How to Lock Screen in Windows 11/10 [Multiple Ways]

Locking your Windows PC screen is essential for protecting your data from roaming eyes. This is peculiarly true in the workplace. You wouldn’t want your colleagues to see you dressed for a fancy dress competition or as an alien. Locking the screen won’t quit or interrupt any of your running applications and would require the user to enter the PIN or password to get past the lock screen. This post will guide you on How to Lock Screen in Windows 11/10 in Multiple ways.

How to Lock Screen in Windows 11/10 [Multiple Ways]

There are a variety of methods one could use to lock their screens in Windows 10. Here’s a compiled list of methods regarding the same:

1. Start Menu
2. Windows Key on Keyboard
3. CTRL + ALT + DEL Key
4. Task Manager
5. Command Prompt
6. Dynamic Lock

Anyone can set this up, but for some, you may need an admin user account.

1] Start Menu

The Start Menu houses an option for Shutting down the PC, restarting it, and locking your PC. To lock your computer, pull up the Start Menu, click on your account name or profile photo, and then choose the Lock option.

2] Windows Key on Keyboard

Similar to any task related to Windows, there’s a keyboard shortcut for it. One of the easiest ways to lock the screen in Windows 10 is to press the Windows + L key on the keyboard.

3] CTRL + ALT + DEL Key

Commonly used to pull up the Task Manager to kill an unresponsive application, the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keyboard could also be used to Lock the device. Just press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys on your keyboard simultaneously and choose the Lock option from the menu,

4] Task Manager

One could also use the Task Manager to lock the PC in Windows 11/10. This could come in handy when you’d like to lock out other users on your PC. To do so, bring up the Task Manager by searching for the same in the Start Search Box and choosing the main listed result.

Then, navigate to the Users tab, click on the user account and choose the Disconnect option. It will display a popup to make sure that you’d like to execute the task. Click on Disconnect user, and you’re good to go.

5] Command Prompt

The command prompt, where you’ll find everywhere to execute any task in Windows, steps in here as well. One could use the CMD or Command Prompt to lock the computer in Windows 10. To do so, open a window of Command Prompt by searching for the same in the Start Search Box and choosing the first result. Then type in the following query and press Enter to lock your computer.

Rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

One can execute the same query directly in the Run Dialog as well to accomplish the task.

6] Dynamic Lock

Windows can use devices paired with your PC to help detect when you’re away and lock your PC shortly after your paired device is out of the Bluetooth range. This makes it more difficult for someone to access your device if you step away from your PC and forget to lock it.

To set up and enable Dynamic Lock, start by pairing your smartphone with your PC via Bluetooth. To do so, navigate to Settings > Devices > Bluetooth and click on Add Bluetooth or Other Device. Here, from the list of devices, choose your device to pair, confirm the PIN, and it will be now connected to your PC.

With this, one can now enable the Dynamic Lock feature. Start by navigating to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in Options. On this page, scroll down and check the check box stating Allow Windows to Automatically Lock Your Device When You’re Away option under Dynamic Lock.

With that said, which method do you prefer to lock your PC? Do let us know by dropping a comment down below.