Leaving your laptop at work or in a library

MacWindowsUpdated 14 October 2026

You need a coffee, the toilet or a quick word with someone, and the laptop is open on the desk. In a library or cafe, take it with you: police advice is never to leave a laptop unattended in public. At work, lock it every time you stand up, and follow your employer's rules on the rest.

Quick answer

In a library, cafe or other public place, keep the laptop with you. Police.uk advises keeping laptops close at hand and never unattended. At work, lock the screen every time you leave the desk (Control-Command-Q on a Mac, Windows key + L on Windows) and set it to lock on its own. On a work laptop, follow IT's policy.

Can I leave my laptop unattended in a library?

Try not to, even briefly. Police.uk's advice for visitors to London is to keep mobile phones, cameras and laptops close at hand and never unattended. Avon and Somerset Police say not to leave bags or valuables unattended, even briefly, and not to hang bags on the back of a chair or tuck them under a chair or table where you can't see them.

Take the laptop with you when you get up, even for a few minutes. If you're with a friend, ask them to keep it in view.
Keep the bag close to you, where you can see it, not on the back of the chair.
Be aware of distractions. Avon and Somerset Police warn 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 same force advises considering letting them have it rather than risk getting hurt.

A library or coworking space may have lockers. If you must leave the laptop, a locker you can lock is a better place than an empty seat.

How do I lock my laptop every time I leave my desk?

Use a keyboard shortcut as you stand up, so anyone who sits down needs your password. Apple lists Control-Command-Q to lock your Mac's screen, and Microsoft lists Windows key + L to lock the computer.

Mac

Press Control-Command-Q, or choose Apple menu > Lock Screen.
If your Mac or Magic Keyboard has Touch ID, Apple says you can press it to lock the screen.

Windows

Press Windows key + L.

Our guide to how to lock your Mac screen has more ways, including hot corners.

Can my laptop lock itself if I forget?

Yes, on both. A Mac can ask for your password once the screen saver starts or the display turns off, and Windows can lock when your phone goes out of range.

Mac

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.

Windows: Dynamic lock

Pair your phone with the PC over Bluetooth.
Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
Under Additional settings, turn on Dynamic lock. Microsoft says Windows will lock within a minute after you're out of Bluetooth range.

Microsoft notes that on Windows 11 some settings may vary with how your device is set up, so on a work laptop IT may already have chosen these for you.

Is it OK to leave my laptop at work overnight?

That's a question for your employer, because it's usually their laptop and their building, and workplaces differ. Ask your manager or IT what the policy is, and follow it.

Whatever the answer, a few things help:

Lock the screen or shut the laptop down before you go.
Keep it out of sight, in a locked drawer, locker or cupboard if there is one.
Know who to call if it goes missing. On a work laptop, that's usually IT first.

What about a work laptop and IT policy?

A work laptop belongs to your employer, so its rules come first. IT may have set the lock settings, encryption and how a lost device is handled, and installing software without permission may go against your workplace's rules.

Ask IT what's already set up, and what to do if the laptop is lost or someone uses it.
On a Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings > General > Device Management to see any configuration profiles your employer has installed.
Don't install anything on a work laptop without IT's agreement.

If you think someone has already used your laptop while you were away, our guide on what to do if someone went through your laptop at work covers what to check and who to tell.

Should I set up Find My or Find my device?

On your own laptop, yes, before anything happens. On a Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click your name, then iCloud, click See All, then Find My Mac, and turn it on. Microsoft says Find my device on Windows must be turned on before you can use it, with an administrator account and a Microsoft personal account. Both need location turned on to show the laptop on a map. On a work laptop, ask IT, as it may be managed differently.

Where Failshot fits

Failshot doesn't stop a laptop being taken, and it can't find one on demand. It covers a narrower moment: someone unlocking your Mac while you're away from it. If your laptop is locked when you leave, Failshot only helps if someone gets past your login.

Failshot is for your own Mac. Don't put it on a work Mac yourself: use it there only with your employer's agreement. It's their device, and they're responsible under data protection law for any monitoring on it. For Failshot, that also means they've agreed Failshot's Organisation Terms and told everyone who uses the laptop before Failshot is turned on.

Failshot for Mac is out now as a free download from failshot.app, for macOS 14 or later. Turning it on needs Failshot Pro, a paid subscription, with no free trial. One subscription covers every Mac signed in with the same email. 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 are optional, and off until you turn them on. With them on and signed in to a Failshot account, an alert with the photo, the time and, when it's ready in time, the video follows shortly after an unlock you don't confirm as yours. Unlocks you confirm as yours don't send one. With alerts on, Failshot also emails you about a wrong Failshot PIN or answer, or its camera access being switched off while it's on. Location is off until you turn it on in Settings and allow it; then an alert can say roughly where the Mac was when it was unlocked.
Photos are kept on your Mac. They leave it only in email alerts and the encrypted web vault, if you turn those on, and, if you join your organisation with its invite code, encrypted for its security team too.
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.

It doesn't photograph a wrong password at the login or lock screen. It doesn't photograph 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, it stays off until you open it again. It watches only the Mac user account it runs in, so a sign-in to another account or Guest isn't photographed. It can't find a lost Mac on demand: location, if you turn it on, is noted only at an unlock. It has no remote lock or wipe. iPhone, Android and Windows versions are coming soon.

Questions people also ask

Is it safe to leave my laptop in the library while I go to the toilet?

Police advice is not to. Police.uk says to keep laptops close at hand and never unattended, and Avon and Somerset Police say not to leave bags or valuables unattended, even briefly. Take it with you, or ask someone you know to keep it in view.

What's the quickest way to lock my laptop?

On a Mac, press Control-Command-Q, which Apple lists as the shortcut to lock your screen. On Windows, press Windows key + L, which Microsoft lists as the shortcut to lock the computer. The next person then needs your password.

Can I leave my laptop at my desk at work?

It depends on your workplace's rules, so ask your manager or IT. Either way, lock the screen every time you leave, and set it to lock on its own: Lock Screen settings on a Mac, or Dynamic lock on Windows.

Can I put Failshot on my work laptop?

Only with your employer's agreement. It's their device, and they're responsible under data protection law for any monitoring on it. For Failshot, that also means they've agreed Failshot's Organisation Terms and told everyone who uses the laptop before Failshot is turned on.