Can I Put Laptop In Checked Baggage During Flight? [Hint! No]

Can I put my laptop in checked baggage while traveling? This is a question of many people who want to travel from one country to another country or have to travel locally via plane.

You know very well laptop is an electronic device and it is very sensitive a little mistake can damage it badly and no one wants to damage their expensive laptop at any cost.

But the question is can you put a laptop in checked baggage? Will your laptop be safe in checked baggage?

The answer depends on the airline company you are traveling with, people think their laptop can be damaged easily in checked baggage, they think right because luggage can be handled very roughly.

So, if you put your laptop in checked baggage then chances are high you may damage your laptop. That’s why we recommend you use a laptop bag that protects your laptop from any damage.

Also, airlines ask their passengers not to put expensive and easily breakable things in the checked baggage, you should put them in your carry-on bag.

If you put your laptop in checked luggage and you are traveling in a plane then you can not travel with a relaxed mind, every second you will think about your laptop.

If you are an office worker or businessman and all your company data is on your laptop then you feel tenser during the flight.

Later in this article, we will discuss what you should do with your laptop before traveling on a plane.

In this article, we will discuss whether can you put your laptop in checked baggage while traveling or not. Is it safe for you to put your laptop in checked luggage or not?

And many other questions that can come into the mind of people before traveling in a plane with their laptop.

After reading this article, all your doubts will be clearly related to putting the laptop in checked luggage.

Table of Contents

Can You Put Laptop In Checked Baggage?

The question that people ask if they can put their laptop in checked luggage is very common. Are they allowed to put laptops in the checked luggage?

Let us answer this question.

In March 2017 TSA announced an update regarding putting electronics in checked baggage. In their update, they announced which electronics are allowed to be put in the checked baggage.

If you are going to travel on a plane then this update is related not only to laptops but also to other electronics like mobiles, tablets, cameras, etc.

According to TSA and airlines, you can put your laptop in the checked baggage while traveling on a plane, but they recommend putting the laptop and other electronics in your carry-on bag instead of checked baggage.

If you put your laptop in checked baggage then chances are high your laptop may damage while shifting your luggage from one place to another, because luggage shifted from one place to another place roughly.

That’s why you should put your laptop in a carry-on it can minimize the risks of damaging the laptop.

Is It Safe To Put Your Laptop In Checked Baggage?

If you traveling on a plane from one country to another or locally then this question may come into your mind “is it safe to put a laptop in checked baggage?”.

Well, the answer is No! Your laptop will not be safe in checked baggage. It may be damaged during the flight because the airline staff handles luggage roughly.

You may lose your luggage on the airline but it’s very rare. But you should always put your laptop in your carry-on to minimize the risks of losing or damaging your laptop.

Lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries are not allowed in checked baggage so you must have them in your carry-on in case you put your laptop in checked luggage.

Things To Do Before Putting Laptop In Checked Baggage:

Whether you are allowed or not allowed to put the laptop in checked baggage there are a few things that you should do before putting the laptop into checked baggage.

So, let’s start discussing all the things one by one.

1: Delete Your Sensitive Information:

Before putting your laptop into checked baggage you should delete all your sensitive information from your laptop.

Like you should log out from all the websites, social media accounts, autofill data, etc.

In case your laptop is stolen so the person who stole your laptop will not access your personal information or your social media accounts.

2: Encrypt Your Informatuions:

You must encrypt your sensitive information before putting your laptop in checked baggage.

It’s best for you no one can access your personal information. There is no need to encrypt the whole drive but important files on your computer should be encrypted.

There are many encryption tools in the market for this work. Also, you should make notes of your password in a notepad or diary, so you don’t need to get logged in.

3: Back Up Your Important Data:

It is also important to back up your important data before putting your laptop into checked baggage.

When you put your bag in checked baggage there are chances that your laptop may be stolen or damaged.

So, it’s necessary to take back up the important data that you don’t want to lose in any situation.

You can easily take back up your data in a USB, hard drive or you can store it on the cloud like Google drive, One drive, etc.

4: Prevent Your Laptop From Damage:

You should not put your laptop into checked baggage with the bag of laptop.

If you simply put your laptop in baggage without the laptop personal bag then chances are high your laptop may be broken or damaged during the shifting of your luggage.

So, it’s important for you to use a laptop bag that keeps your laptop safe and prevents it from any kind of damage.

By using a laptop bag you can minimize the chances of damaging the laptop.

Things You Should Never Put In Checked Baggage:

There are a few things that you should never put in your checked baggage during a flight. These things are:

1: Electronics:

The first thing that you should not put into your checked baggage is the electronics items like laptops, mobiles, cameras, iPad, tablets, etc.

You know very well these things are very expensive and sensitive. They can be broken easily, so if you don’t want to lose them you should put these things in your carry-on bag instead of checked baggage.

2: Make-Up:

You should never put your make-up in checked baggage, Instead of a checked bag you should put them in your carry-on handbag especially when you are traveling on an international flight.

The items that are not easily replaced should be carried in a plane.

3: Jewelry:

Never ever put your expensive Gold or Dimond jewelry in your checked baggage.

There are chances that you can lose your luggage while traveling so if you keep your expensive jewelry in it you also lose them so it’s recommended to put your jewelry in a carry-on bag.

4: Medicines:

Medicines are another thing that you should not put in checked baggage.

The reason behind this is that medicines get too hot or too cold depending on the weather of the place where your luggage will be placed.

Due to hot or cold temperatures, your medicines may get affected.

So, if you are a person who takes medicines regularly so during the flight you should keep them in your carry-on bag instead of checked luggage.

How To Keep Your Laptop Safe While Traveling?

This question is also asked by many people when they are going to travel on a plane.

There are a few things that you can do to protect your laptop when you are traveling from one place to another.

1: Use A Secure Laptop bag:

Always put your laptop in a bag which is specially made for the laptop.

Never put your laptop in a bag where you put your other luggage like clothes, shoes, etc.

Also, carry your laptop in your hand instead of putting it in your checked luggage.

This way you can save your laptop while traveling.

2: Always Turn Off Your Laptop:

When you go on travel always turn off your laptop completely remove all the devices from it like the hard drive, USB, charger, etc and then put it in your bag.

Never put your laptop in sleep mode or turn on mode, because it may damage the components of the laptop suck cool air, and exit hot air which is dangerous.

3: Mention You Contact Information:

When you travel anywhere with your laptop you should display your contact information on it.

In case you lost your laptop so when someone found it he/she can contact you and return your laptop.

You should only mention your name and phone number on the tag, never mention your home and office address or information.

How You Can Protect Your Laptop In Checked Baggage?

You should use a solid laptop bag and place it inside of your suitcase.

You should wrap the center of your laptop with two layers of bubble wrap in order to form a protective layer on the laptop.

You can also pack each of the laptop corners with a piece of foam to protect it. Secure with packing tape.

Use an electronics organizer for your laptop charger and cords, It will protect and keep everything clean all in one place.

Always put your laptop in airplane mode, because electronics like laptops, mobiles, tablets, etc can interfere with plane communication during take-off and can cause crashes.

Bottom Line – Can You Put Laptop In Checked Baggage:

After reading this detailed article, we hope that all you got the answer to your question “whether you can put your laptop in checked baggage or not”.

Yes, you can put your laptop in checked baggage, there are no restrictions from the airline authorities but you have to remove your laptop from checked baggage during the security check at the airport.

But it is not advisable to put your laptop in checked baggage, because the laptop is an electronic device and it’s very sensitive, it can be damaged easily.

So, always put your laptop in your carry-on if you don’t want to damage it.

Also, in this article, we have discussed many other things that as a traveler you should keep in your mind.

If you follow the guidelines that we have discussed in this article, you can easily save your laptop from being stolen or damaged.