Laptop anti-theft alarm: what it does, and setting one up on a Mac
A laptop anti-theft alarm is software that makes a loud noise when something happens to the laptop that you didn't do, such as the charger being pulled out or the lid being shut. The Apple pages we checked describe no built-in alarm of that kind on a Mac. Failshot Pro adds one, alongside the theft settings macOS already has.
Quick answer
The Apple pages we checked describe no Mac alarm for an unplugged charger or a closed lid. With Pro, Failshot sounds an alarm on a Mac when the charger is unplugged, the lid is closed or an unlock isn't confirmed, and keeps sounding until Touch ID or your Failshot PIN stops it.
What does a laptop anti-theft alarm do?
It's meant for the moment the laptop is being taken, not afterwards. You leave it on a table or plugged in, and if someone unplugs it or closes it to walk off, it sounds.
That's different from the tools that help after a theft. Find My shows where a lost Mac is, and police advice includes never leaving a laptop unattended. An alarm sits between the two.
Does a Mac have a built-in anti-theft alarm?
Not in the Apple pages we checked. Apple's page for a lost or stolen Mac, its Activation Lock page and its Touch ID security page describe locating, locking and erasing a Mac, not an alarm that sounds when it's unplugged or closed.
The nearest thing is Play Sound in Find My. Apple says that if your Mac is nearby, you can tap or click Play, or Play Sound, "to help you or someone nearby find it". It's a way of finding a Mac, and you start it from another device.
What macOS does have, and what to switch on before anything happens:
- Find My Mac. Apple says Find My Mac is the only Apple service that can help track or locate a lost Mac, and that you can use Find My to help locate and protect it if you set it up before your Mac went missing.
- Activation Lock. On a Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip, left on Apple's default security settings and with two-factor authentication for your Apple Account, turning on Find My turns it on. Apple says your Apple Account password or device passcode is then needed before anyone can turn off Find My, erase your Mac, or reactivate and use it.
- A locked screen. Choose Apple menu > Lock Screen, or press Touch ID, every time you step away.
How does Failshot's alarm work on a Mac?
With Pro, Failshot can sound an alarm if your charger is unplugged, your lid is closed or your Mac is unlocked without you confirming it. It keeps sounding until you stop it with Touch ID or your Failshot PIN, never your Mac password.
- Charger unplugged. Leave your Mac charging in a café or a library, and pulling the cable sets off the alarm and takes a photo.
- Lid closed. Closing the lid to walk off with it sets off the alarm and takes a photo too. With the lid shut, that photo may be dark.
- Unconfirmed unlock. An unlock you don't confirm as yours sounds the alarm, as well as taking the photo.
The alarm plays through your Mac's own speakers at full volume, even when it's muted or headphones are in. It works while Failshot is on.
Does a MacBook alarm work when the lid is closed?
Failshot's does. With Pro, closing the lid while Failshot is on sounds the alarm and takes a photo. When the lid opens again, the alarm keeps sounding until Touch ID or your Failshot PIN and answer turn it off.
If you're leaving the Mac on a desk for a while, "Stay awake while Failshot is on", also Pro, means your Mac won't sleep by itself while Failshot is on.
How do I set up an anti-theft alarm on a Mac?
- Turn on Find My Mac first. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click your name, then iCloud, click See All (or Show More Apps), click Find My Mac and turn it on. That also turns on Activation Lock on a supported Mac.
- Download Failshot for Mac from failshot.app. It runs on macOS 14 or later.
- Open Failshot and turn it on.
- With Pro, use the alarm. It covers the charger, the lid and unlocks you don't confirm.
- Before you leave the Mac, plug it in and lock the screen.
Should I rely on an alarm in a café or library?
No alarm replaces keeping the laptop with you. Police.uk's advice for visitors to London is to "keep mobile phones, cameras and laptops close at hand and never unattended." Treat the alarm as the layer for the moments you misjudge, and see leaving your laptop at work or in a library for the rest.
For the settings and habits that help most, see how to protect your laptop from theft, and for a new Mac on the move, protecting a new MacBook out and about.
What if my laptop is stolen anyway?
Apple's steps for a stolen Mac start with Find My: see its approximate location, then turn on Lost Mode, which Apple says locks a Mac with Apple silicon with your Apple Account password. Report it to the police: Police.uk says to report a stolen item online, where your local force offers it, or by calling 101, and to call 999 if a serious offence is in progress or has just happened. Apple says the police may ask for the serial number.
Our guide to what to do if your MacBook is stolen has every step in order.
Where Failshot fits
Your password is the first layer. Failshot is the second: the alarm for the moment someone grabs the Mac, and photos of whoever unlocks it.
- With Pro, the alarm sounds when the charger is unplugged, the lid is closed or an unlock isn't confirmed, at full volume through the Mac's own speakers, and Failshot takes a photo.
- With Failshot on, it photographs whoever unlocks your Mac, then, with Pro, records a 5-second video. Whoever unlocks sees Failshot's window saying the unlock was photographed. With the Mac's built-in camera, the green light comes on.
- Switching it off, or quitting it from its menu, takes Touch ID or your Failshot PIN and answer, never your Mac password. A wrong Failshot PIN or answer takes another photo.
- With Pro, turn on alerts and Failshot emails you about an unlock you don't confirm as yours.
Failshot for Mac is out now as a download from failshot.app, for macOS 14 or later. Free to use. Pro adds the alarm, video, email alerts and the encrypted vault. Try Failshot Pro free for 7 days. Your card is taken at sign-up and charged on day 8 unless you cancel.
More questions
What is a laptop anti-theft alarm?
Software that sounds an alarm when something happens to the laptop that you didn't do. On a Mac, Failshot's alarm, with Pro, sounds when the charger is unplugged, the lid is closed or an unlock isn't confirmed, and keeps going until Touch ID or your Failshot PIN stops it.
Can a MacBook sound an alarm when it's unplugged?
Not with anything built in that Apple's pages describe. With Pro, Failshot sounds an alarm when your Mac's charger is unplugged while Failshot is on, and takes a photo.
Will the alarm play if my Mac is muted?
Yes. Failshot's alarm, with Pro, plays through your Mac's own speakers at full volume, even when the Mac is muted or headphones are in.
Can someone stop the alarm with my Mac password?
No. Failshot's alarm, with Pro, keeps sounding until it's stopped with Touch ID or your Failshot PIN. Your Mac password doesn't turn it off.
Does Failshot's alarm go off if someone picks up my MacBook?
With Pro, it responds to the charger being unplugged, the lid being closed and an unlock you don't confirm. Lifting the Mac isn't one of its triggers.