Herbie Murray
Windows 8 users may want to lock their PCs without putting them to sleep for a variety of reasons, such as when compiling code. While there is no built-in setting to achieve this, there are workarounds. One method involves changing the lid close action to 'Do nothing', then setting the screensaver to kick in after one minute of inactivity, and choosing the ''On resume, display logon screen' option. This effectively locks the PC one minute after closing the lid without sending it to sleep. Another approach is to manually lock the PC using the Win + L shortcut before closing the lid, although this is less secure as one may forget to do it. Disabling the lock screen altogether is also an option, which can be done through the Control Panel.
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What You'll Learn
Locking a Windows 8 PC without sleep via Control Panel
To lock a Windows 8 PC without sleep via Control Panel, follow these steps:
- Go to the Control Panel and ensure that the view is set to Large icons in the top right corner.
- Click on Power Options, and then select "Choose what closing the lid does."
- Set the "When I close the lid" option to "Do nothing."
- Now, go to Change Screen Saver and select a wait time, such as 1 minute. Check the box for "On resume, display logon screen."
- With these settings, after closing your lid, nothing will happen for the specified wait time, and then the computer will lock and require a password to log in again.
Alternatively, you can try the following method:
- Go to Control Panel and click on User Accounts.
- Click on "Make changes to my account in PC settings."
- Change the setting for "Require a password after the display has been off for:" to "Always require a password."
- Now, when you shut the lid of your laptop, it will go to sleep and lock, requiring a password to access it again.
Please note that some users have reported that the "Do nothing" option after closing the lid does not always work as expected, and it might be preferable to set the lid close action to "Sleep" to ensure the computer locks when the lid is closed.
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Using Win + L to lock a Windows 8 PC
To lock a Windows 8 PC without putting it to sleep, you can use the Win + L keyboard shortcut. This shortcut will lock your computer and bring you to the Lock Screen.
- Press the Windows key and the L key simultaneously on your keyboard.
- Your computer will immediately lock, and you will be taken to the Lock Screen.
- To unlock the computer, you will need to enter your password or another authentication method, such as a PIN or biometric login.
It is worth noting that this method requires manual input, so if you are looking for an automatic way to lock your computer without putting it to sleep, you might want to explore other options, such as screen saver settings or third-party applications.
Additionally, while the Win + L shortcut is a quick and convenient way to lock your computer, you can also lock your Windows 8 PC by using the Ctrl + Alt + Delete shortcut and then selecting the "Lock" option from the menu that appears.
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Lid close action settings
The "Lid close action" setting in Power Options allows users to specify the default action to take when the laptop lid is closed. This setting can be accessed through the Control Panel, under "Power Options" or "User Account".
To lock a Windows 8 PC without putting it to sleep when closing the lid, you can try the following methods:
Method 1:
- Go to the Power Options settings page and change the lid close action to "sleep".
- Open the Control Panel and click on "User Account".
- Click on "Make changes to my account in PC settings".
- Under "Require a password after the display has been off for", change this setting to "Always require a password".
Now, when you shut the lid, your computer will go to sleep and lock, requiring a password to access it again.
Method 2:
- Under "Choose what closing the lid does", select "Do nothing" for the "When I close the lid" option.
- Go to "Change screen saver" and select "Wait: 1 minute".
- Check the box for "On resume, display logon screen".
With this method, after closing your lid, nothing will happen for one minute, and then your computer will be locked. However, this method may not be ideal as the screen saver will also activate if the lid is not closed, and if you are in a public place, you will need to wait one minute after closing the lid before leaving.
Additionally, it is recommended to always lock your laptop manually using Win + L before closing the lid to ensure security.
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Disabling the lock screen
Using the Group Policy Editor:
- Press the "WIN+R" key combination to launch the RUN dialog box.
- Type "gpedit.msc" and press Enter. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor.
- Navigate to "Computer Configuration" > "Administrative Templates" > "Control Panel" > "Personalization".
- In the right-side pane, double-click on "Do not display the lock screen" and set its value to "Enabled".
Using the Registry Editor:
- Press the "WIN+R" key combination to launch the RUN dialog box.
- Type "regedit" and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
- Navigate to the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization" key. If the "Personalization" key does not exist, you will need to create it manually.
- In the right-side pane, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named "NoLockScreen".
- Double-click on "NoLockScreen", set its value to "1", and then click "OK".
- Close the Registry Editor, and you may need to log off or restart your Windows device for the changes to take effect.
Using a Pre-made Script:
If you do not want to manually edit the registry, you can download a ready-made registry script to automate the process. Here are the steps:
- Download the ZIP file containing the registry script from a reliable source, such as the one suggested by AskVG.com.
- Extract the contents of the ZIP file to a location of your choice.
- Run the extracted ".reg" file, which will make the necessary changes to the registry to disable the lock screen.
Using Windows Settings:
An alternative method is to disable the lock screen through Windows Settings:
- Go to "Control Panel" and then select "Personalization".
- Navigate to "Screensaver" settings and uncheck the box that says "On Resume, Display Lock Screen".
- Additionally, ensure that the "Require a password on wakeup" option is unchecked in the Power Options.
Please note that some methods may not work on certain editions of Windows 8, such as the Home edition, which does not include the Group Policy Editor. Always ensure that you are downloading files from trusted sources to avoid potential security risks.
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Using a third-party app to lock Windows 8 PC
While there are some workarounds to locking a Windows 8 PC without putting it to sleep, such as changing the power settings, these methods are not always effective and may not be secure.
One way to ensure your Windows 8 PC locks without sleeping is to use a third-party application. Here are some options:
PowerToys Awake
This is a free, open-source tool provided by Microsoft. PowerToys Awake keeps your computer awake without modifying any power plan settings. It does this by spawning background threads that tell Windows they require a specific state of the machine. Once PowerToys Awake exits, the threads are terminated, and your computer will resume its standard power plan behaviour. PowerToys Awake can be used directly from the PowerToys Settings or as a standalone executable.
Screen Off by Sanjeev Charla
Available at CNET, Screen Off is a simple 16kb .exe file that turns your screen blank. However, it is unclear if this is a true 'off' state or a black screensaver. CNET also has audio ads that play unexpectedly, which may be a downside for some users.
ScreenOff 1.1 by Paras Sidhu and The Windows Club
This is another option, available from The Windows Club or Softpedia. It is a 70kb .exe file that turns off the screen using a "SendMessage Visual Basic command". However, the reliability of these sites for malware checking is unknown.
LidLock and LapLock
These are third-party applications designed to lock your computer when you close the lid. While LidLock has a user interface, LapLock is a more lightweight option that does not.
While these third-party applications can help you lock your Windows 8 PC without putting it to sleep, always exercise caution when downloading software from third-party websites. Ensure you download from reputable sources and be mindful of any potential security risks.
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Frequently asked questions
Go to the Power Options settings page and change the lid close action to sleep. Then, under 'Choose what closing the lid does', select 'Do nothing for When I close the lid' option. Now, go to Change Screen Saver, and select 'Wait: 1 minute' and check 'On resume, display logon screen'. After closing your lid, for one minute, nothing will happen, then it will lock.
Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Tools -> Control Panel -> Personalization in the left pane of the window. Then, double click (or tap) on 'Do not display the lock screen'.
You can manually lock your laptop via Win + L every time before closing the lid.
Yes, you can write an app/powershell script for this task, but this may not be suitable for non-programmers.
Open the Control Panel and click on 'User Account'. Then, click on 'Make changes to my account in PC settings'. Change the setting 'Require password after the display has been off for:' to 'Always require a password'.
