How do I locate my lost MacBook using Find My?

All Find My.. can do is report the last place the device was seen on the network (e.g. it was powered on, connected to a network, and checked in with Apple).

If it's reporting the last place you used it, but not where you lost it, that means one of a couple of things:

1) It's still where you lost it, but no way of knowing where that is until it's started up again.

2) It hasn't been booted/turned on since you lost it, although someone might have moved it to a different location and just not turned it on

3) Someone managed to wipe the system before it had a chance to connect to the network and report its location.

Chances of 3) are low (MacOS has several security features to prevent arbitrary wiping of a system), but not zero.

Either way, the fundamental limit of Find My is that the system needs to boot/wake up at some point and check-in. Until this happens there's no way to tell where it is.

Edit…

Turning On a MacBook Remotely:

Call someone, and have them turn it on(just don't share your sign in credentials with them). That's the best you can do.

"How do I turn MacBook on remotely: I’ve lost my MacBook and I want yo be able to find it using the ‘find my’ app. Unfortunately it us showing up in the location it was when I used it last, but I lost it in a different state"

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Turning On a MacBook Remotely:

Call someone, and have them turn it on(just don't start your sign in credentials with them. That's the best you can do.

Use an Apple Watch:

If the Mac is near you, you can do so using an Apple Watch:

Go here: Unlock your Mac and Approve Requests with Apple Watch - Apple Support

1. Scroll to: Turn on or off Auto Unlock with Apple Watch
2. Scroll to: Unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch
3. Scroll to: Approve requests with your Apple Watch

Hi,

I think you can't turn your MacBook on remotely.