How To Track A Stolen Laptop : Laptops have become an integral part of our lives and work as we store our personal and professional data. However, we take special care of our laptops; sometimes misfortune may happen if we lose our laptop or it gets stolen. Losing a laptop is a very stressful experience as it is disastrous to have our personal or financial data at risk.
How to Track a Stolen Laptop?- Effective Methods
If your laptop is stolen, you can use these 4 effective methods that can track it as soon as possible.
1. Use a serial number:
The laptop’s serial number is quite effective in tracking a lost laptop. A serial number is a distinctive identifier assigned by the manufacturer that helps to distinguish one laptop from the other. It is used for identification, warranty and tracking purposes.
They can be found on the label of the laptop or the back of the casing; in some cases, it is printed in the manual. Please write down this number and save it in a safe place.
Provide this serial number to the police, laptop manufacturer or retailer involved in the purchase and even share it with online laptop-selling platforms and websites so they can come to know if anyone tries to sell a stolen laptop online.
2. Built-In Tracking Software:
Laptops come with built-in tracking systems, which can effectively increase the chance of finding lost laptops. Examples of such tracking software are “Find My Mac” in Apple and “Find My Device” in Windows.
This software helps you locate or track your lost laptop if you have enabled these features before losing your laptop. These services help you track lost laptops only if the device is online.
3 . Track IP Address By Using Gmail:
The IP address of Gmail can also guide you to the location of your stolen laptop if someone is using it. As soon as someone logs into your Gmail account, its IP address is recorded, and by using this IP address, you can track the approximate location of your laptop. This service is only used by cybersecurity professionals due to some legal restrictions.
4. Use a MAC address:
Another answer to the question “how to track stolen laptops” is using Media Access Control( MAC) addresses. If you can not find the IP address, then you can utilize the MAC address. It is a distinctive identifier assigned to the network interface. It can be used to track laptops within the local network, and it cannot be used outside the network.