Those who work in offices shared with other people, piled up in large rooms and open-space, side by side with colleagues, know when it can be harmful to privacy or their work if someone approaches our position and starts to snoop. In these situations, for haste or for any other reason, it can happen to forget to lock the Windows screen leaving the workstation unattended.
What can we do to lock the PC completely automatically, without having to manually lock every time when we leave the computer "> Lock the Windows PC with password, even automatically
1) Dynamic blocking of Windows 10
With the Dynamic Lock feature built into Windows 10 we can use Bluetooth to automatically manage the Windows lock system, without having to remember to activate and unlock it every time.
To activate it we must first of all have a module for Bluetooth connectivity installed on the PC: in the case of a laptop this module should be integrated, while on fixed PCs it may not be present.
To remedy this, we can install a small USB Bluetooth adapter on our computer, such as the one available here -> Asus USB-BT400 (€ 12).
It is self-installing, so all we have to do is place it in a USB port in order to integrate the Bluetooth connection on computers without it.
After connecting this device, we click on the bottom right corner of the notification area icon and press the Bluetooth button to activate it.
Now we access the Bluetooth settings by right clicking on the same icon and selecting the item Go to Settings .
A new window will open in which we will be shown all the options for managing Bluetooth connections; to be able to pair the phone with our PC, turn on Bluetooth on it, then click on Add Bluetooth or other device in the previous window, then click on Bluetooth to start the search for our phone.
As soon as the phone appears in the window, click on it to add it to your computer's Bluetooth devices.
After this phase we can finally configure the dynamic lock on Windows 10: open the Settings app by looking for it in the Windows 10 Start menu, then go to the Account menu -> Access options .
Scroll down the page until you find the Dynamic lock section, in which activate the item Allow Windows to automatically lock the device when you are not there .
Immediately after activation, an icon of the PC connected to the phone will appear, a sign that the dynamic lock is active.
From now on, every time we walk away from the PC for more than 1 minute, Windows will automatically enter lock mode, thus preventing anyone from using it without our knowledge.
We remind you that Bluetooth has a range of about 20 meters, so we will have to exit this field to trigger the dynamic lock on the computer: at a shorter distance the computer will remain unlocked, since the phone will still be reachable from Windows.
Add to this that, between the removal of our phone and the actual block, a minute passes, more than enough for some curious colleague to intrude into the PC, preventing the appearance of the block.
If we really can't remember to lock it by hand (the best solution in any case), we make sure to remain within sight of our position within 20 meters from it, so that we can see some interference before leaving permanently.
To learn more about the USB adapters used to add the Bluetooth connection to Windows, we invite you to read our dedicated guide below.
READ ALSO -> Add Bluetooth to your PC with an adapter
2) Programs to lock the PC with the smartphone
In addition to the integrated mode in Windows 10 we can lock the computer automatically using one of the recommended programs below.
These programs are very useful for replicating Dynamic Block on PCs without this functionality, such as computers with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.
All recommended programs work via Bluetooth, so make sure that this type of connection is available before continuing.
Blue Lock is very simple to use and configure on any type of PC, since the program is portable and does not require installation so it can be copied to a USB stick.
After activating Bluetooth on your computer, the program in question searches for all active devices along its range.
By turning on the Bluetooth connection on your mobile phone, you can recognize the mobile phone by the set name and select it.
At this point, the program, which works in the background, locks the PC automatically when it loses the bluetooth signal of the chosen device.
You can also set a time within which to start working or, by setting a very short time (10-15 seconds), block it immediately when you move away with your cell phone in your pocket or during a phone call.
In the latter case, you must be careful because the PC is unlocked by entering the password but, if the phone does not have bluetooth active, it locks immediately, without leaving time to close the program.
We therefore recommend having at least one minute of timeout, so as not to have problems when we unlock the PC on our return.
If we are having difficulty installing Bluetooth adapters on our PC, we can read our guide to installing the default Windows drivers, so as to brilliantly solve every problem.
If you want to amaze colleagues with special effects related to Bluetooth, we recommend you read our guide on how to use a computer from a mobile phone .
