HOW TO Make your kit recoverable

1 Check you’re signed in

Your Mac will need to be signed in to iCloud using your Apple ID. In Apple > System Preferences, open the iCloud pane to ensure this. Only one Apple ID at a time can be set as the one that‘s used to track your Mac’s location.

2 Turn on the service

Look for Find My Mac on the right. If not ticked, change that and click Allow; if yours is a “standard” user account, you’ll need to enter an admin’s details — a good reason your kids’ accounts should be the more limited type.

3 Is location trackable?

The panel warns if Location Services is turned off, but it’s worth looking closely. Go to the Security & Privacy pane and ensure Enable Location Services is checked. Click Details next to System Services and check Find My Mac.

4 Look up device locations

Either download the Find My iPhone app for iOS, or sign in at iCloud.com with your Apple ID and click Find iPhone. Either way, you will see a map showing last known locations of your devices that have tracking turned on.

5 Choose a device

Click/tap All Devices, then a device to see its battery level and location (shown as an old location after a few hours). There’ll be up to three actions: Play Sound, Lost Mode/Lock, and Erase. Tap the car for directions in Maps.

6 Enter Lost Mode

For an iPhone, iPad or Watch, click/tap Lost Mode. Enter a number you can be reached on (advisable), then a message to show on the Lock screen. As long as the device is online, you can update these details by returning here.

7 Lock a Mac

Here, the equivalent is Lock, which wants a PIN and a message. Include a phone number, but be concise; it may be unclear the message is scrollable. The code is to unlock the Mac, and is applied as a firmware password too.

8 Set a persistent message

In System Prefs’ Security & Privacy pane, set a Lock screen message with contact details. This shows even if your Mac’s offline, unreachable via iCloud to lock it, and no user is logged in.