As you know by now, I spent years in the tech world at several companies. The interesting thing is that all of them had one requirement for continued employment. You may not realize it, but that rule is to ALWAYS LOCK YOUR PC when you are away from it. I never heard of anyone losing their job for not doing so, but the threat was always there. Why? Simple…you do not want anyone to use your computer without your express knowledge. Please do this for your PC.
This requires that you continually lock your computer, and it MUST be password protected to log into it. I know, you moms, dads, grandparents, etc., think, “Why should I password protect my computer? I don’t have anything on it worth stealing.” That theory is incorrect. You have user accounts and passwords to some things, or you would not be using a computer. Your email? If someone could access that, they could take over your email along with other sites you go to and login. Why? Because to reset your password at other sites you most likely used your email address as the backup. So, if you “forgot” your password, they could send a reset password link to your email. Which if owned by someone else, whoosh they are in! Also, think about it, you may have documents regarding your life; a will, documents on your house, tax returns, and more. And what about your “kids” just messing around on it?
So, when you are at home or at your favorite coffee shop, lock your computer when you are away from it. Also, make sure no one in the location with you is looking over your shoulder.
First, make sure you have set a password or a pin (Personal Identification Number) on your computer login. If you have not done so yet you should. If you have a password, you can skip ahead some. There are a couple of ways to set passwords up in Windows but I will show you the easiest way. If you have a Microsoft account you use to log into your computer, you will need to go to your Microsoft account page and change your password there. It is located at, account.microsoft.com. If you have a local admin account, which many will, click on the windows start menu button. You will see your account name in the lower-left and then click it. Now select “Manage my account.” Next, scroll down to “Sign-on Options,” select it and then down to “Password.” Then change it to whatever you wish…do not forget it in the future or there will be heck to pay. In other words, you may not be able to login if you forget. If you like more details, I have created a video for you to visit at GrayHaired.Tech, check it out.
Now the easy part. You may wonder how do you lock your computer when you walk away from it? Here is the simple way. Press the Windows key + L. That is all it takes.
Now for a neat way to lock it, and once this is set up, you just walk away. In Windows 10 and 11 the feature is called “Dynamic Lock”, which automatically locks your PC when you walk away with a Bluetooth device, typically your smartphone. Set it up like this:
First, you need to pair your phone with your PC. To accomplish this, on your PC, go to “Settings,” then to, “Bluetooth & devices,” now add your phone to your PC. Follow the instructions from your phone’s provider if you have questions about how to do that.
The next step is to Enable Dynamic Locking on your PC. Go to “Settings,” “Accounts,” then, “Sign-in options.” Once there, scroll down to “Dynamic lock” and check, “Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away.” Restart your computer and test it out. Keep in mind that, Dynamic Lock relies on Bluetooth, which typically has a range of up to 200 feet for Bluetooth 4.x and 800 feet for Bluetooth 5.x. However, physical obstructions like walls can reduce this range. The PC will lock when your phone moves out of Bluetooth range, but there might be a delay of up to 30 seconds before it locks.
I am old school and it is locked in my muscle memory to ALWAYS press the Windows key + L whenever I walk away from my PC. Even at home since the habit is challenging to break.
