Windows 10 has a new feature called Dynamic Lock that automatically locks your device while you are away. But not all devices are equipped for a paired device that you can carry all the time. For those not capable of using Dynamic Lock, setting it up automatically Lock your Windows 10 computer through Group Policy is a good way to go.
Open Group Policy Editor, head over to the following location:
Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options
Double-click the policy called Interactive logon: Machine inactivity limit on the right, and put in the number of seconds of inactivity before locking the machine down.
Obviously, this only works on Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise edition. For other edition, you can use the registry trick instead.
Open Registry Editor, go to the following registry key:
HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesSystem
And add a new DWORD (32-bit) Value called InactivityTimeoutSecs, then set the number of seconds of inactivity as its value.
Unfortunately, the policy or the registry key is new only in Windows 10. For Windows 7 computers, the old-school trick by using the screensaver still works flawlessly.
Open Group Policy Editor, go to the following location:
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization
Then set up for following policies accordingly:
- Turn on Enable screen saver
- Enable Password protect the screen saver
- Set the Screen saver timeout
