

To do so, open Start and search “screen saver,” then click “Turn Screen Saver On or Off” in the “Settings” results. If you frequently walk away from your PC in a space shared with other people, you also automatically lock Windows 11 after a certain period of time. RELATED: How to Use Dynamic Lock to Automatically Lock Your Windows 10 PC Lock Automatically When Inactive The next time you walk away from your PC, Windows will detect that you moved and lock automatically. Scroll down to the “Dynamic Lock” section and check the box beside “Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away.” Then, close Settings. Then open Settings (press Windows+i) and navigate to Accounts > Sign-in Options. First, you need to pair your smartphone to your PC as a Bluetooth device. You can also lock your PC automatically when you walk away from it with a feature called Dynamic Lock.

Click “Lock,” and your PC will lock instantly. To use it, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete on your keyboard, and you’ll see a special black screen with a menu in the center. Lock Using the Ctrl+Alt+Delete ScreenĪnother quick way to lock your PC is by using the Ctrl+Alt+Delete screen. In the menu that appears, select “Lock.” Your PC will lock, and you’ll need to log in again to use it. To do so, click the Start button, then select your account name in the lower-left corner of Start. You can also lock your PC quickly using the Start menu. At any time, press Windows+L on your keyboard, and Windows will lock and switch to the login screen immediately. The absolute fastest way to lock your Windows 11 PC is by using a keyboard shortcut. RELATED: Why Did '90s PCs Have Keyhole Locks, and What Did They Do? Lock Using a Keyboard Shortcut ojovago/ And shutting down closes out everything and turns off your PC completely. In contrast, “signing out” can prevent others from using your PC as well, but it will close out everything you’ve been working on in Windows and free up system resources (such as RAM and CPU time). You can resume what you were doing (before you locked it) at any time by signing in to your account on the login screen with a password, PIN, or another login method. When you lock your PC, Windows displays a login screen, but it keeps your Windows session active in the background.
