A Laptop has become so essential to productivity that it will be unimaginable to lose one—at least for me. It is even impossible to predict when or whether it will be stolen. Your passwords, banking information, and other personal data could be compromised with drastic effects.

Here is a guide on a few things you can do before and after this dreadful eventuality. In case it happens anyway.

Steps To Take Before You Lose Your Laptop

Serial Number

Write down your laptop’s serial number. Although your serial number can’t find your gadget’s exact location, you can call your supplier or provider to inform them about the robbery so that they can track it down.

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Two-Factor Authentication

In addition to a very strong and unique password, you need to take more steps to unlock your laptop. These can be text messages, authenticator apps, physical security keys, or biometric methods. You could also enable limits that lock your device after a specific number of failed attempts.

Automatic Backup

Frequent backups are one of the best strategies for protecting your laptop’s contents. Windows 10, for example, has “Backup and Restore,” which allows you to create full backups automatically at regular intervals. This will make a copy of all the stuff in your system’s primary storage location elsewhere for future retrieval.

Steps To Take After You Lose Your Laptop

Clear Autofill

Many people use the autofill option on their laptop browsers to conveniently fill in usernames and passwords. This is a good thing, but it also exposes you to many risks if someone steals your device. It also makes it easy for whoever steals it to access your accounts.

Turn this function off for your browser account and create new passwords immediately after your device is lost. Remove all saved sensitive information, especially on payment platforms and social media

Notify The Bank

It is a good idea to freeze your debit and credit cards and notify your financial institutions if you notice any suspicious activity. Your bank will most likely prevent fraudulent activities by monitoring your account activity.

Tracking

Microsoft has the Find My Device feature in Windows; if you use a MacBook, there’s a similar feature called Find My Mac. You can see connected devices on a map and take several actions to secure them, including marking them as lost and activating remote erase.