Locking stolen Surface Pro

Question

Hello, my Surface Pro was stolen. I used the locate my device feature, but it has not updated location since it was stolen. The theft has already been reported to the police. However, when I try to use the lock feature from the MS page, I get a message that says "We can’t lock your device right now". Does that mean it will lock when/if it is ever put on the internet and I should remove it from my account now? Or do I need to keep going back in and trying to lock it?

TIA

Don S.

Answer 1

The message "We can't lock your device right now" usually means Microsoft cannot communicate with the device at the moment—most commonly because it is turned off, has no battery, or is not connected to the internet. It does not necessarily mean the lock feature has failed permanently.

Change your Microsoft account password immediately.

If you remove it, you'll lose the ability to use Find My Device or attempt a remote lock in the future.

Once the device comes online and can contact Microsoft's servers, the lock command may succeed.

Answer 2

"We can’t lock your device right now" means the remote lock command could not be delivered at that moment, typically because the device is offline or otherwise unreachable. It does not mean the request will automatically retry later.

To protect the stolen Surface Pro:

1. Do not remove the device from the Microsoft account yet. If removed, it cannot be managed (found or locked) through that account.
2. Leave Find my device turned on for that device (it must have been enabled before the theft for this to work).
3. Periodically sign in to https://account.microsoft.com/devices and:
   • Check the Find My Device tab to see if the location has updated.
   • Try Lock again when the device shows as online or its location updates.

The lock action only succeeds when the device:

• Connects to the internet,
• Can reach Microsoft services, and
• Is still associated with the Microsoft account used to send the lock command.

Once the device is successfully locked from the Find My Device page, it will require the Microsoft account password to unlock, and the thief will not be able to access files without that password.

Also ensure the account and data are secured:

• Change the Microsoft account password to a strong new one.
• Enable two-factor authentication on the Microsoft account.

Continue working with law enforcement using any location information that may eventually appear in Find My Device.

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References:

• Find and lock a lost Windows device
• Manage devices used with your Microsoft account
• Securing your device
• Need help securing stolen laptop data. - Microsoft Q&A