How to Change Screen Saver Grace Period to Require Sign-in in Windows 11

This tutorial shows you how to change the screen saver grace period in Windows 10 and Windows 11. You can set how many seconds you want before password protection kicks in.

Why Change the Screen Saver Grace Period?

When you set up a screen saver in Windows, it starts after your computer sits idle for a certain amount of time. You can turn on “On resume, display logon screen” to require a password when you wake it up.

However, there’s a built-in delay. By default, Windows waits 5 seconds after the screen saver locks your computer before it requires a password. This is called the grace period. During these 5 seconds, you can move your mouse, touch the screen, or press a key to unlock your computer without signing in.

This grace period exists to prevent annoyance. For example, you might be reading something on your screen without typing. The screen saver kicks in because you haven’t been active. But you want to continue working right away without entering your password.

What Happens When You Change It?

You can change the grace period to any number of seconds you want. Setting it to 0 seconds means your computer requires a password immediately when the screen saver starts. This increases security. Setting it higher gives you more time to resume work without signing in.

How to Change the Screen Saver Grace Period

Note: You must be signed in as an administrator to make these changes.

1. Open Registry Editor by typing regedit.exe in your search bar and pressing Enter.
2. In the left pane, navigate to this location:
   

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

3. In the right pane, look for an entry called ScreenSaverGracePeriod. If it doesn’t exist, you need to create it:
   • Right-click on an empty area in the right pane.
   • Select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
   • Type ScreenSaverGracePeriod as the name.
   • Press Enter to create it.
4. ⚠️ Admin privileges required: Double-click the ScreenSaverGracePeriod entry to open it.
   
   
   
   • Make sure Decimal is selected at the bottom.
   
   
   • Enter a number between 0 and 2147483. This is how many seconds the grace period will last.
   
   
   • Use 0 for immediate password protection with no delay.
   
   
   • Click OK to save.
   
   

5. Close Registry Editor. You’re done!

Summary

The screen saver grace period is the delay between when your screen saver locks and when it requires a password. By default, it’s 5 seconds. You can change it by editing the Windows Registry. Open Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon, and modify or create the ScreenSaverGracePeriod entry. Enter any number between 0 and 2147483 seconds. A value of 0 means you need a password immediately when the screen saver starts, which is more secure.