Who this checklist is for
This new laptop checklist is for anyone who has just been handed a work laptop: a new hire, a freelancer starting with a client, or a shop owner setting up a machine for staff. IT may have installed the basics, but the settings that keep your work safe and easy to find are usually left to you.
Go through the 10 items on your first day. Each one comes with why it matters and how to check it. The last one is the one people skip most often, and it is the one that protects your work email if your password ever leaks.
The 10 things, and how to check each
Run every update before you start
Updates fix known security holes. Open the system update settings, install everything waiting and restart before you log in to work apps.
Screen lock after 5 idle minutes
An unlocked laptop on a desk is an open door to your email and files. Set the screen to lock after a few idle minutes and ask for a password on wake.
Set up a password manager
Passwords kept in a notes file or a browser on a shared machine are easy to lose or steal. Use the password manager your company approves, and never reuse a password.
Save work files in the company drive
Files on the Desktop are lost if the laptop is lost or replaced. Save work in the shared drive your company uses, such as Google Drive, OneDrive or SharePoint.
Separate work and personal browsers
Mixing accounts in one browser sends files and logins to the wrong place. Make one browser profile for work and keep personal accounts out of it.
Add your email signature
Customers and colleagues look for your role and number in your emails. Add your name, role, phone and company once, in the format your team uses.
Join the shared drives and calendars
Missing access shows up as a missed meeting or a file you cannot open. Ask your manager for the team drives, calendars and group email lists on day one.
Set up the VPN if IT uses one
Some companies only allow access to internal systems through a VPN. If yours does, install it and test it on day one, not when you are away from the office.
Save IT's number in your phone
If the laptop locks up or is stolen, you cannot look up IT's contact on it. Save the number and email of whoever handles IT in your phone.
Two-step login on your work email
With two-step login, a stolen password alone cannot open your email. Turn it on in your account's security settings with an authenticator app or your phone, and keep the backup codes safe.
Questions about setting up a new work laptop
What should I do first on a new work laptop?
Should I keep personal accounts on a work laptop?
What is two-step login and why does it matter?
Setting up laptops for a whole team?
Book a digital audit. We will look at how your business hands out laptops, logins and files today, and map a setup that keeps work safe when people join and leave.
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