FAQs

Devices running the following operating systems are supported:

• Windows 10 or 11
• macOS 13, 14, or 15

You use this code to activate your subscription. After it's activated, you can add your device to the portal.

Learn how to activate your subscription

If you didn't receive an activation code, the subscription was activated automatically. You can now add your device to the portal.

After your subscription is activated, you can add your device to the portal by downloading and installing the Absolute Agent on the device. The agent allows you to track your device in the portal and perform remote actions, such as Lock and Wipe.

Learn more about the agent

If you're logged in to the device that you want to track, download and install the agent now.

Yes you can, but only if your activated subscription includes multiple licenses, or you've activated more than one subscription. When activated licenses are available, a message shows at the top of the Devices page prompting you to download the agent and install it on your device.

After a device is added to the portal, it is automatically assigned a license from an activated subscription.

If there are multiple subscriptions associated with your account, the device is assigned a license from the subscription with the most recent Activation Date, assuming there are licenses available. If all licenses are in use, the next most recently activated subscription is assigned. If no licenses are available, the device is not added to the portal.

If the automatically assigned subscription doesn't suit the needs of the device, you can assign a different subscription.

For your device to show in the portal, you need to install the Absolute Agent on the device.

If you've already installed the agent, ensure that the device is powered on and connected to the Internet. The agent needs an Internet connection to call in to the Absolute Monitoring Center and upload the device's data. If the device is connected to the Internet, you may just need to wait a few minutes.

Learn more about agent calls

Yes!

To change the language setting:

1. Tap and tap the field under Language. Click and click the field under Language.
2. Select your preferred language from the list. The portal refreshes to show the interface in the selected language.

If your account includes more than a few devices, you may want to search for a device instead of scrolling through the device list.

To start a search:

1. Click Search. Tap Search.
2. Enter the device's device name or serial number in the search field and then click the device to open its Details page.

On a device's Details page, Last seen is the date and time when the device last called in to the Monitoring Center and reported its location. During a call, new and updated device data is uploaded to the portal, and any new Lock or Wipe actions are downloaded to the device to be processed.

Learn more about agent calls

If it's been more than 30 days since the device last called in, a warning message shows at the top of the device's Details page. For example:

Last called in 2 months ago

The Locate icon is grayed out when a Recovery Investigation is underway. After your device is recovered and the investigation is closed, the icons will become available.

Also note that if the device's license has expired, all icons are grayed out. Renew the license now.

After you install the agent on a Mac device, you'll be presented with a dialog prompting you to allow Absolute to use your current location. You'll only see this dialog once.

Ensure that you click Allow in this dialog. If you click Don't Allow, or simply close the dialog, Location Services won't be turned on and you won't be able to track the location of your Mac device in the portal.

To turn on Location Services after you've already dismissed this dialog, go to Security Settings > Security & Privacy > Location Services and turn Location Services on for Absolute Secure Endpoint. For more information about turning on Location Services for an application, see Mac Support.

Your device's location may not be visible if:

• You recently installed the agent. You may need to wait up to 15 minutes to see your device's marker on the map.
• You used the map controls to navigate away from the device's location. Tap on the device's Details page to jump to its most recently reported location.Click on the device's Details page to jump to its most recently reported location.
• You submitted a Recovery request. In this case, the device's location is only available to the Investigations Team.
• Access to your device's location has been disabled in location settings. For more information, see Microsoft or Mac Support.
• The device's license has expired. Renew the license now.

The accuracy of your device's reported location depends on the geolocation technologies enabled on the device and their applicability at the time the location is detected.

The Absolute Agent can detect your device's location using Wi-Fi positioning, Windows location services, or IP location. Mac devices support Wi-Fi positioning and IP location only. The accuracy of these technologies varies and depends on a number of factors. The most appropriate technology is used at the time the device's location is detected. Note that if you're connected to a network using an Ethernet cable, or your device is in a location where Wi-Fi positioning is not available, IP location may be used, or the device's location may not be available.

If you have set a default location in Windows location privacy settings, the default location will be reported when the device's current location can't be detected. For more information, see Microsoft Support.

The device needs to call in for its location to be updated in the portal. If the device isn't connected to the Internet, or it's powered off, it can't call in. As soon as the device comes back online, it will report its current location.

Learn more about agent calls

No, only the device's most recent location is available.

The Lock action prevents users from accessing your device by showing a full screen message that can't be closed or bypassed. The message is shown immediately after someone starts the device and before the login screen opens.

Learn more about locking a device

The Wipe action remotely removes all files from your device, including your user profile files, but leaves the operating system intact. Note that the removed files can't be recovered after they're removed.

Learn more about wiping a device

The Lock and Wipe icons are grayed out when a Recovery Investigation is underway. After your device is recovered and the investigation is closed, the icons will become available.

Also if the device's license has expired, all icons are grayed out. Renew the license now.

If you have a Home & Office Locate subscription, the Lock and Wipe actions are not available, and their respective icons are grayed out.

The device needs to call in to the Monitoring Center to receive the request. It then needs to call in again to report that the action has been processed. If the action status hasn't changed since you submitted the request, the device is probably offline or powered off. After it reconnects to the Internet, the action status will be updated.

Learn more about agent calls

You can view information about the most recent actions submitted on a device.

To view your device's action history, tap and tap the device. To view your device's action history, click and click the device. The status of the latest Lock and Wipe actions, and the date when the status changed, shows under the device name. This information also shows in the respective Lock or Wipe section further down the page.

Yes, you can cancel a Lock or Wipe that is still pending (hasn't been sent to the device yet).

A new Lock request is set to Lock Pending until the Lock is sent to the device, whereas a new Wipe request is set to Wipe requested on <date and time>.

Note that a request is typically pending for no more than 15 minutes, so we recommend that if you submitted the request in error, cancel it immediately.

Canceling a pending Lock

Canceling a pending Wipe

You can submit an Unlock request in the portal, or if you have the device in your possession, you can enter the unlock code on the device.

Learn more about unlocking a device

If you lost or misplaced your device, but you don't think it's stolen, promptly submit a Lock to protect your data while you track down the device. When you find it, you can easily unlock it.

To see your device's location on the map, tap . To see your device's location on the map, click . A marker shows the device's last reported location. You can use the controls to zoom in.

If you can't find your device and you determine that it's stolen, you can:

• Unlock it and submit a Recover request, if your license supports it, or
• Leave the device locked and submit a Wipe to remotely remove all of your personal data

If your license supports the Recover feature , submit a Recovery request to request the assistance of the Absolute Investigations team. This team of highly experienced investigators will work with local law enforcement to help recover your stolen device.

To get started:

1. Immediately report the theft to local law enforcement and obtain a copy of the police report.
2. If you locked the device, unlock it now. You can't submit a Recovery request if the device is locked.
3. Submit a Recovery request. At a minimum, you will need:
   • Police report file number
   • Police department and non-emergency contact number
   • Date, time, and location of the theft incident

If your license doesn't include the Recover feature:

1. Lock the device.
2. Immediately report the theft to local law enforcement and obtain a copy of the police report.
3. To prevent identity theft, submit a Wipe action to remotely remove all of your personal data from the device.

If the device's license has expired, all icons are grayed out. Renew the license now.

If you have a Home & Office Locate subscription, the Recover action is not available, and its icon is grayed out.

No. You must include a police report file number when you submit a Recovery request.

As part of the evidence gathering process, the Absolute Investigations Team deploys forensic tools to a device, which can detect key strokes and track the device's location. If the device is locked, the team's recovery efforts are greatly hampered. For that reason, a Lock must be completely removed before you submit a Recovery request. Note that if a device has a status of Lock Pending, the Lock will be automatically removed when you submit a Recovery request.

If a Wipe is in progress, you can't submit a Recovery request until the Wipe process is finished.

During the recovery process, the Absolute Investigations Team updates the status of the investigation and sends emails to keep you informed of its progress. You can also view the status in the portal.

To view the current status of a Recovery investigation:

1. Tap and tap the device. Click and click the device.
2. Tap . Click . The current status shows under the device name.

If you have further questions about the status of a recovery investigation, contact Recovery Support at [email protected].

Yes, but only the fields in the Police Report section of the report are editable.

To edit a report:

1. Tap and select the device. Click and select the device. The device shows a status of Recovery in progress.
2. Tap . Click . The Recovery request opens.
3. Update the applicable Police Report fields and tap Update Request. Update the applicable Police Report fields and click Update Request.

If you need to update any other information, such as your contact information or the details of the incident, contact Recovery Support at [email protected].

With Absolute's Service Guarantee, you're eligible for a maximum payout of up to $1000 if the Absolute Investigations team is unable to recover your stolen device within 60 days.

The Service Guarantee is only available if you purchased an Home & Office Premium subscription. To view your subscriptions, tap . The Service Guarantee is only available if you purchased an Home & Office Premium subscription. To view your subscriptions, click .

The Service Guarantee only applies to devices stolen in one of the applicable Service Guarantee regions (US, Canada, UK or Australia). For more information about Service Guarantee eligibility, contact Absolute Technical Support at [email protected].

In some cases, the Absolute Investigation Team may be unable to recover your device and your investigation will be closed. Your next steps depend on why the investigation was closed and whether your device is still calling in. You can check for connections using the Last seen field.

If connections are still occurring, you may be able to submit a Wipe or Lock action to protect the personal data stored on your device. After the action has finished processing, we recommend that you remove the device from the portal. This action frees up the license so you can assign it to another device.

Alternatively, if the device has not connected to the Monitoring Center since it was stolen, it is unlikely that the device will call in to download a Lock or Wipe action, so we recommend that you remove the device from the portal.

Yes. Tap and tap the device.Click and click the device.

The date when the device's Absolute Agent made its first connection to the Absolute Monitoring Center shows under Enrollment Date. The device was added to the portal on this date.

This message shows on a device's Details page when its subscription has expired, meaning you can no longer perform actions, such as Lock or Wipe, on the device.

If the subscription's Expiration Date is within the last 60 days, you can still renew it. If it's been more than 60 days, the subscription is no longer shown in the portal. To protect your devices, buy a new subscription.

To remove the agent, submit a remove device action in the portal. Note that you can't uninstall the agent locally.

No. With the help of Absolute's patented Persistence^® technology, the agent is 100% tamper-proof. Learn more

Yes. Simply follow the steps to add a new device.

Yes. To free up the license, submit a remove device action on the old device. Then, follow the steps to add a new device.

If you use a third party identity provider (SSO) to log in to the portal, this question does not apply.

To change your password:

1. Tap and then tap Reset Password under Security. Click and then click Reset Password under Security.
2. After you enter your Email Address and the Verification Code, tap Reset Password. After you enter your Email Address and the Verification Code, click Reset Password. You will receive an email within a few minutes.
3. Follow the instructions in the email to reset your password.

If you need to update the email address associated with your Home & Office account, contact Absolute Technical Support.

Yes! To add an additional layer of protection to your account, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).

After 2FA is set up, you'll need to generate a verification code on your phone and enter it along with your password when you log in to the portal.

Learn more

If you have your old phone, you can:

• Use your phone's data transfer feature to automatically move your 2FA app and its data to your new phone. For details, refer to your phone's documentation.
• Disable 2FA on your old phone and re-enable it on your new phone.
• Use your setup key to enable 2FA on your new phone.

If you don't have your old phone, your only option is to use your setup key to enable 2FA on your new phone.

If the subscription you purchased includes multiple licenses, you can check how many licenses are not yet assigned to a device.

To view the license counts for a subscription, tap . To view the license counts for a subscription, click . The number of purchased and available licenses shows under the product name for each subscription.

Yes, you can.

If there are multiple subscriptions associated with your account, you can move a device from one subscription to another, assuming the target subscription is active and it has available licenses.

You can also assign a new subscription when a device's existing subscription has expired.

Note the following limitations:

• If the device is locked or reported stolen, you can't change its assigned subscription.

• You can't assign a subscription that is disabled, cancelled, or expired.

• You can't remove a license from a device and leave it unlicensed. To free up the device's license, remove the device from the portal.

To change a device's assigned subscription:

1. Click and click the device. Tap and tap the device.

2. Under Activation code, click Change. Under Activation code, tap Change. The Change Subscription dialog opens. The number of available licenses for each active subscription is shown.

   The Change link is grayed out if the device is locked or stolen.

3. Click the subscription you want to assign to the device to select it. Tap the subscription you want to assign to the device to select it.

4. Click Save.Tap Save.

The subscription is assigned to the device. Note that depending on the subscriptions involved, the availability of some features, such as Recover, may change.

You can activate a 30-day free trial of Find my HP by Absolute by going to the Subscriptions area.

1. Click to open the Subscriptions page. Tap to open the Subscriptions page.
2. Under the Find my HP by Absolute subscription, click Start Free Trial. Under the Find my HP by Absolute subscription, tap Start Free Trial.
3. In the dialog that opens, do the following:
   1. Enter your credit card and location information.
   2. [Optional] If you are purchasing a subscription for your organization, select the checkbox next to I'm ordering for a company and complete the required fields.
   3. Click Start free trial.Tap Start free trial.

The subscription is activated.

Your credit card has not been charged. After the 30-day trial ends, the subscription will automatically renew to a 1 year term, and the stated amount will be charged to your credit card. At any time during the trial period, you can turn off auto-renewal.

You can now add your device to the portal by downloading and installing the agent.

You can prevent a free trial from automatically renewing to a 1 year paid subscription by turning off auto renewal. The free trial will continue until the trial period ends. At that time, you can uninstall the Absolute Agent from the device by removing the device from the portal.

To cancel a subscription, ensure that the subscription's associated devices are removed from the console and then do one of the following:

• If you purchased the subscription from the Home & Office website, contact Absolute Technical Support to request a cancellation.
• If you purchased the subscription from the device manufacturer, contact the manufacturer's customer support team to request a cancellation.

To ensure that your device stays protected, you'll want to renew its subscription before it expires.

To view the expiration date for a subscription, tap . To view the expiration date for a subscription, click . If multiple subscriptions exist, they are listed in ascending order by Activation Date. Each subscription's expiration date shows under Expiration Date. To view the license expiration date for a particular device, tap and tap the device.To view the license expiration date for a particular device, click and click the device. The expiration date shows under Expires.

You can renew a subscription from a device's Details page or from the Subscription page. Learn more

Even better, set up auto-renewal. You'll save 10% off the subscription price!

Some subscriptions are not eligible for renewal. Instead, buy a new subscription.

The system automatically disables your subscription when a recurring payment fails to be processed. This can occur when the associated credit card expires, or it's canceled.

When a subscription is disabled, you can't perform any actions, such as Locate or Lock. All action icons on a device's Details page are grayed out.

To resolve the issue, update the credit card information for the recurring payment. Your subscription will be re-enabled automatically after the missed payment is processed.