How to Change Screen Lock Timeout in Windows 10

You may want to change the lock screen timeout setting because it is too long or too short for Windows to lock the screen when the computer is idle. Windows automatically locks the computer screen after a certain amount of time has passed and it will display a screensaver or just turn off the display. This is a good feature to protect your computer.

• Ways to shut down Windows 10 computer
• 4 ways to lock Windows 10 computer super fast

Methods to change Windows 10 lock screen timeout

• What is lock screen timeout?
• How to change or disable lock screen timeout
  • Method 1: Increase Screen Lock Timeout from Windows Settings
  • Method 2: Change lock screen timeout settings from Control Panel
  • Method 3: Using Registry
  • Method 4: Change lock screen timeout using Command Prompt
  • Method 5: Change Windows 10 Lock Screen Timeout Using PowerShell

What is lock screen timeout?

In Windows 10, the lock screen has become quite advanced and much more useful. It shows the current date and time, all available local users, and even gives you the option to use Cortana and many other Windows utilities. You can also choose to restart or shut down your device right from the lock screen.

With more functionality, many people are looking for ways to extend the lock screen display when the computer is idle. This screen can be used to access Cortana, display the time and date with a beautiful wallpaper, or simply add some atmosphere instead of displaying a black screen.

To achieve this, you need to configure the lock screen timeout. That way, you can give Windows 10 instructions not to turn off the screen. The screen will still be visible even if the device is on the lock screen and has not received any input for a long period of time.

In the past, computer screensavers were used to prevent CRT monitors from burning, but today they are a security feature. For example, if a computer is not used for a few hours, someone can access files, passwords if the computer is not locked or turned off. But if the screen lock timeout is set correctly, the screen will automatically turn off after a few minutes of inactivity, and if someone tries to access it, Windows will ask for a login password.

The only problem with this security feature is that sometimes the lock screen timeout is set to a short time, which means that the computer will lock the screen after being inactive for that amount of time. This setting can be annoying for many people because their computer will lock frequently and they will have to enter the password to use it, which is a waste of time. To prevent this from happening, you need to increase the lock screen timeout setting in Windows 10 .

Note: Be sure to create a restore point in case anything goes wrong.

How to change or disable lock screen timeout

There are multiple ways to change or disable the lock screen timeout in Windows 10. All of these steps are easy to follow, but some of them require more time than others. Go with whichever method you feel is best. You can always come back to Quantrimang ’s article and try a different option in the future.

Tip: All these methods can be performed by any user, as the instructions are easy to follow and do not require any previous experience using Windows 10.

Now, let's start learning about how to disable or modify the lock screen timeout on Windows 10 operating system.

Method 1: Increase Screen Lock Timeout from Windows Settings

Step 1: Press Windows key + I to open Settings , then click Personalization .

Step 2: From the left menu select Lock Screen.

Step 3 : Now scroll down until you find Screen timeout settings and select it.

Step 4: Set the time setting in Screen to a higher value if you want to avoid turning off the screen frequently.

Step 5: If you want to disable this setting completely, select Never from the drop-down menu.

Step 6: Also, make sure that the Sleep time is set higher than the screen off time otherwise the computer will “go to sleep” and the screen will not lock.

Step 7: It is best to disable Sleep mode or set the time to at least 30 minutes or more.

Step 8: Restart your computer to save changes.

Method 2: Change lock screen timeout settings from Control Panel

Note: This is just an alternative method to the above method, if you have followed the above method then skip this step.

Step 1: Press Windows key + X and select Control Panel.

Step 2: Click System and Security , then click Power Options.

Step 3: Click Change plan settings next to the active Power plan .

Step 4: Set the settings the same as the above method.

Step 5: Make sure to set the settings for both batteries and when plugged into an electrical outlet.

Method 3: Using Registry

Step 1: Press Windows key + R then type regedit and press Enter to open Registry Editor .

Step 2: Follow the following path in the Registry:

HKEYLOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc99\8EC4B3A5-6868-48c2-BE75-4F3044BE88A7

Step 3: On the right window double-click Attributes DWORD.

Step 4: If you can't find it then you need to create a DWORD, right-click on the empty area in the right window and select New > DWORD (32-bit) .

Step 5: Name it Attributes and double click on it.

Step 6: Now change the value from 1 to 2 and press OK .

Step 7: Restart your computer to save changes.

Step 8: Right-click on the Power icon in the system tray and select Power Options.

Step 9: Click Change plan settings .

Step 10: Then click Change advanced power settings.

Step 11: Scroll down until you see Display , then click on it to expand the settings.

Step 12: Double click on Console lock display off timeout and then change the value from 1 minute to the time you want.

Step 13: Click Apply and OK .

Step 14: Restart your computer to save changes.

Method 4: Change Screen Timeout Using Command Prompt

Step 1: Press Windows key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin).

Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter :

powercfg.exe /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOCONLOCK 60
powercfg.exe /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOCONLOCK 60

Note: You must replace "60" in the above command with the desired screen timeout (in seconds), for example if you want 5 minutes and set it to 300 seconds.

Step 3: Then, type the following command and press Enter :

powercfg.exe /SETACTIVE SCHEME_CURRENT

Step 4. Restart your computer to save changes.

Method 5: Change Windows 10 Lock Screen Timeout Using PowerShell

If you think the Registry editing process is too complicated or lengthy, then you can try using the Power Options utility “PowerCFG.exe” to change the lock screen timeout on Windows 10. To use the PowerCFG.exe utility, you will need to use Windows PowerShell . Here are the steps to do that:

Step 1 : Right-click on the Start menu and select the Windows PowerShell (Admin) option from the menu that appears.

Step 2 : Type the following commands into the command prompt in PowerShell and remember to enter the real time in seconds in the place as shown in the image. Also, press Enter after finishing each command.

powercfg.exe /setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOCONLOCK 

powercfg.exe /setactive SCHEME_CURRENT

VIDEOCONLOCK is the amount of inactivity before the PC screen locks. Changing it will change the lock screen timeout.

Good luck!