Sending a company laptop for repair: what to do first
Backups, encryption keys, technician access and sensitive data: a short checklist before a business laptop goes in for repair, and what to check when it returns.
When a company laptop needs a repair, most of the risk is not in the repair itself. It is in what happens around it: the only copy of a file left on the drive, an encryption key nobody can find, a password written on a sticky note for the technician, or a machine that comes back and quietly stops getting updates. Twenty minutes of preparation avoids nearly all of that. Here is a checklist for office managers and owners.
1. Make sure the data exists somewhere else
Before anything leaves the building, confirm that the user's work is backed up or synced. Check that OneDrive, Google Drive or your file server has the latest versions of their documents, and ask about the usual hiding places: the Desktop, the Downloads folder, local Outlook archive files (PST), and project folders that were never moved to the shared drive. If the laptop still starts, a quick copy of anything unsynced to an external drive or the server is worth it. Many repairs, such as a motherboard or storage replacement, can mean the drive comes back blank.
If the laptop does not start at all and the data was not backed up, say so when you book the repair. Recovering data first is a different job from fixing the hardware, and the order matters.
2. Find the encryption recovery key first
Most business laptops are encrypted, with BitLocker on Windows or FileVault on a Mac. That is good: a laptop in a repair shop or a courier van is protected. But after some repairs, especially a motherboard, firmware or storage change, the laptop will ask for the recovery key before it starts. Without it, the data on an encrypted drive may be unreadable for good.
Check where the key is stored before you hand the laptop over. For Windows devices joined to Microsoft Entra ID, it is usually in the Entra or Intune admin center; for a personal Microsoft account it may be at the user's account page; for a domain it may be in Active Directory. For Macs, check your device management tool or wherever the key was recorded at setup. Keep the key with you. Don't tape it to the laptop.
3. Give the technician access without giving away passwords
A technician may need to sign in to test the repair. Don't hand over the employee's own password, which usually also opens their email, files and other company systems. Better options:
- create a temporary local account for testing and delete it when the laptop returns;
- agree that the technician will test at the sign-in screen and with hardware diagnostics only;
- if the user's password has to be shared, change it as soon as the laptop is back and review recent sign-ins.
4. Think about what is on the drive
If the laptop holds client records, health or financial information, or anything covered by a contract, decide whether the drive should stay with you. For some repairs, like a screen, keyboard or battery, the shop does not need your data at all; ask whether the storage can be removed or whether the work can be done while you wait. Write down the serial number and the asset tag, and get a receipt that lists what was handed over, including chargers and accessories.
5. Keep the employee working
Plan for the laptop being away longer than expected. A spare or loaner machine with the user's account set up, access to email and files through the browser, or a few days on a shared desktop can keep work moving. If the laptop is also how the employee approves multi-factor sign-ins, make sure their phone or another method still works.
Check whether the laptop is under the manufacturer's warranty or a business support plan before paying for an independent repair, and note the case number either way.
6. Checks when it comes back
- Confirm it is the same machine: serial number and asset tag.
- Check that encryption is still turned on. Some repairs suspend it.
- Run updates for the operating system, drivers and firmware, and make sure your antivirus or endpoint tool reports in.
- Delete any temporary accounts, and change any password that was shared.
- Have the user open their key apps and files before you call the job done.
How we can help
We repair business laptops and can plan the repair around your data and security. See our laptop repair service and collection and delivery options. If a laptop has failed suddenly, our guide on what to do when a staff laptop dies covers the first steps. Call (213) 986-4855.