Use Find My to locate your AirPods on a map

If your AirPods are within Bluetooth range of any of your devices, Find My will show you their location on a map. Open Find My on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, tap or click the Devices tab, select your AirPods from the list, and you'll see their last known location. If they're still powered on and in range, the map will update as you move closer.

The map shows a radius around the last location where your AirPods were detected. This radius can be large if your AirPods haven't connected to a device recently. Walk toward the location shown on the map while listening for the sound of your AirPods — you can play a sound from Find My to help locate them by ear, which is often faster than staring at a map, especially in a cluttered room or under furniture.

If your AirPods are completely out of battery, Find My will show you where they were last seen, but the location won't update. This is still useful if you lost them recently and know roughly where you were when the battery died.

Key Takeaways

  • Find My shows your AirPods' location on a map if they're powered on and within Bluetooth range of your devices.
  • Playing a sound through Find My helps you locate them by ear, which works better than searching by map alone in most situations.
  • If your AirPods are offline, Find My shows their last known location, which narrows your search area.
  • Check the battery level in Find My before you search — dead AirPods won't be detected until they're charged again.
  • If Find My shows no location at all, your AirPods may never have been set up on that device or may be paired to a different Apple ID.

Play a sound to find them by ear

Once you've opened Find My and selected your AirPods, tap or click Play Sound. Your AirPods will emit a loud beeping tone for two minutes, even if they're in low-power mode. This is the fastest way to find them if they're in your home — follow the sound rather than the map.

The beeping is loud enough to hear through couch cushions, under beds, and inside bags. If you don't hear anything after two minutes, the sound stops automatically and you can play it again. Repeat this every few minutes while you search the area where the map shows they were last seen.

Check the battery level before you search

Find My displays the battery percentage of each AirPod and the charging case. If both AirPods show 0% battery, they're offline and won't respond to the Find My sound or update their location. In this case, the map shows only where they were last seen, which could be hours or days old depending on when they died.

If the battery is low but not zero, your AirPods may still be findable, but the location may not be current. Search the area shown on the map first, then expand outward if you don't find them.

Search the area shown on the map systematically

The map in Find My shows a circle or radius around your AirPods' location. Start at the center of that circle and work outward in a grid pattern — check under furniture, in coat pockets, between couch cushions, and in bags you used that day. Many lost AirPods are found within a few feet of where the map indicated.

If you're searching outside your home, retrace your steps to places you visited before your AirPods went offline. Check your car, your workplace, and any stores or restaurants you stopped at. Ask staff at those locations whether anyone turned in a pair of AirPods.

What to do if Find My shows no location

If Find My doesn't show your AirPods at all, they may not be set up on the device you're searching from. Make sure you're signed into the same Apple ID on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac that you used to set up the AirPods originally. If you're using a different Apple ID, your AirPods won't appear in Find My.

If your AirPods are paired to a family member's Apple ID, ask them to open Find My on their device and search from there. You can also check the Bluetooth settings on your iPhone or Mac to confirm your AirPods are actually paired — if they don't appear there either, they may have been reset or forgotten.

Mark your AirPods as lost if you can't find them

If you've searched thoroughly and can't locate your AirPods, you can mark them as lost in Find My. This prevents anyone else from pairing them to their device and using them. Open Find My, select your AirPods, and tap or click Mark as Lost. You'll have the option to add a phone number or email address that will display if someone finds them and tries to use them.

Marking them as lost doesn't erase them — they'll still appear in Find My if they come back online. If you find them later, you can remove the lost status and use them normally again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I find my AirPods if they're turned off?

No. AirPods that are powered off won't show a current location in Find My, only their last known location. If they're completely dead, you'll see where they were last detected, but the location won't update until they're charged and turned back on.

Will Find My work if my AirPods are out of Bluetooth range?

Find My uses Bluetooth to locate your AirPods if they're nearby, or the Find My network if they're far away. The Find My network relies on other Apple devices in the area to relay your AirPods' location back to you. This works even if your AirPods are miles away, but only if they're powered on and another Apple device passes nearby.

What if someone else found my AirPods and turned them on?

If your AirPods are marked as lost, anyone who finds them and tries to pair them will see a message with your phone number or email. If they're not marked as lost, a new owner can pair them to their own Apple ID and use them normally. Marking them as lost before they're found is the best way to prevent this.

Can I erase my AirPods remotely if I can't find them?

You can mark them as lost, which prevents pairing, but you cannot erase them remotely the way you can with an iPhone or iPad. If you want to fully erase them, you'll need to have them in your hands and reset them manually using the setup button on the charging case.

Why does Find My show a large radius instead of an exact location?

Bluetooth location is approximate, not precise. The radius shown on the map represents the area where your AirPods were last detected. The smaller the radius, the more recently they connected to a device. If the radius is very large, your AirPods haven't connected in a while and may have moved since then.