Mark a device as lost in Find My on Mac
You can mark your missing Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, supported AirPods or supported iPhone Wallet with MagSafe as lost so that others can’t access your personal information. In order to mark a device as lost, you must add it to Find My before it’s lost.
What happens when you mark a device as lost?
A confirmation email is sent to your Apple ID email address.
You can create a message for the device that says it’s lost and how to contact you.
For an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Apple Watch, your device doesn’t display alerts or make noise when you receive messages or notifications, or if any alarms go off. Your device can still receive phone calls and FaceTime calls.
For iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple Watch, you see your device’s current location on the map, as well as any changes to its location.
For applicable devices, payment cards and other services are suspended.
Mark a device as lost
If your device is lost or stolen, you can turn on Lost Mode for your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch or supported iPhone Wallet with MagSafe, or lock your Mac. You can also mark supported AirPods as lost if you turned on the Find My network.
In the Find My app on your Mac, click Devices.
In the Devices list, select the device you want to mark as lost, then click the Info button on the map.
Below Mark As Lost, click Activate.
Note: You can also Control-click the device in the Devices list, then choose Mark as Lost.
Follow the onscreen instructions, keeping the following in mind:
Passcode: For a Mac, you must create a numeric passcode even if you already have a password set up on your Mac. This passcode is distinct from your password and is only used when you mark your device as lost or want to erase it. If your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Apple Watch doesn’t have a passcode, you’re asked to create one now.
Family Sharing: If you’re trying to mark a family member’s device as lost and the device doesn’t have a passcode set or is a Mac, you must enter that person’s Apple ID password on this device.
Contact information: If you’re asked to enter a phone number, enter a number where you can be reached. If you’re asked to enter a message, you may want to indicate that the device is lost and how to contact you. For Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Apple Watch, the information appears on the device’s Lock Screen. For supported AirPods or a supported iPhone Wallet with MagSafe, the information appears when someone tries to connect with your device.
Click Activate or Lock (for a Mac).
When a device is marked as lost, one of these status notes appears below the Mark As Lost section:
Pending: If the device isn’t connected to a Wi-Fi or mobile network when you mark it as lost, Pending appears until the device goes online again.
Activated: Once the device goes online, the device is marked as lost.
Change the message for the lost device
In the Find My app on your Mac, click Devices.
In the Devices list, select the device you marked as lost, then click the Info button on the map.
Under Mark As Lost, click Pending or Activated.
Update the message or phone number, then click Done.
Turn off Lost Mode on a device
When you find your lost iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch or supported iPhone Wallet with MagSafe, turn off Lost Mode.
In the Find My app on your Mac, click Devices.
In the Devices list, select the device you marked as lost, then click the Info button on the map.
Under Mark As Lost, click Pending or Activated.
Click Turn Off Mark As Lost, then click Turn Off to confirm.
You can also turn off Lost Mode on iCloud.com or from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Apple Watch by entering the device’s passcode (the one you use to unlock your device). For a supported iPhone Wallet with MagSafe, you can turn off Lost Mode by attaching the wallet to your iPhone.
If you forget your device passcode, you can recover it using Find Devices on iCloud.com. See Use Lost Mode in Find Devices in the iCloud User Guide.
Unlock a Mac
When you find your lost Mac, enter the numeric passcode on the device to unlock it (the one you set up when you marked your Mac as lost).
Note: You can’t turn off Mark As Lost remotely from another Mac. You can only turn it off directly on the Mac that you marked as lost.
If you forget your device passcode, you can recover it using Find Devices on iCloud.com. See Use Lost Mode in Find Devices in the iCloud User Guide.
If you lose your Mac and don’t own another Apple device, you can turn on Lost Mode using Find Devices on iCloud.com.
For information about using Find My with other devices, see the user guide for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch or AirPods.