8 Ways to Lock the Screen in Windows 11 (2023)

Don’t want others to access your computer while you’re away? Try these efficient ways to lock the screen in Windows 11.

Locking your Microsoft Windows 11 computer screen is important for protecting your data from wandering eyes. This is especially true in the workplace. Nobody you work with needs to see that photo from when you dressed as Ulala from Space Channel 5 for Halloween 2000. Most of us prefer to lock our screens whenever we leave our cubicle to attend a meeting or gossip about the awful dress Trisha is wearing today.

But do you know there are multiple different ways you can lock your Windows 11 computer screen? That’s right. In this guide, I’ll share some popular and easy methods to lock the screen in Windows 11. You can try any approach from here that you find most convenient for you.

Method 1: Lock Windows 11 Screen With Keyboard Shortcut

It’s probably the most popular way to lock your Windows 11 computer screen, and chances are that you use this method to lock the screen. You guessed it right. I’m talking about the lock screen shortcut on Windows computers. It allows you to lock your screen just by pressing two keys without having to click around the screen or go through the menus.

Method 2: Lock Screen From Start Menu

Another commonly used method to lock screens in Windows 11 computers is to use the lock option from the Start menu. Many people prefer this option as it is almost similar to shutting down your computer.

On your Windows 11 taskbar, click on the Start button with the Windows icon.
Click on your account name in the bottom left corner.
Click on the Lock option to immediately lock your computer. Now, you can leave your computer without any worries.

Method 3: Go to Lock Screen Using Ctrl + Alt + Delete

Have you ever noticed that pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete takes you to the Windows lock screen, which also has the Lock option? If you haven’t, check it out next time you try this key combination.

The benefit of using this technique is you can use this keyboard shortcut from any screen, including while you’re watching a movie and immediately needs to lock your computer. Here are the simple steps you need to follow if you want to lock your computer screen from this Windows menu.

Press Ctrl+ Alt + Delete keys together.
It’ll take you to a screen containing the Windows options menu.
The first option on that list is Lock which will be selected by default.
You can use your mouse to click on the Lock option or just hit the Enter key (ensuring that the Lock option is selected).

Method 4: Automatically Lock the Screen with Screen Saver

This is an extremely useful method for those who often get stuck outside their cubicle for a longer time than expected. In such cases, you can make sure that your screen gets locked if it stays idle for a predefined time. What’s more, the method involves using your preferred image or text as the screen saver. Windows 11 users can follow these steps and enable screen save to appear on their lock screen after a predefined time.

Right-click on any empty area of the desktop screen and select Personalization.
Click on the Lock screen option from the right panel.
Select Screen saver to open its related options in a separate window.
From the Screen saver drop-down list, choose your preferred one.
The default wait time is 1 minute. If necessary, you can change it directly by typing the minute or clicking the up arrow button.
If you want, you can also check the box for On resume, display logon screen.
Finally, click on Apply button to apply the changed settings about the screen saver.
Click OK to close this window.

Method 5: Lock Screen With Self-Created Shortcut

If keystrokes are way too much for you to handle, you can create a shortcut that will lock your screen. You can put this shortcut at any location of your choice.

Right-click on any blank area of the Desktop.
Hover over New and select Shortcut.
On the Create shortcut window, paste the following location to create a shortcut for the lock screen in Windows 11:
```
C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
```
Click on Next.
Add a name for the shortcut, such as Screen Lock.
Click on the Finish button to complete the process of creating the shortcut.

Now you have a screen lock shortcut you can double-click whenever you leave your desk. You can even take it a step further and pin it to your taskbar. In that case, you need to click it once to lock your computer screen.

Method 6: Lock Screen With Command Prompt

If you’re an expert Windows user or like to use Command Prompt to perform different tasks on your computer, you can use this for locking your computer screen as well. Using this text-based user interface, you can add input through the keyboard and lock your screen in Windows 11. Here are the steps you need to follow to lock the screen with Command Prompt:

Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Type cmd in that box and hit Enter.
Command Prompt will open on your Windows 11 screen.
Type the following command in the Command Prompt:
```
Rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
```
Press the Enter key on your keyboard to lock your computer instantly.

Method 7: Use Task Manager

Windows 11 task manager allows you to monitor and control various processes on your computer. From here, you can also lock the screen in Windows 11. Many of you might find this surprising; however, it can be done with these simple steps:

First of all, you need to press Ctrl + Shift+ Escape to open Task Manager.
From the left pane, Select Users button.
Select and right-click on the current user account.
Select Disconnect from the list.
This will lock your computer. You need to unlock the computer to start using the system again.

Method 8: Use Dynamic Lock Feature to Lock the Screen

You can activate the dynamic lock feature on your Windows 11 computer. This feature can sense the weak signal between your Bluetooth device and the computer. When you pair your Windows 11 PC to a Bluetooth device, the system becomes capable of detecting whether you’re away from the PC or not.

For example, the Bluetooth device is your mobile phone, and you carry that device with you as you move away from the computer. In this case, the Bluetooth signal will weaken and lock your computer.

First, make sure your Bluetooth device (smartphone, etc.) is connected to the computer.
Now, proceed to turn on the dynamic lock feature on Windows 11.
Press Ctrl + I to open Settings.
Select Accounts and choose Sign in options from the right.
Expand the Dynamic lock option.
Check the box for Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away.
The computer will check for paired devices and prompt you if the smartphone is connected via Bluetooth.
You can check if the feature is working properly by moving away from your computer while carrying your phone with you.

Conclusion

When you go away from the computer on a short break or need to leave your seat on a short break, locking the screen is a better option than shutting down your computer. It takes less time to unlock a computer than to start it while it ensures the computer data privacy from the preying eyes at your office / shared workspace.

There are a number of ways to lock the screen in Windows 11. You can follow the steps mentioned in this article to lock your computer using any of the methods. Which one do you find to be the easiest? Tell us in the comments. Also, don’t forget the share this article through different social media with your friends and followers.

You can also check out how to personalize the computer lock screen on Windows 11 and what to do when Windows 11 is not showing the lock screen,