Back to Blog
Yes, but only on a laptop that has actual cellular hardware built in, not just any Windows 11 machine. Having an "LTE" or "5G" sticker isn't enough, and most laptops, including most that look premium, simply don't have the modem at all. If your laptop does have that hardware, a co:sim data-only eSIM installs the same way it does on a phone: through a Settings menu and a QR code, no physical SIM tray required.
This is the step most guides skip, and it's the one that actually matters. A laptop needs a WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) modem, a physical chip separate from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, to use any kind of cellular data, eSIM or otherwise. Most consumer laptops, including the vast majority of MacBooks, Chromebooks, and even many "business" Windows laptops, ship without one.
WWAN is almost always a paid, optional configuration on specific business-line laptops, selected at the time of purchase, not something you can add afterward with a driver or a software update. Microsoft's own support documentation confirms the check: go to Settings > Network & internet, and if hardware is present, "your PC supports cellular connectivity" and a Cellular entry appears in that menu; if there's no Cellular option listed at all, the laptop has no modem and no eSIM is possible, according to Microsoft's official eSIM support page.
Real examples of where this hardware actually ships:
The pattern across every brand is identical: WWAN is a checkbox at checkout on a handful of business-oriented models, never a default, and never retrofittable. Before assuming your laptop qualifies, check the exact configuration you actually bought, not just the model name on the lid.
co:sim TeamSettings → Network & internet and check for a Cellular entry. No Cellular option means no modem, and none of the following steps will work.Settings → Network & internet → Cellular → eSIM profiles, then select Add profile.Note that Windows 10 uses a slightly different path (Settings → Network & Internet → Cellular → Manage eSIM profiles), and Microsoft retired the standalone Mobile Plans app in February 2026, so the operator's own website, a QR code, or a manually entered activation code are now the only supported ways to add a profile.
Mexico
1-day trip pass
From $2.99
Canada
1-day trip pass
From $2.99
Brazil
Valid 7 days
From $3.99
Your laptop doesn't have WWAN hardware, and no software update or driver install changes that. This is the single most common reason eSIM setup fails on a laptop, and it isn't fixable after the fact. Check the exact configuration code on the laptop's original order or spec sheet, not just the general model name, since the same model name is frequently sold in both Wi-Fi-only and WWAN configurations.
Confirm you have a working Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection during setup; downloading a new eSIM profile itself requires an active internet connection, the same as installing one on a phone. Also double-check the activation code or QR code hasn't already been used or expired, since a co:sim eSIM QR code is tied to one specific profile.
Confirm data roaming is turned on for that specific profile under Cellular settings, and that the laptop is actually within coverage of a supported network for your destination. A laptop's cellular radio behaves like a phone's in this respect: installation and connection are two separate steps, and a profile can install successfully while still showing no bars until roaming is enabled.
No. An eSIM profile is tied to the specific device it's installed on and its own EID (eSIM identification number); it can't be copied, transferred, or shared between a phone and a laptop the way a physical SIM card can be swapped between devices. If you want cellular data on both your phone and a WWAN-equipped laptop while traveling, you need two separate eSIM profiles, one per device, though many providers, including co:sim, let you buy and manage multiple data-only eSIMs from the same account. The alternative that needs no second eSIM at all is tethering: use your phone's existing data connection to create a Wi-Fi hotspot for the laptop, which works on any laptop regardless of whether it has WWAN hardware.
Either works, and the practical difference matters less than whether the laptop has cellular hardware at all. A laptop with an LTE-only WWAN modem, common on slightly older ThinkPad and Latitude configurations, still gets a full mobile data connection suitable for browsing, video calls, and remote work; it simply tops out at LTE speeds rather than 5G peak speeds. What actually matters is confirming the laptop has a WWAN modem of any generation, which you check the same way regardless: a Cellular entry under Network & internet settings. A co:sim data-only eSIM works on either an LTE-only or 5G-capable WWAN modem without needing to pick a plan based on generation, since the plan itself is data, not a network-generation commitment.
Because marketing language and actual hardware inside your specific unit are two different things. Some listings describe a laptop as "5G-ready" or "WWAN-ready" when only the antennas or an empty module slot were installed at the factory, with no actual modem chip present, a cost-saving practice on some configurations, meaning the physical radio needed for a connection was never actually installed. The only way to know for certain is to check Settings → Network & internet on that specific unit for a Cellular entry, or open Device Manager and look under Network adapters for a cellular modem listed by name, rather than trusting the marketing name the laptop was sold under. If neither shows a modem, no software update, BIOS update, or driver installation will add one, since it's a hardware limitation, not a software one.
Almost never, because neither product line currently ships with WWAN cellular hardware. No mainstream MacBook has ever included a built-in cellular modem, and only a small handful of enterprise-focused Chromebook models have offered one, well outside what most travelers own. For both platforms, tethering to your phone's own eSIM-powered hotspot is the realistic way to get a MacBook or Chromebook online while traveling, rather than expecting either to accept an eSIM profile of its own. If you're specifically shopping for a laptop that needs built-in cellular for business travel, that requirement currently points toward a Windows business laptop with a WWAN configuration, like a WWAN-equipped ThinkPad, Latitude, EliteBook, or Surface Pro, rather than Apple's or Google's current laptop lineups, and even then only the specific configuration ordered with that module, not the product line in general.
Most travelers don't need a cellular laptop at all: a co:sim data-only eSIM on your phone, shared over a hotspot, covers a laptop that has no WWAN hardware of its own, which describes the large majority of laptops in use today.
Mexico
1-day trip pass
From $2.99
Canada
1-day trip pass
From $2.99
Brazil
Valid 7 days
From $3.99
Instant delivery by email · Install before you fly
How-ToInstalling an eSIM early is safe; activating it early can burn paid validity days. Here's the real difference between the two steps, and when to do each before a flight.
How-ToBefore buying an eSIM plan, check four things: data amount, validity period, hotspot/tethering support, and which network it actually runs on. Here's what to look for on any plan page, with co:sim's own listings as an example.
How-ToIf your eSIM data runs out or the connection underperforms mid-trip, you don't need to remove anything. Here's how to install a new eSIM from a different provider alongside it, step by step, with what to check first.