How to let your Windows 11 PC lock itself when you leave and far away

Check if Your PC Has Presence Sensing

Check whether your computer supports this feature by opening the relevant settings menu.

How to Find Presence Sensing Settings:

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type “settings” and open the Settings app.
3. In Settings, click System on the left side.
4. Under System, click Power & battery.
5. Look for a section named Screen and sleep.

Windows 11 presence sensing settings live inside the main Settings app ⚙️ under your power options. You need to open your system settings, choose power controls, and look for display controls to see if your computer supports this feature. Not all hardware has the right sensors built in, so you might not see these options on every PC.

Set Your PC to Turn Off the Screen When You Leave

Blanking your display when you step away keeps your screen secure in shared workspaces.

How to Turn On Screen-Off When You Leave:

1. Go to Power & battery > Screen and sleep settings (like in Step 1).
2. Find the option “Automatically turn off my screen when I leave.”
3. Turn the switch On.

Windows 11 presence sensing lets your computer lock itself automatically the moment you walk away. To turn this on, head into your power settings, find the screen controls, and switch on the option that blanks your display when you step out of range. This keeps your private work safe without making you press shortcut keys every time.

Decide How Far Away Means "Gone"

Set Your Preferred Walking-Away Distance

Adjusting the "Gone" Distance:

1. In the Screen and sleep settings, find "Automatically turn off my screen when I leave."
2. Click the More options button next to it.
3. You will see a setting called "Consider me gone when I’m this far away."
4. Choose a distance from the list. Options usually include "Near," "Mid-range," and "Far."

Windows 11 presence sensing distance lets you control how far away you need to walk before your screen locks. You can open the extra options in your power settings to change this distance from a short range to a farther reach. This stops your display from going dark too early if you just lean back in your chair.

Set a Delay for Screen-Off

Windows 11 presence sensing delay gives you a short grace period before your screen actually shuts off after you walk away. You can change this timer in the extra options menu to make your display turn off instantly or wait a few seconds. This prevents the screen from going blank if you only step away for a quick second.

Within that same "More options" menu, under "Automatically turn off my screen when I leave," locate "Then, turn off my screen after this amount of time."

Select a preferred duration from the list.

Use Case: Brief interruptions require a longer delay to prevent constant screen blanking. Choosing a shorter duration works best for immediate privacy upon departure.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/managing-presence-sensing-settings-in-windows-11-82285c93-440c-4e15-9081-c9e38c1290bb

Summary

Presence sensing automates power management and security by blanking the display during absences, and configuring these options requires navigating to Settings › System › Power & battery › Screen and sleep.