Make Your Laptop More Secure If It Got Stolen!
If you own a laptop then your first priority should be making it as secure as possible, just in case the unfortunate event of it getting stolen happens.
There are a few things you can do to make your Windows 10 laptop more secure but it still will not stop someone from gaining access if they are willing enough, this is just how it is.
****Top Tip****
Make note of Serial numbers and even take pictures of your laptop and if it gets stolen or lost you can share this information with the police and local second-hand selling shops
To Make Your Laptop More Secure:
1. Ensure you have an extremely strong Windows 10 password:
You need to make sure that it would be impossible to guess, it is no good having a password like “password” or “123” as these are passwords people would easily guess.
Also if you do not have a strong password and the person does gain access to your account and its the admin account, they will be able to just remove the password from any other accounts on your laptop giving them access to everything.
- Right-click on Windows 10 Start Menu icon > Settings > Accounts > Select Sign-in Options tab on the left-hand side > Password > Change
2. Use a Password Manager to protect your passwords:
If you save your login details for websites on your laptop then it might be a good idea to use some sort of password manager to protect your passwords. If someone did gain access to your Windows account then they would also need the password to the password manager to view all your login details.
3. Turn On Find my device In Windows 10:
Find my device is a built-in feature in Windows 10 that allows you to track your laptop in the event that it has been lost or stolen, but it is not guaranteed to work so I wouldn’t hold high hopes for this. However, it is still definitely worth turning on. (You do need to be signed in as an administrator and have location turned on for Find my device to work)
- Right-click on Windows 10 Start Menu icon > Settings > Update & Security > Select Find my device tab on the left-hand side > Click on change > Toggle to On
4. Enable encryption on your laptop:
Bitlocker is another built-in feature in Windows 10 but it is only available to those who are using Windows 10 Pro version. However, if you are using Windows 10 Home you can turn on device encryption.
You definitely want to enable some sort of device encryption as it will stop anyone from easily accessing your files without the decryption key. Also, make sure you use a really strong encryption key that is not the same as your Windows password.
- To turn on Bitlocker Open Control panel > Bitlocker Drive Encryption > Turn Bitlocker on
- To turn on Device Encryption Right-click on Windows 10 Start Menu icon > Settings > Update & Security > Select Device Encryption tab on the left-hand side > Turn it on (if you don’t see this option then your device probably doesn’t support it)
5. Turn on & make a strong system BIOS password:
This is something you can do to add that extra bit of security as it will require another password to be entered before your laptop will begin to load Windows 10 (but just remember to use a different password from your Windows and Bitlocker passwords)
- To turn on System BIOS Password depends on your laptop’s BIOS, so have a look at the manufacturer’s website of your laptop for details on how to enable this.
Overall the above methods are a great way to help keep your laptop secure if it did get stolen or lost, but it is not bulletproof and if they did want to gain access to your data then with time and effort they will find a way. However, if your laptop was stolen they are not normally interested in what’s on the laptop but the actual laptop itself.
What steps do you take in keeping your laptop secure? Comment below.
