 11, the equivalents are device encryption (or BitLocker) and Find my device.

Device encryption. Microsoft says device encryption turns on BitLocker for the operating system drive and fixed drives, and switches on automatically when you first sign in with a Microsoft account or a work or school account, with a recovery key attached to that account. With a local account, it doesn't.

Sign in to Windows with an administrator account.
Open Settings and select Privacy & security > Device encryption.
Turn the switch on. If Device encryption isn't there, Microsoft says it's either unavailable on your device or you're signed in with a standard account.

Find my device. Microsoft says it needs a Microsoft personal account, an administrator account, and location turned on, and that it has to be switched on before you can use it. Turn it on in Find my device settings, then:

To find the laptop, go to account.microsoft.com/devices, sign in, select the Find My Device tab, choose the laptop and select Find.
To lock it, find it on the map, then select Lock > Next. Microsoft suggests resetting your password once it's locked.

What should I record before anything happens?

The details that prove the laptop is yours.

The serial number. Apple says the police may ask for it, and that it's on the original box or receipt. Microsoft lists your Windows device's serial number at account.microsoft.com/devices under Info and support.
Photos and receipts. Avon and Somerset Police say proof of purchase and photos may be needed for insurance and to reclaim your property if the police find it.
A property register. The same force recommends registering valuables, free of charge, on an accredited database such as Immobilise, to improve your chances of getting them back.
Property marking. Police list chemical etching, which works on laptops, and tamper-resistant labels. They warn that etching must follow the kit's instructions, as getting it wrong may affect the warranty.

Does insurance cover a stolen laptop?

It depends on your policy. Avon and Somerset Police suggest checking the small print of your contents insurance. Before you need to claim, ask your insurer whether the laptop is covered away from home and in a car, and what proof of ownership they need. If it is stolen, Microsoft recommends reporting it to the police and to your insurance company.

What should I do if my laptop is stolen?

Report it, then lock down the laptop and your accounts.

Call 999 if it's happening now or someone is in danger. Otherwise, report it to your local police, for example on 101, and tell your insurer.
On a Mac, use Find My on another Apple device or at icloud.com/find to see its location, mark it as lost or erase it. Apple says locking or erasing needs the Mac to be on and connected to the internet.
On Windows, use account.microsoft.com/devices to find and lock it.
On a Mac, Apple says to change your Apple Account password, then the passwords for email, banking, shopping and social media accounts you used on it. On Windows, Microsoft suggests resetting your password once the laptop is locked.

For the Mac-specific checklist, see what to do if your MacBook is stolen.

Where Failshot fits

Failshot doesn't prevent theft, and it can't find a laptop on demand. Use Find My or Find my device for that. It covers a narrower moment: someone unlocking your Mac.

Failshot for Mac is out now as a download from failshot.app, for macOS 14 or later. It's free to download, but turning it on needs Failshot Pro, a subscription, with no free trial. Failshot Pro is £3.99 a month or £23.99 a year, VAT included, for as long as you stay subscribed, if you subscribe by 31 October 2026. From 1 November 2026 new subscriptions are £5.99 a month or £35.99 a year.
With Failshot on, it photographs whoever unlocks your Mac, then by default records a 5-second video. Video can be switched off. Sound is off unless you turn it on, and the app warns you that recording someone's voice without their permission is against the law in some places.
Whoever unlocks sees Failshot's window saying the unlock was photographed, and when a video is recording. With the Mac's built-in camera, the green light comes on.
Email alerts and location are off until you turn them on. With alerts on and signed in, Failshot emails you about an unlock you don't confirm as yours (with the photo and time), a wrong Failshot PIN or answer, or its camera access being switched off while it's on. With location on and allowed, an alert can say roughly where the Mac was at that unlock.
Switching it off, or quitting it from its menu, takes Touch ID or your Failshot PIN and answer, never your Mac password. Like any Mac app, it can still be force-quit, and then it takes no photos until it's open again. A wrong Failshot PIN or answer takes another photo.

With a stolen Mac, it only helps if the person gets past your login. It doesn't photograph a wrong password at the login or lock screen, or the first login after a restart or a log out. Logging out, restarting or shutting down closes Failshot without asking for Touch ID or your Failshot PIN, and unless you've set it to start at login (Start Failshot at login is off until you turn it on in its Settings), it stays off until you open it again. It has no remote lock or wipe. Failshot is for your own Mac only. The Windows version is coming soon, as are iPhone and Android.

Questions people also ask

How can I prevent laptop theft?

Keep it with you and out of sight. Police advise never leaving bags or valuables unattended, even briefly, and locking anything you must leave in a car out of sight in the boot. Then turn on Find My Mac or Find my device, and encryption, so a stolen laptop is harder to use.

Can a thief read my files if my laptop is stolen?

Encryption makes that much harder. Apple says FileVault requires your login password to see your data. Microsoft says device encryption turns on BitLocker for your drives. Check that encryption is on, and, as Apple advises, choose a password that can't be easily guessed.

Can I find my laptop if it's stolen?

Only if you set it up first. On a Mac, Find My shows its approximate location. On Windows, Microsoft says Find my device must be switched on before you can use it, with location on.

What should I do if my laptop is stolen from my car?

Report it to the police and your insurer. Then lock it with Find My or Find my device (Find My can also erase a Mac), and change your passwords. Next time, police advice is to take valuables with you or lock them out of sight in the boot.