Quick Links

Android and Apple have long given people a way to track and disable your gadgets remotely. Microsoft has also joined the club by letting you track and lock your Windows PC using the "Find My Device" on Windows 10.

Find My Device uses your device's location data to help you find it when it's lost or stolen. You can use the same service to make sure that the device is locked so that no one can use it, and also to display information about how people can return it to you.

The device needs to meet a couple of requirements to use the feature:

  • It must be connected to the Internet.
  • You must have already enabled Find My Device on the PC.
  • You must have an account on the device that has administrator privileges and is a Microsoft account. You can't do this with a local user account

 

Assuming your device meets those criteria, let's take a look at how to use Find My Device.

How to Lock Your Windows 10 PC Remotely

 

Open a web browser to the Microsoft account page, enter your password, and then click "Sign In."

Sign In to your Microsoft Account

From the main page, click on the "Show Details" link located underneath the device you want to lock.

Click Show Details

On the next page, click "Find My Device."

Click Find My Device

If your device location shows it to be somewhere you don't expect, click "Lock" to begin locking your device.

Click Lock

Locking your device logs out any active users and disables local user accounts. Click "Next."

Click Next

On the next screen, you can set up a customized message to help people return your device. The message appears on the lock screen of your device when someone turns it on.

Enter Lock Screen Message, Then Click Lock

Afterward, if you think your account is compromised, we suggest you change your password to be on the safe side. After you find your device, you can sign in to it using the administrator account for your PC.