How to automatically lock a Windows session when you leave your PC

Windows allows you to automatically lock your session as soon as you leave your computer. Here’s how to use it.

Some offices require their employees to block their work session every time they leave their post. This is a good practice in everyday life, a security measure to avoid leaving sensitive data available to anyone who passes near your workstation and cannot use it. Windows allows you to automatically lock your session as soon as you leave your computer. Here’s how to use this feature.

This is a good security measure that you should make it a habit to follow even if you don’t have to, simply because it’s a good thing to protect your privacy when you do. Stay away from home. If you’ve ever had to step away from your computer to go to the bathroom, like at a coffee shop, this is an absolute must.

That being said, if locking your computer manually is too difficult for you, you may not know that Windows has a feature to automate this. If you’re interested, read on.

Automatically lock your computer when you leave

Connect your phone to your computer

Before you can use this feature, you must ensure that your smartphone is paired with your Windows computer via Bluetooth.

1. Go to Windows Settings, then Device.
2. In the “Bluetooth and other devices”section, click “Add Bluetooth or other device”.
3. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your smartphone and your smartphone is visible.
4. Once Windows detects your phone, pair it and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Set up dynamic blocking

A feature that allows you to automatically lock your computer when you step away from it is called dynamic lock. This uses your phone’s Bluetooth connection. As soon as you and your smartphone are out of range of your PC, it will automatically lock the active session. The downside of this solution is that it doesn’t work for very short distances. In other words, in some cases it may not be useful to you.

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Connection Options.
2. Check the “Allow device to automatically lock when you’re not around”checkbox.
3. If you paired your smartphone correctly in the previous step, you should see a message stating that your computer has now enabled Dynamic Lock and paired it with your phone.