How to Clear Automatic Lock Screen Settings in Windows 11

How to Stop 🪟 Windows 11 from Locking Automatically

The first change is the sign-in requirement, which decides whether Windows asks for your password after you have been away. It applies to waking from sleep. It is a good first step because many “random” lock-outs are really a sleep-and-wake password prompt. These steps change the Windows 11 automatic lock settings so Windows no longer asks you to sign in again after you return.

1. Press Win+I to open Settings. You should see the Settings⚙️ window with a list of categories on the left.
2. Select Accounts in the left-hand menu. The account options open on the right.
3. Click Sign-in options. The page lists your sign-in methods (PIN, password, and so on) and a section of additional settings.
4. Find If you’ve been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again? It sits near the top of the page, above the list of sign-in methods.
5. Change the drop-down menu to Never. The change applies immediately, and there is no Save button.

If this setting is missing, your device may not offer it. Some devices, such as those managed by an organization, hide or lock the option. To undo the change, return to the same drop-down and pick one of the other options, such as When PC wakes up from sleep. No restart is needed either way.

Adjust Sign-In Requirements

This section covers a second sign-in setting, which controls how Windows treats Windows Hello on your account. Be clear about what it does. It affects which sign-in methods are offered, and it does not by itself set an idle timeout. The idle lock is controlled by the screen saver and power settings later in this guide. The steps below change that Windows Hello restriction.

1. Open Settings. Press Win+I if you closed it.
2. Go to Accounts › Sign-in options. The same page as the previous section appears.
3. Scroll down to Additional settings. You should see a short list of toggles.
4. Find For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device. Read the label closely, as several toggles sit close together.
5. Switch the toggle to Off if you want a regular password as well as Windows Hello. Windows Hello means a PIN, fingerprint, or face on routine wake-ups.

Alternatively, leave the toggle on and make sure the idle timeout is disabled, as described in the following sections. The toggle changes immediately, and you can switch it back On at any time. If the option is not on your page, it generally does not apply to your device or account type, so skip this section.

Disable Dynamic Lock

Dynamic Lock locks your PC when your paired phone moves out of Bluetooth range. If your PC locks whenever you walk off with your phone, this is the likely cause. It only works when a phone is paired over Bluetooth, so check that first. The steps below stop Dynamic Lock from locking the PC.

1. Open Settings. The main category list appears.
2. Select Bluetooth🔷 & devices in the left sidebar. Your paired devices are listed on the right.
3. Confirm your phone is paired, then return to the main Settings menu. If no phone is paired, Dynamic Lock cannot trigger, and the option may be unavailable in the next steps.
4. Click Accounts and select Sign-in options. The sign-in page opens.
5. Scroll down to Dynamic lock. Expand the section if it is collapsed.
6. Clear the checkbox next to Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away. The box should now be empty.

Disable Screen Saver

The screen saver is the oldest of the automatic lock triggers, and it is easy to miss because it is no longer in the main Settings app. If a screen saver is set and its resume option is ticked, Windows shows the sign-in screen when you wake the display. The steps below switch it off in the classic Screen Saver Settings window, which you open from the Run dialog.

1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog box. A small box appears at the bottom left of the screen.
2. Type control desk.cpl,,@screensaver and press Enter. The Screen Saver Settings window opens.
3. Open the drop-down menu under Screen saver. Choose None.
4. Uncheck On resume, display logon screen. If you pick None first, this box may be greyed out, because it only applies to an active screen saver. In that case you can leave it as it is.
5. Click Apply. The settings⚙️ are saved.
6. Click OK. The window closes.

No restart is needed. To undo this, open the window again, choose a screen saver, and set the wait time.

Change Power Settings

Power settings decide how long the display stays on and when the PC goes to sleep. When the PC sleeps, the sign-in requirement from the first section decides whether you must sign in again. Lengthening these timeouts keeps the PC awake longer while you are away or watching a video.

1. Open Settings. The category list appears on the left.
2. Select System. The system options open on the right.
3. Click Power & battery. The power page opens.
4. Expand Screen and sleep. On some builds it is named slightly differently, for example Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts.
5. Set the time intervals for battery and plugged-in states. Choose the duration you want, or select Never to stop the display and the PC from sleeping automatically.

Change Presence Sense Settings

Some newer laptops and monitors have a sensor that detects whether you are sitting in front of the screen. When it is on, the PC can lock when you leave and wake when you return. This section only matters on supported hardware. If you do not see the page, your device does not have the sensor, so you can skip it.

1. Open Settings. The category list appears on the left.
2. Select Privacy & security in the left menu. The privacy options open on the right.
3. Click Human presence sensing if your device supports it. The name may differ slightly on some builds, for example Presence sensing.
4. Toggle off Lock on leave and Wake on approach. The exact wording of the toggles can vary by device and build.

You can switch the toggles back on at any time.

Using Registry Editor to Completely Remove the Lock Screen

This section and the next one go beyond stopping the inactivity lock. They remove the lock screen itself, which is the picture-and-clock screen you dismiss before you reach the sign-in box. You will still have to sign in unless automatic sign-in is configured elsewhere. This method works on Windows 11 Home as well, because it edits the registry directly. It does so by adding a specific registry key, and you open Registry Editor from the Run dialog with administrator permission.

Editing the registry incorrectly can cause system instability. Back up your registry before making changes. In Registry Editor, choose File › Export and save a copy of the registry to a safe location. The steps below hide the lock screen through the registry.

1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog. The Run box appears.
2. Type regedit and press Enter. Registry Editor starts opening.
3. Click Yes at the User Account Control prompt. This grants administrator permission, and Registry Editor then opens.
4. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization using the left sidebar. Expand each folder in turn until you reach the last one.
5. Create the missing key if needed. If the Personalization key does not exist, right-click the Windows key, select New, click Key, and name it Personalization.
6. Right-click an empty space in the right pane and select New. A short menu opens.
7. Click DWORD (32-bit) Value. A new value appears in the right pane with its name ready to edit.
8. Name the new value NoLockScreen. Press Enter to confirm the name.
9. Double-click NoLockScreen and change its value data from 0 to 1. The edit window opens when you double-click.
10. Click OK. The new value data now shows in the right pane.
11. Restart your🔄 computer. The change applies after the restart.

To undo it, return to the same value and set it back to 0, or delete the value, then restart.

Using Group Policy Editor for Pro and Enterprise Editions

If you run Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, the Local Group Policy Editor gives you the same result as the registry change without editing the registry yourself. Windows 11 Home does not include this editor, so Home users should use the registry method above. As with the registry method, this removes the lock screen display, not the sign-in step.

1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog. The Run box appears.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter. The Local Group Policy Editor opens. If Windows reports that it cannot find the file, you are on Home edition.
3. Open Computer Configuration › Administrative Templates › Control Panel🎛️ › Personalization. Expand each folder in the left pane, then click Personalization. Its policies are listed on the right.
4. Double-click Do not display the lock screen in the right-hand pane. Its settings window opens.
5. Select Enabled in the policy window. The option button fills in.
6. Click Apply. The policy is saved.
7. Click OK. The policy window closes.
8. Restart your🔄 PC. The restart enforces the policy.

To undo it, open the same policy, choose Not Configured, click Apply and OK, and restart.

What to do next

With your automatic lock screen settings cleared, your computer stays accessible during your work sessions without unwanted interruptions. If it still locks, check each trigger again: the sign-in requirement, Dynamic Lock, the screen saver, the power timeouts, and presence sensing. Any one of them can lock the PC on its own. From here you can fine-tune your power and sleep profiles or your display arrangements to match how you work.