How to Check if a Laptop Is Stolen
Six checks to run before you pay for a used laptop: read the serial from the system, check it for theft reports, and make sure no Apple, Microsoft or company account still controls it.
1 free check · No credit card · Updated October 22, 2026
Quick answer
How do I check if a laptop is stolen?
Read the serial number from the operating system, not just the sticker: on a Mac, Apple menu > About This Mac; on Windows, run a short command in PowerShell (below). Check it on SafeOrStolen (safeorstolen.com/how-to-check-if-laptop-stolen) for theft reports. Then watch the seller sign out and erase it. If setup shows Activation Lock, a "Remote Management" screen or a company sign-in page, the laptop still belongs to someone else.
Why this check exists
A tablet is what wrecked my friend Glen Thomure's life. He took one as collateral from someone he trusted, and he had no way to know it was stolen. When police ran the serial number, he was arrested, and he lost nearly everything he had. I built SafeOrStolen so the next person in Glen's position can find out first.
With a used laptop, do three things before you pay: check the serial number here, make sure it matches the one in the laptop's own settings, and watch the seller sign out of their Apple ID or Microsoft account. A seller who can't unlock the laptop they're selling usually isn't its owner.
Sam Pfeiffer, founder of SafeOrStolen, Peoria, Arizona
Step 1: Read the serial number from the system
A sticker can be swapped; the serial the laptop reports about itself is harder to fake. Compare the two.
| Laptop | Where to read the serial | Also on |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook (macOS Ventura and later) | Apple menu > About This Mac, or System Settings > General > About | Printed on the underside of the case |
| MacBook (older macOS) | Apple menu > About This Mac > Overview | The underside of the case |
| Windows laptop | Open PowerShell and type: Get-CimInstance Win32_BIOS | Select-Object SerialNumber | A sticker on the bottom or under the battery |
| Lenovo, Dell, HP | The same PowerShell command; the brand's support app also shows it | Bottom sticker. Dell calls it the Service Tag. |
| Chromebook | The label on the bottom of the case | The box label and the receipt |
Steps 2 to 6: what to check at the meetup
- Check the serial on SafeOrStolen for theft reports, ideally before you travel to see it.
- Mac: open System Information (hold Option and choose Apple menu > System Information). On the Hardware page, "Activation Lock Status" should say Disabled once the seller has signed out of Find My.
- Look for company or school control: an asset tag, an engraved name, a "Remote Management" screen during Mac setup, or a Windows setup page with an organization's name and sign-in. That laptop is still managed by its owner.
- Watch the seller sign out of their Apple Account or Microsoft account, then erase the laptop: on a Mac, System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings; on Windows, Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC > Remove everything.
- Start setup yourself. It should not ask for the previous owner's password, a BitLocker recovery key, or a firmware password.
Can you track a computer by serial number?
No. A serial number identifies a laptop, but it doesn't report a location. Only the owner can locate a laptop, and only if they turned on Find My (Mac) or Find my device (Windows, under Settings > Privacy & security) before it was stolen, and only while it is online. What a serial number does is tie a recovered laptop to the owner's police report, which is why buyers should check it.
What a Laptop check looks for
Checking if a laptop is stolen means two things: looking for a theft report on its serial number, and making sure the laptop is free of the owner's locks. For the serial lookup and brand-by-brand serial formats, go straight to the laptop serial number check. This page walks through the in-person checks.
Step by step
Ask the seller for a screenshot of About This Mac, or of the PowerShell serial command, before you meet.
Check the serial on SafeOrStolen.
At the meetup, read the serial on the laptop yourself and compare it with the bottom sticker.
On a Mac, confirm Activation Lock Status says Disabled; on any laptop, look for company or school management.
Watch the seller sign out and erase it, then start setup yourself before paying.
Type the serial number into the search box. SafeOrStolen searches its own theft reports and public web results, including listings and posts that mention the serial, and returns reported stolen, possible match, or no report found in the records searched, with every source listed. It doesn't see Apple Activation Lock or company device management, so do those checks on the laptop itself.
Why check before you buy
A stolen laptop can be taken back by the police and returned to the owner. A laptop that is still locked to an Apple account, BitLocker or a company's management can't be set up at all. Both cost you the money you paid, and both are easy to catch before you hand it over.
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