Our laptops contain a lot of important information such as financial records, personal photos, and documents. Here are some steps you should take to make sure this data isn’t accessed by any unwelcome visitors. Make sure you have your own user account set up, even if you are the only one who uses the laptop. Having a user account with a password means that if your laptop is stolen, the thief will likely have to reset it and wipe the data. Both Windows and Mac computers come with tools that allow you to locate your laptop, and lock it remotely. If you become separated from your laptop, you can use these tools to make sure no one can access your private information. New laptops will have encryption automatically enabled, but you might have to manually enable it on older computers. Encryption makes the data on your laptop appear scrambled if it is not accessed in the normal way. If you have a particularly sensitive document, you can add another level of security by making it password-protected