What a cable lock is for
A laptop cable lock is a steel cable with a loop at one end and a small lock at the other. You pass the loop round something that cannot move, such as a desk leg, and fix the lock into the security slot on the side of the laptop. It works like a bike lock. It will not stop someone with tools and time, but it stops the quick grab when you step away from a desk in a library, an office, a classroom or a hotel lobby. It suits students who study in shared spaces, people who hot-desk, and anyone who leaves a laptop set up where the public pass by.
Check the slot first
Look along the sides and back of your laptop for a small slot, often with a tiny padlock symbol beside it. Many business laptops have one; many thin laptops do not, because the slot needs room in the case. The slot also comes in more than one shape and size, and a lock has to match it. The locks here name the slot they fit. Some are made for the small nano slot of 6mm by 2.5mm, and one of those says plainly that it does not fit 3mm by 5mm or 3mm by 7mm slots. Others fit wedge-shaped slots or what their makers call the standard slot. Measure yours, or check your laptop's specification, and compare it with the product page before buying.
If your laptop has no slot at all, a cable lock needs an adapter fixed to the laptop to give it something to hold. The locks in this range are made for laptops that have a slot.
Key or combination
Most locks here open with a combination, four digits on several, and on some you set the number yourself, so there is no key to carry or lose. Choose a number you will remember and nobody would guess. The keyed lock comes with two keys: keep the spare somewhere other than your laptop bag.
Cable length
The cables here run from a little over a metre to about two metres. A longer cable reaches round a thick table leg with room to spare, and lets the laptop move about on the desk. Route it so it does not cross a walkway where someone could trip.
Questions people ask about laptop locks
Will a cable lock stop a determined thief?
No. It deters the opportunist, which is most theft from desks. Lock the screen too, and never leave a laptop alone in a café or on a train seat.
Can I use one on a docking station or a desktop computer?
One lock here says it also fits the locking slots on desktops and docking stations. Check the slot as you would on a laptop.
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