How to deal with a stolen Mac?

If your Mac is lost or stolen, there are steps you should take to help recover it—or protect the information stored on it.

Mac is an expensive device, but accidents or theft can happen from time to time. There is no doubt that this will be a stressful situation, but there are things you can do to help.

If your Mac is lost, keep the following tips in mind, as well as some good preventive best practices to take before losing it.

Precautions

You can't always prevent your Mac from being lost or stolen, but there are some precautions you can take to protect your data and make it easier to find.

On the one hand, make sure Find Find is enabled on your device by going to System Preferences > iCloud and turning on Find Find.

Secondly, your Mac must have a lock screen password that is difficult to guess.

There can be a lot of personal information and data on your Mac. In addition to passwords, it's a good idea to use FileVault to encrypt your device. This can make it more difficult for any bad actors to access your data.

FileVault lets you encrypt the contents of your Mac drive.

• Open System Preferences on Mac
• Click Security & Privacy
• Select the FileVault tab
• Click to open File Vault...

It's also a good idea to back up your Mac's data to a Time Machine drive or use another backup method. This way, you can save your data even if you can't get your Mac back.

Find your device using Find My

If your device is lost or stolen, the first thing you should do is try to find it using the Find My app.

You can access the Find My app on an iPhone or iPad that is signed in to your Apple ID account. Alternatively, you can sign in on someone else's device.

If you don’t have another Apple device handy, you can use Find My in iCloud.

In addition to the Find My app, there is also a cloud-based version available through a browser on the iCloud.com web app.

In the Find My app, you'll be able to see if your Mac is nearby and just misplaced. If so, you can use Find My to play sounds on your Mac to make locating them easier.

Putting Your Mac into Lost Mode

Once you've determined that your Mac is indeed lost or stolen, the next step is to put it into Lost Mode.

Lost Mode prevents unauthorized access by locking your Mac. Additionally, it allows you to display a customizable message on your lock screen – a handy feature for placing contact information.

You can use the Find app to enable Lost Mode and perform other tasks remotely.

How to Put Your Mac into Lost Mode

• Open the Find My app on one of your Apple devices or use iCloud.com
• Tap or click the device
• Find and tap your lost Mac
• Scroll down and click Mark as Lost
• Follow the instructions to enter a custom message
• Finally, click Activate

File a Police Report

If you are unable to recover your Mac using Finder, you should file a report with your local law enforcement agency. If your device is discovered or returned to the police station, the police can return it.

Police reports are also required for certain insurance claims or when replacing a device with AppleCare.

Alarm can also help you find your device if it shows up in an unfamiliar location in Find My. However, it's not always clear how police will respond to Find Me messages, depending on their familiarity with the technology and training.

Police may ask for your device's serial number, which you can find on the original box or receipt.

Filing an Insurance Claim

Unfortunately, unlike AppleCare for iPhone, Product for Mac does not cover loss or theft. If you want to recoup the cost of a lost or stolen Mac, you'll need to go through other channels.

This will obviously vary depending on the type of insurance policy you have. For example, some homeowners insurance policies cover lost or stolen equipment—even outside your home.

There are also specialized insurance plans that specifically cover computer loss and theft. If you're worried about the financial burden of replacing your Mac, they might be worth it.

In the worst case scenario, delete it

If you have lost all hope of getting your Mac back, it is recommended that you wipe your computer to prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands.

If you go this route, all personal information from your lost device will be deleted.

Wiping your device is a scorched-earth solution, but can be useful if it's stolen or lost.

How to remotely wipe your Mac

• Open the Find My app on one of your Apple devices or by accessing the browser version of iCloud
• Tap Device
• Tap your lost Mac
• Click Erase This Mac

What if I don’t have Finder set up?

If you didn't set up Find My on your Mac before it was lost or stolen, you need to assume the worst about the personal data stored on it.

There's not much you can do when it comes to documents, photos, and other types of files. However, you should probably change your passwords for the online accounts you use.

Try to think of any accounts you might have logged into on your Mac. Go ahead and change those passwords, set up two-factor authentication, and monitor your online accounts for suspicious activity.

If you don't have Find Me set up, it's a good idea to file a report with the police that includes your Mac's serial number. It might be a long shot, but your Mac might be on its way.

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