Use location tracking on a MacBook

Find a lost Mac or browse your location history by enabling tracking

REQUIRES

OS X 10.7.5 or later; Significant Locations requires 10.13 High Sierra

You will learn

How to see the information your Mac has stored about your location, and disable or enable tracking

IT WILL TAKE

10 minutes

Just like your iPhone and iPad, your MacBook usually keeps track of everywhere it’s been. It records where you go, the time you arrive, when you leave, and how long you spent there — and all this information goes back several months.

This could be useful if, for example, you lose something and need to retrace your steps. If you’ve misplaced your MacBook itself (or an iOS device), then all you need is a computer or other device that can get online. Visit iCloud.com, sign in with your Apple ID and password, and click Find iPhone. Select your Mac (or other device linked to the same Apple ID) from the All Devices menu at the top and you can locate it on a map, lock it to prevent anyone from using it, make it play a sound to help you find it, or — if you’ve given up all hope of finding it — erase it completely.

You might, however, prefer not to have location information recorded. If you share your Mac, for example, you might not want others to learn that on your last business trip, you spent all your time in Starbucks... Here’s how to manage your Mac’s location services.