If you ever lose your Windows 11 laptop or tablet, Find My Device can help you find it by showing its last known location online. This guide will show you easy steps to turn this feature on or off.

What is Find My Device?

Find My Device is a tool that helps you locate your Windows 11 device if it’s lost or stolen. It works when you sign in with your Microsoft account and have location services turned on.

When turned on, your device sends its location to Microsoft regularly, so you can see where it was last connected to the internet.

Click here to check your device’s location online after turning Find My Device on.

Important Things to Know

• You must be signed in as an administrator on your Windows 11 device to turn Find My Device on or off.
• Location services must be enabled on your device for this feature to work.
• When you try to find your device online, anyone using the device will see a notification.

How to Turn On or Off Find My Device (Option 1: Using Settings)

1. Press Windows key + I on your keyboard to open Settings.
2. On the left side, click Privacy & security.
3. On the right side, click Find my device.
4. To turn the feature on, click the toggle switch to On. To turn it off, click the toggle switch to Off.
5. You can now close Settings.

How to Turn On or Off Find My Device (Option 2: Using Registry Editor)

Note: Editing the registry can be risky. Please follow these steps carefully and consider backing up your registry first.

Turn On Find My Device

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MdmCommon\SettingValues" /v LocationSyncEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Turn Off Find My Device

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MdmCommon\SettingValues" /v LocationSyncEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

After saving the file, double-click it and confirm to merge it into your registry. This will turn Find My Device on or off depending on the file you use.

Summary

• Find My Device helps you track your Windows 11 device if it gets lost.
• You need to be an administrator on the device to change this setting.
• You can turn it on or off easily through the Settings app or by editing the Registry.
• Your device will update its location automatically when connected to the internet and this feature is on.
• Make sure location services are enabled for Find My Device to work.

For more help, visit the official Microsoft guide: Find and lock a lost Windows device.