Windows 10’s Find My Device feature lets you see your tablet’s or laptop’s last known location in case it is lost or stolen. Microsoft included this new feature in the November 2015 Update for Windows 10.
Unlike the Find My Phone feature in Windows Phones, the Find My Device feature does not let you remotely erase or lock down your tablet or laptop if it is missing. These capabilities might be added in future Windows updates.
To use the Find My Device feature, you need an enabled Wi-Fi connection on your tablet or laptop. You also must have a Microsoft account that is configured to let you log in to your device. If you are not set up for this capability, see the One account for all things Microsoft web page. Plus, you must have an administrator account on your device.
The Find My Device feature is disabled by default. To enable it, follow these steps:
- Using your Microsoft account, log in to your Windows 10 tablet or laptop as an administrator.
- On the Start menu, tap (or click) “Settings”.
- Choose the “Update — security” option.
- On the left side of the Update — Security dialog box, select “Find My Device”.
- On the Find My Device page, check to see if the “Change” button under the “Find My Device is off” label is grayed out. If it is, go to step 6. Otherwise, skip to step 10.
- Select the “Turn on location settings to use this feature” link, which will bring up the Location page of the Privacy dialog box.
- Tap the “Change” button under the “Location for this device is off” label.
- In the “Location for this device” option that appears, move the on/off slider to the “On” position.
- Close the Privacy dialog box.
- Tap the “Change” button under the “Find My Device is off” label.
- In the “Save my device’s location periodically” option that appears, move the on/off slider to the “On” position.
- Close the Update — Security dialog box.
After you enable the Find My Device feature, your tablet or laptop will periodically send its location to Microsoft. This location will be displayed on the Manage your Microsoft devices in one place web page. If your device is missing, you can use your Microsoft account credentials to log in to this web page from a different computer. In the Your Devices section, you will see your tablet’s or laptop’s name. The last known location will be displayed to the right of the name. You can also tap the “Find my device” link to see its location on a map.
If we are not managing all of your devices, please contact us to discuss the best options for your organization.
