How to Enable Find My Device – Find Lost Windows 10 Device

Find My Device feature makes it easy to find lost Windows 10 laptop. Here’s how you can enable Find My Device option in Windows 10.

Laptops get lost or stolen far more frequently than you think. When that happens, it is important that you have a way to find that lost Windows 10 laptop. To do that, you have to first enable the built-in Find My Device feature.

After you enable the Find My Device feature in Windows 10, it will keep tabs on your laptop’s location. When needed, you can log into your Microsoft account and click a button to find where the laptop is located.

So, without ado, here is how you can enable Find My Device feature in Windows 10 to locate lost or stolen Windows 10 device.

Note: You should be using a Microsoft account to log into Windows 10.

How do I Enable Find My Device Option in Windows 10

To enable find my device option or feature, you have to follow these steps.

Step #1: Turn on location sharing

For the Find My Device feature to work as intended, you first need to enable location sharing.

1. On the keyboard, press Win + I to open the Settings app.
2. Go to the “Privacy → Location” page in the Settings app.
3. On the right page, click the “Change” button under “Allow location access on this device”.
4. Switch “ON” the option.
   

Once enabled, Windows 10 will share the location of your laptop with all authorized apps. If you don’t want any apps, other than Windows, to access your location, turn “OFF” the switch under “Allow apps to access your location”. Alternatively, you can also restrict individual apps by turning “OFF” select apps under “Choose which apps can access your precise location” section.

Step #2: Enable Find My Device feature

Assuming the location-sharing is turned on in Windows 10, these are steps you should follow next to enable find my device feature.

1. Open the “Settings” app with Win + I keyboard shortcut.
2. After opening it, go to the “Update & Security → Find My Device” page.
3. Click on the “Change” button on the right page.
   
4. In the flyout menu, switch “ON” the option.
   

After turning on the option, the Windows 10 laptop or device will send periodic location updates to your Microsoft account.

How do I Find Lost Windows 10 Laptop / Device

Assuming you’ve enabled the Find My Device option in Windows 10, these are steps to follow to find a lost Windows 10 device.

1. As you have to log into your Microsoft account, find a trusted computer or laptop.
2. Next, open the web browser of your choice and go to this page.
3. Enter the password or pin to log into your Microsoft account.
   
4. Here, click on the “Find My Device” tab.
   
5. Click on the computer name and then click the “Find” button.
   

As soon as you click the button, Microsoft will show the last known location of your Windows 10 laptop.

The accuracy of the location information will completely depend on what sensors your laptop has and how it is connected to the internet. For example, if your laptop has GPS then Windows will use it to provide near accurate location information. Otherwise, Windows will depend on the internet connectivity information to show the lost Windows 10 device location. If that’s the case, the location information will not be that accurate. However, it might still be helpful to narrow down the search.

That is all. By following the above steps, you can easily turn on the Find My Device feature. When needed, you can log into your Microsoft account and locate the lost or stolen Windows 10 laptop.

I hope that helps. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible. If you like this article, check out how to disable microphone in Windows 10 for better privacy.