How to Stop Windows From Automatically Locking Itself

Is your Windows PC automatically locking up and interfering with your work? Are you annoyed by frequent re-logins? This tutorial will show you how to stop Windows From Automatically Locking itself so you can resume working without interruption.

Both Windows 10 and 11 lock the screen automatically after a while to keep your data safe. But if you want to stop this from happening and keep your PC accessible, you can turn off the automatic lock feature.

• Change Sign-In Settings
• Turn Off Sleep Mode and Screen Saver
• Edit Windows Registry

1. Change Sign-In Settings
To stop Windows from automatically locking itself due to inactivity, you can change the sign-in settings and disable the Dynamic Lock feature. Here’s how:

• Press Win + I to open the Settings app and go to Accounts > Sign-in options.
• Under Additional settings, select Never from the dropdown menu.
• In the same menu turn off Dynamic Lock feature by unchecking Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away option.

2. Turn Off Sleep Mode and Screen Saver
When Windows enters sleep mode, it locks itself. You can stop Windows from automatically sleeping to avoid this:

• Open the Settings app and go to System > Power & battery.
• Click on Screen and sleep to expand the options.
• Change the dropdown menus next to On battery power, put my device to sleep after and When plugged in, put my device to sleep after to Never.

Also, it’s a good idea to disable the screen saver, which might also cause Windows to lock:

• Press Win + S to open Windows Search.
• Type Turn screen saver on or off and select the first result.
• In Screen Saver Settings window: set Screen saver to None and then uncheck On resume, display the logon screen.

3. Edit the Windows Registry
If the previous methods don’t work, you can try editing the Windows Registry. Use caution when using this strategy as it carries some danger. Make sure you always establish a restore point or backup your registry.

• Click the search icon on taskbar, type registry editor and select Run as administrator.
• In the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Policies > Microsoft.
• Right-click on Windows and select New > Key. Name this key DisableAutoLock.
• Right-click on the new key, go to New, and select DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name this DWORD NoLockScreen.
• Open NoLockScreen and then set Value data to 1. And then Click OK and after that restart your computer to apply changes.

If your PC supports Windows Hello (like facial recognition or fingerprint scanning), unlocking it is easy. If not, use any of the methods above to stop your PC from locking automatically.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Stop Windows From Automatically Locking Itself

Q: How can I stop Windows from locking automatically?
A: You can change sign-in settings, turn off sleep mode and the screen saver, or edit the Windows Registry.

Q: Is it safe to edit the Windows Registry?
A: Editing the Windows Registry can be risky. Always back up your registry or create a restore point before making any changes.

Q: What is Dynamic Lock?
A: Dynamic Lock is a feature that automatically locks your PC when a connected Bluetooth device, such as your smartphone, goes out of range.

Q: Can I still unlock my PC easily if I stop it from locking automatically?
A: Yes, if your PC supports Windows Hello (facial recognition or fingerprint scanning), unlocking will still be easy. If not, you can manually unlock it as needed.