How to Turn On or Off Dynamic Lock in Windows 11

Bashkarla

2 years ago

Dynamic Lock will automatically lock Windows 11 when you are away. Here is how to turn on or off Dynamic Lock in Windows 11.

In Windows 11, you can lock the PC in multiple ways. This allows you to ensure that no one uses your computer without authorization. If you are worried about data safety and integrity, locking the PC while not actively using it is pretty useful.

If needed, Windows lets you configure it so that the PC locks itself if it is inactive for a set time. As you can guess, this is useful when you are going away from the PC and forget to lock it.

Though useful, it takes time to lock the PC. The time to auto-lock depends on how you configured the computer. In that time, anyone can use your computer. Another drawback of this feature is that the timer resets if the PC becomes active for some reason. If you are wondering, moving your mouse or pressing a key on your keyboard is considered actively using the PC.

Microsoft introduced a new feature way back in Windows 10 called Dynamic Lock to deal with those drawbacks.

In this quick and easy post, let me show you how to turn on or off Dynamic Lock in Windows 11.

Table of contents:

What is Dynamic Lock?
Turn On or Off Dynamic Lock in Settings
Turn On or Off Dynamic Lock from Registry
Dynamic Lock is not working (troubleshoot)

What is Dynamic Lock?

Dynamic Lock is a simple yet valuable feature that locks your PC automatically when you move away from your PC.

So, how does the Dynamic Lock know when you move away from your PC?

Well, it is simple. When you turn on Dynamic Lock, it will use your Bluetooth paired phone to know if you are near your computer. If you move away from the computer with your phone, the Bluetooth connection between your phone and computer will get weaker and disconnected. When that happens, Dynamic Lock will trigger and lock the PC instantly.

Important note: Before proceeding, make sure to pair your phone to your Windows 11 computer via Bluetooth. Otherwise, you will not be able to use the Dynamic Lock feature.

Turn On or Off Dynamic Lock in Settings

You can turn on or off the Dynamic Lock from the Settings app. All it takes is selecting a checkbox, and you are good to go. Let me show you how.

Use the “Win + I” shortcut to open Settings.
Click on the “Accounts” option.
Go to the “Sign-in options” page.
Expand the “Dynamic Lock” option.
Select the “Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away” checkbox to turn on Dynamic Lock.
To turn off, uncheck the “Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away” option.
With that, the Dynamic Lock feature is turned on.

Same steps with screenshots and a bit more detail:

The first thing to do is open the Settings app. You can click “Settings” in the Start menu or use the “Windows key + I” shortcut to open Settings in Windows 11.

After opening it, choose the “Accounts” option on the sidebar. This page is where you can manage, create, and delete user accounts and other settings.

Click on the “Sign-in options” option on the Accounts page. This page contains all the authentication options for your user account.

Now, expand the “Dynamic Lock” option and do the following:

Turn on Dynamic Lock: Select the “Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away” checkbox.
Turn off Dynamic Lock: Uncheck the “Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away” checkbox.

When the feature is turned on, you should see your phone name under the “Dynamic Lock” option. If you see an error or warning message, follow the troubleshooting guide below.

That is all. It is that simple to turn on or off Dynamic Lock in Windows 11 Settings app.

Turn On or Off Dynamic Lock from Registry

You can turn on or off Dynamic Lock in Windows 11 via the Registry, as with most things. You need to create a new value and modify it accordingly. Here is how to do it.

Important note: Before making changes, back up the Registry to be safe.

Press the Start key on your keyboard.
Search and open “Registry Editor.”
Paste “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon” in the address bar.
Press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Right-click on the “Winlogon” folder.
Choose “New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.”
Name the new value “EnableGoodbye.”
Double-click on the newly created value.
Set its Value Data a following:
- Turn on Dynamic Lock: 1
- Turn off Dynamic Lock: 0
Click the “Ok” button.
Close the Registry Editor.
Reboot the computer.

With that, the Dynamic Lock feature is turned on or off depending on the Value Data you set in step 9.

Troubleshoot: Dynamic Lock is not working

When you turn on Dynamic Lock, you might sometimes see the “Dynamic Lock is not working because your PC has no paired phone. Go to Bluetooth & other devices to pair a phone.” error message at the top.

As you can tell from the error message, your phone is not yet paired with your Windows 11 computer. To fix the Dynamic Lock is not working error, you need to pair your phone with Windows 11. Here is how to do it.

First, turn on Bluetooth in your phone and make sure it is visible to other devices.

Use the “Start key + I” to open the Settings app. Select the “Bluetooth & devices” option on the sidebar. Next, click on the “Add Device” option at the top.

Choose the “Bluetooth” option in the configuration wizard.

You will see your phone appear in the “Add a device” window. Click on it.

You will get a pair notification on your phone. Verify the code and tap the “Pair” button on your phone. Next, click the “Connect” button in Windows 11.