How to Find Lost AirPods, One AirPod or the Case

Open the Find My app on your iPhone, tap Devices, then tap your AirPods. If they’re somewhere else, tap Get Directions to open their location in Maps. If you’re nearby, tap Play Sound and listen for a series of beeps (Apple). This only works if Find My was turned on for a paired device, such as your iPhone or Mac, before the AirPods went missing (Apple). The other options depend on your model.

What each AirPods model can do in Find My

Find My works with every AirPods model, but some models have extra finding features. To show up in Find My at all, AirPods have to be paired with an iPhone or iPad that’s signed in to your Apple Account (Apple). If you’re not sure which pair you own, Apple’s Which AirPods do I have? page describes each one.

Feature	AirPods that support it
Location on the map, Play Sound on the earbuds	All models
Find My network, Find Nearby, Lost Mode, Notify When Left Behind	AirPods 3, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max
Each earbud and the case shown separately, sound from the case, mark each piece as lost	AirPods 4 (ANC), AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3
Arrow and distance on screen, precise location of the case	AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3

The table follows Apple’s AirPods User Guide (Apple). Apple’s pages disagree about the standard AirPods 4, the model without ANC. The AirPods User Guide leaves it off the Find My network list, but a note in the iPhone User Guide lists “AirPods 4 (both models)” (Apple). The AirPods guide is the more current of the two: it covers the AirPods 5 models released in 2026, and the iPhone note doesn’t mention them. To check your own pair, look for the Find My Network switch described below.

AirPods without the Find My network, such as AirPods 1 and 2, show the last time and place they were connected (Apple). Apple’s iPhone guide says these can be located when they’re near your device and connected over Bluetooth (Apple).

See them on a map and play a sound

1. In Find My, tap Devices, then your AirPods. If they’re out of the case, you might have to pick the left or right earbud (Apple).
2. Tap Get Directions if they’re far away.
3. Tap Play Sound if you’re close. The sound plays for a few minutes or until you stop it. It plays from the earbuds when they’re out of the case, and from the case itself only on the models in the third row of the table (Apple).

The Find My app on a Mac or Apple Watch works too, and so does iCloud.com/find. The Apple Watch needs a Wi-Fi or cellular connection for this (Apple).

Find one AirPod or the case

While the sound plays, tap Left or Right to mute one earbud so you can find them one at a time (Apple).

On most models, Find My shows only one earbud at a time once they’re separated. Find the one on the map, put it back in its case, then refresh the map to locate the other. AirPods 4 (ANC), AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 show each earbud and the case on the map (Apple).

If they’re close, for example in another room, tap Find and follow the onscreen instructions. Apple’s support article calls this option Find Nearby and says it waits for your AirPods to connect to your iPhone first (Apple). With AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3 you may see an arrow pointing toward them and roughly how far away they are, plus an option to turn on the flashlight in a dark spot. These two models can also show the precise location of the charging case on an iPhone with Ultra Wideband (Apple). Apple calls this Precision Finding (Apple).

If Find My says Offline or No location found

If your AirPods are out of range or need to charge, Find My may show their last known location, “Offline” or “No location found.” You might be able to get directions to the last known location, but you can’t play a sound or use Find Nearby. When they come back online, you get a notification on your iPhone or the other Apple device you use them with (Apple). If you tap Play while they’re offline, Find My shows Sound Pending and notifies you the next time they’re in range of your iPhone or iPad (Apple).

Supported AirPods can also be located through the Find My network, which Apple describes as an encrypted, anonymous network of hundreds of millions of Apple devices. Devices near your missing AirPods securely send their location to iCloud (Apple). With it on, supported AirPods show in Find My for up to 24 hours after they last connected to your device, even if they’re not nearby. You have to turn it on before you lose them (Apple):

1. Wear your AirPods and make sure they’re connected to your iPhone or iPad.
2. Open Settings and tap the name of your AirPods near the top of the screen.
3. Scroll down and turn on Find My Network. If you don’t see it, tap Find My first.

The Find My network might be unavailable in some countries and regions because of local laws (Apple).

Apple’s current guide doesn’t say whether AirPods can be located inside a closed case. An earlier edition of Apple’s Find My guide for Mac, written for macOS Monterey, said AirPods 3, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max could be located for up to 24 hours after they last went online, even in their case, if the Find My network was on. The same page said AirPods 1 and 2 could be located only when online, out of the case and within Bluetooth range of your device (Apple). If you think the earbuds and case have run flat, read what you can still do when earbuds are off or dead.

Mark them as lost

In Find My, choose your AirPods and swipe up. Under Lost [device], tap Lost Mode or Show Contact Info, then follow the steps to show your contact information so whoever finds them can reach you (Apple). Lost Mode works on the models in the second row of the table, and only if the Find My network was on before they went missing. AirPods 4 (ANC), AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 also let you mark each earbud and the case as lost separately, for when you lose just one piece (Apple).

Get warned before you leave them behind

Notify When Left Behind sends an alert to your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch when you leave supported AirPods anywhere other than a trusted location, such as your home. It needs the Find My network on and notifications allowed for the Find My app. On iPhone, open Find My, tap Devices, select your AirPods, tap Notify When Left Behind and turn it on. Then choose a suggested trusted location, or tap New Location and pick a spot on the map (Apple). Trusted locations are places where you can leave a device without getting an alert (Apple).

If Find My wasn’t set up

Find My has to be set up before it can show a device (Apple), and for AirPods that means before they’re lost (Apple). Open Find My and check anyway. Apple’s two requirements are that the AirPods were paired with an iPhone or iPad signed in to your Apple Account and that Find My was on for a paired device (Apple). If your iPhone had Find My turned on, they may already be listed.

If they aren’t, you’re limited to what your phone can hear:

• If the AirPods still connect to your iPhone, they’re within Bluetooth range. Our Earbud Sound Finder plays a loud chirp in just the left or right earbud while they’re connected, so you can walk toward the sound.
• A Bluetooth scanner app can show the signal strength (RSSI) of a device that’s powered on and transmitting. The Bluetooth SIG advises following how the reading changes as you move, because the raw value varies from one chip to another. A strengthening signal means you’re getting closer, and a weakening one means you’re moving away (Bluetooth SIG). Readings drift with the surroundings, and walls, windows and other obstacles weaken the signal (Bluetooth SIG).