Hi kelly mal,
Yes, that is the way it works, hopefully it will be locked soon and you may get your laptop back if the 'Find My device' option can pinpoint the location of your laptop.
How long is the locking process?
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Anonymous
I locked my stolen device and was told I’d receive an email when it’s complete. How long can this process take? It’s been an hour so far.
Windows for home | Windows 10 | Security and privacy
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
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Anonymous
2022-11-13T19:02:05+00:00 I just learned that they have to connect to the internet in order to attempt to enter the password so then it’s locked down.
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DaveM121 891.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor2022-11-13T18:52:53+00:00 Hi kelly mal,
Sadly that is true, but for the Microsoft servers to be able to lock the laptop, it needs to be able to find the laptop on the Internet to send the lock command to the laptop, that is how it works.
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Anonymous
2022-11-13T18:48:35+00:00 But if it’s laptop, it can be accessed and used without the internet. Assuming they get through the password?
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DaveM121 891.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2022-11-13T18:32:15+00:00 Hi kelly mal,
I am Dave, I will help you with this.
It depends, the locking process will only take a very short time, but when you select to lock a stolen device, then the Microsoft serves keep checking for your device to appear on the Internet, and then the device is locked, so it is just a matter of waiting for that to happen.