3 Ways To Find Lost AirPods That Are Offline and Dead

Learn how to locate your dead and offline AirPods using the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, icloud.com, or Mac.

By Dave Johnson - Senior Staff Writer
3 Min Read

Did you lose your AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max? If you want to find your dead AirPods, this can be more difficult than finding a single AirPod or its case alone. Because the AirPods are out of battery, it won’t be able to transmit the signal needed to display its location. When you try to locate dead AirPods with Find My app, you might see "Offline" or "No location found." Thankfully, you can still use the Find My app to find its last known location and place it in Lost Mode in case it’s found by someone else. This article explains how to locate your dead AirPods using the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, icloud.com, or Mac.

Locating Offline or Dead AirPods

  • You can use Find My on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac to see the last location of your AirPods before they died.
  • To activate Lost Mode, go to the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad, tap Devices, tap the name of your AirPods, then below Mark as Lost, tap Activate.
  • If you don’t see a last known location, you’ll need to retrace your steps

1. See the location of your AirPods on a map

If your AirPods are dead and offline, you might see their last known location in the Find My app.

  • iPhone or iPad: Go to the Find My app , tap Devices, then tap your AirPods.
  • Apple Watch: Go to the Find Devices app , then tap your AirPods (requires a Wi-Fi or cellular connection).
  • Mac: Go to the Find My app , click Devices, then select your AirPods.
  • iCloud.com: Go to iCloud.com/find, sign in to your Apple Account, select All Devices, then select your AirPods.
  • You’ll see a map with its last known location.
  • If your AirPods have some charge, you’ll see its current location.
  • Tap Directions. The Maps app will open with directions to your AirPods.
    • While this may not be the place your AirPods are currently, this could give you a good idea on where to begin your search.

For most AirPods models, when your AirPods are separated, you see the location of only one at a time. To find them both, first locate the one that you see on the map, put it back in its case, then refresh the map to locate the other one.

If you have AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, you see the location of each of your AirPods and the charging case on the map.

2. Mark AirPods as lost

Since you are pretty sure your AirPods are dead and offline, you can mark them as lost. . Lost Mode is used to make sure no one who has your AirPods can use them. If your AirPods finds their way to someone decent, when you set up Lost Mode, there is an option to leave a message with your contact information. This message will show on their iPhone when they try to pair them.

  • iPhone or iPad: Go to the Find My app , tap Devices, tap the name of your AirPods, then below Mark as Lost, tap Activate.
  • Apple Watch: Go to the Find Devices app , tap a device, tap Lost Mode, then turn on Lost Mode.
  • Mac: Go to the Find My app , click devices, select your AirPods, click the Info button, then click Activate.
  • Follow the onscreen steps to display your contact information to someone who finds your AirPods.

3. Retrace your steps to find the Airpods

The last way to find dead or offline AirPods is to retrace your steps. Think about the places you last used your AirPods. To find things you lost, you’ll need to think back on every place you might have used them. This could be a store, a classroom at school, a room in your house, or another place. Search by enlisting the help of friends or family, especially if you have multiple places to check.

You should also search common lost object areas. If you suspect your AirPods may still be in your house, check underneath couch cushions, under your bed, or behind other furniture. If you think they may be in your car, search underneath the floormats, trunk, and in the space between the center console and seats.

If you lost your AirPods in a store or company building, check with the customer service desk for the lost and found.

If you still can’t find your AirPods, you may need to purchase a new pair.

Consider attaching an Apple AirTag to the new AirPods in case it is lost, misplaced, or stolen.

This guide is for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, or later.

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Dave Johnson is a staff writer for GeeksChalk based in New Jersey. He covers news, how-tos, and user guides for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
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