MacBook stolen? What to do, step by step

MacUpdated 14 October 2026

The bag isn't where you left it, or the car window is smashed and the laptop has gone. Work through it in order: use Find My if it was set up, lock the Mac with Lost Mode, report the theft to the police, then change your passwords.

Quick answer

If Find My was set up, open the Find My app on another Apple device or sign in at icloud.com/find, see the Mac's approximate location and turn on Lost Mode. Report the theft to your local police online or on 101, with the serial number. Then change your Apple Account password and the passwords for accounts you used on the Mac.

What should I do first if my MacBook is stolen?

Stay safe first. Police.uk says to call 999 if a serious offence is in progress or has just happened, or someone is in immediate danger. Otherwise, these are the steps from Apple's page for a lost or stolen Mac that matter after a theft, in Apple's order, with the UK reporting details added.

See where it is. On another Apple device, open the Find My app, or sign in at icloud.com/find. Select Devices (or All Devices), then select your Mac to see its approximate location on a map.
Lock it. Turn on Lost Mode in the Find My app, or on iCloud.com choose Mark As Lost in Find Devices. Apple says a Mac with Apple silicon is then locked with your Apple Account password.
Report it to the police. Apple says the police may ask for the serial number. The section below explains where to report in the UK.
Erase it, if you don't think you'll get it back. Apple says erasing deletes all your data from the Mac and stops anyone else accessing that information, but afterwards you can't find it with Find My.
Remove it from your trusted devices. Apple lists this as the last step, after erasing. Apple's devices page says a removed device no longer has access to iCloud, Find My or other Apple services.

Apple says the Mac must be turned on and connected to the internet before it can be locked or erased. If it has no connection, you may still be able to see its location in the Find My app.

Can I see where my stolen MacBook is?

Only if Find My was set up before it went missing. Apple calls Find My Mac the only Apple service that can help locate a lost Mac. If it was on, the Find My app or icloud.com/find shows the Mac's approximate location. If it wasn't, Apple's advice is to protect your accounts and report the theft instead.

If the map shows a location, give it to the police. Please don't go there yourself or try to get the laptop back. A MacBook can be replaced.

In Lost Mode, Apple says you can add a message saying the Mac is lost and how to reach you, which appears on its screen. Apple says a Mac in Lost Mode can only be unlocked on the Mac itself.

Who do I report a stolen laptop to in the UK?

Report the theft to your local police force. Police.uk says to report online, where your local force offers it, or call 101 for a stolen item, and to call 999 if a serious offence is in progress or has just happened. Report Fraud is for fraud and cyber crime, not for the theft of the laptop itself.

Go to police.uk and search by location to find the force for the area where it was stolen, or call 101.
Have the details ready: the make and model, the serial number, when and where it was taken, and what was in the bag with it.
Keep the crime reference number you're given, and quote it to your insurer if you claim.

If it happened at a railway station, police.uk says British Transport Police would be the right force, and a force that receives the report will send it to them.

Gov.uk says Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud from 4 December 2025. Police.uk says to report cyber crime or fraud to Report Fraud, online or on 0300 123 2040. If debit or credit cards, online banking or cheques are involved, Report Fraud says your first step should be to contact your bank or card company. Report Fraud's site says people in Scotland should report via 101.

Where do I find my MacBook's serial number if it's gone?

You don't need the Mac: two of the ways Apple lists work without it.

Sign in at account.apple.com from any device, select Devices, then click the Mac's name. Apple says this shows its model name and serial number, if the Mac is among your devices.
Look on the original box. Apple says the serial number might appear on the packaging next to a barcode label, and its lost or stolen page says it's on the original box or receipt.

Apple notes that if the Mac's logic board was replaced in a repair, the serial number on the box might no longer be active, so check account.apple.com first.

Apple says the police may ask for the serial number, so have it ready when you report. Police.uk's crime prevention advice also suggests photographing valuable items, noting their serial numbers and considering registering them at a property register site, so do that for your next laptop.

What if Find My wasn't set up?

Apple says you can still protect your data.

Change your Apple Account password. On another Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click your name, click Sign-In & Security, then Change Password. On the web, go to account.apple.com, then Sign-In and Security, then Password. Apple says you might have to wait an hour.
Change the passwords for other accounts you used on the Mac: Apple names email, banking, shopping and social media.
Report the theft to the police with the serial number.

To remove the Mac from your account, go to System Settings on another Mac, click your name, scroll to the devices list, click the Mac and choose Remove from Account. Apple says a removed device won't have access to iCloud, Find My or other Apple services, but can reappear if it's still signed in when it reconnects.

What does Activation Lock do for a stolen Mac?

On a Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip, left on Apple's default security settings, turning on Find My also turns on Activation Lock. Apple says it's designed to stop others using your Mac if it's lost or stolen: your Apple Account password or device passcode is needed before anyone can turn off Find My, erase the Mac, or reactivate and use it. Apple says it can keep deterring others even after a remote erase, as long as Find My stays on.

Apple's Activation Lock page lists removing the Mac at iCloud.com/find as one way to turn Activation Lock off, so think before removing it from Find My while you still hope to get it back.

My laptop was stolen from my car. Does anything change?

The steps are the same: Find My, Lost Mode, report to the police, passwords. Police.uk's advice on theft from vehicles notes that thieves may break in to check for devices stored out of sight, and that cables or mounts on view give away that a device is inside. Its advice includes taking valuables with you.

It's a work laptop. What should I do?

Tell your employer's IT or security team first. A work Mac may be managed by your organisation, and IT may have its own steps for a lost device. Then report it to the police, and give IT the crime reference number. Don't remove a managed Mac from Find My or erase it unless IT asks you to.

Where Failshot fits

Failshot doesn't locate a Mac, and it has no remote lock or wipe. For a stolen Mac, Find My and the steps above are what matter. Failshot answers a different question: who unlocked your Mac. (For more on that, see does Find My Mac take a photo.)

With Failshot on, it photographs whoever unlocks your Mac, then records a 5-second video. Video is on by default and 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, Failshot emails you about an unlock you don't confirm as yours, about a wrong Failshot PIN or answer typed when turning it off, quitting it or opening its photos or settings, and if its camera access is switched off while it's on. If you turn on location and allow it, an alert can say roughly where your Mac was at that unlock. That's an approximate place at one moment, not a way to follow the Mac.
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. If the Mac is gone, you can see only the photos that reached your email or the vault. That needs email alerts or the vault turned on beforehand, and the Mac to be online after the unlock.
Switching Failshot 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.

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. 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 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. 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 is for your own Mac, or a Mac your organisation has authorised you to manage with Failshot. iPhone, Android and Windows versions are coming soon.

Questions people also ask

Should I erase my stolen MacBook straight away?

Apple says to erase it remotely if you don't think you can recover it. Erasing deletes your data and stops anyone accessing that information, but afterwards you can't find the Mac with Find My. Apple's steps put Lost Mode and reporting first, and erasing after.

Do I report a stolen laptop to Action Fraud?

No. Report the theft to your local police, online or on 101. Action Fraud has been replaced by Report Fraud, which is for fraud and cyber crime. If someone later uses your cards or online banking, Report Fraud says to contact your bank or card company first.

Can the police find my MacBook from its serial number?

Apple says the police may ask for the serial number when you report the theft. To see where it is, Apple calls Find My Mac the only Apple service that can help locate a lost Mac, and it has to be set up before the Mac goes missing.

Can a thief use my stolen MacBook?

If your Mac has Apple silicon or the T2 Security Chip and Find My is on, Apple says Activation Lock means your Apple Account password or device passcode is needed before anyone can erase, reactivate and use the Mac. Lost Mode also locks it, once the Mac is on and online.