How to Set the Lock Screen on Windows 11 or 10

To set the lock screen on Windows 11, go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and choose Windows spotlight, Picture or Slideshow under Personalize your lock screen. To make the lock screen ask for a password, add a PIN or password under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options, then press Windows key + L to lock your PC. The same Lock screen page lets you add widgets like weather and choose whether the sign-in screen uses the same picture.

This guide covers Windows 11 Home and Pro, with a short section for Windows 10. It shows how to change the lock screen background, manage widgets and notifications, protect the lock screen with a PIN or password, lock your PC in several ways, make it lock automatically, and fix a lock screen you can’t change.

Lock Screen vs. Sign-In Screen

People use “lock screen” for two different things, so it helps to know which one you want to set:

• The lock screen is the full-screen picture with the time, date, widgets and notifications. You see it when you start the PC, lock it, or wake it from sleep.
• The sign-in screen comes next, after you press a key, click, or swipe up. This is where you enter your PIN or password, or look at the camera for Windows Hello.

Changing the picture is a personalization setting. Making the PC ask for a PIN or password is an account setting. Both are covered below.

How to Change the Lock Screen Background

These steps follow Microsoft’s Customize the Lock Screen guide.

1. Select Start > Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. You can also right-click the desktop, select Personalize, then Lock screen. The Lock screen settings open with a preview at the top.
2. Open the Personalize your lock screen menu to see three options.

3. Pick one: Windows spotlight shows a rotating set of images from Microsoft, with tips and notifications. Picture uses a single image; choose a recent picture or select Browse photos to use your own. Slideshow rotates through pictures in one or more folders on your PC. The preview at the top updates right away.
4. Press Windows key + L to lock the PC and see the new background. Press any key or click to go to the sign-in screen and sign back in.

There is no Save button. Windows applies your choice as soon as you make it.

Which background type should you pick?

Option	Best for	Keep in mind
Windows spotlight	A new photo without any effort	Needs an internet connection to get new images, and adds Microsoft tips
Picture	One photo you always want to see	Use an image the same shape as your screen so it isn’t cropped
Slideshow	Family photos or a folder of wallpapers	Pictures come only from folders you add

Set up a slideshow

When you choose Slideshow, Windows shows the folders it will use, usually starting with your Pictures folder. Select Browse to add another folder, and select Remove next to a folder you don’t want in the rotation. Microsoft notes that you can add several folders and adjust the slideshow settings on the same page. Put only the photos you’re happy for anyone near your PC to see in those folders, because the slideshow runs before anyone signs in.

Extra background options

Depending on the option you choose and your Windows version, a few more switches appear on the same page:

• Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen adds Microsoft content on top of your picture.
• Make the lock screen image react when I move my PC adds a slight motion effect on devices with the right sensors.
• Show the lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen uses the same picture when you sign in. Turn it off for a plain sign-in background.

If you use Windows spotlight and want to remove the “Learn about this picture” icon, here’s how to get rid of “Learn about this picture”. The lock screen picture is separate from your wallpaper; to change that too, here’s how to change the desktop background in Windows 11.

Customize Lock Screen Widgets

Lock screen widgets show things like the weather without unlocking your PC. According to Microsoft:

1. Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and find Widgets. The widgets on your lock screen are listed in order.
2. Drag a widget up or down to change where it appears on the lock screen.
3. Select the more options button next to a widget to remove or customize it, or select Add widget to add another. Only small-size widgets can go on the lock screen. The taskbar weather is a separate setting; here’s how to show or hide Widgets and weather on the taskbar.
4. To hide all widgets, turn Widgets off.

Widgets may use your estimated location, from Windows Location or your internet IP address, to show local information. Older versions of Windows 11 call this section Lock screen status and show one app’s details instead. For widgets on your taskbar, here’s how to add widgets in Windows 11.

To remove the news stream from the Widgets board as well, turn off the news feed in Windows 11.

Hide Private Notifications on the Lock Screen

Notifications can appear on the lock screen, which means anyone walking past may see a message preview. Microsoft’s notifications guide shows how to control this per app:

1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Notifications.
2. Under Notifications from apps and other senders, select an app such as Mail or Teams.
3. Turn on Hide content when notifications are on lock screen. The notification still appears, but without the message text.

To stop an app’s notifications completely, turn off its switch on the same list.

Add a PIN or Password So the Lock Screen Protects Your PC

A lock screen only keeps people out if your account needs a PIN, password or Windows Hello sign-in to get past it. Without one, anyone can press a key and reach your desktop.

Set up a PIN or Windows Hello

Microsoft’s Windows Hello guide lists these steps:

1. Open Settings and select Accounts > Sign-in options.
2. Under Ways to sign in, select PIN (Windows Hello), Facial recognition (Windows Hello) or Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello).
3. Select Set up and follow the prompts. For a PIN, you confirm your account password first, then type the new PIN twice.

Facial recognition needs a Windows Hello compatible infrared camera, and fingerprint sign-in needs a fingerprint reader. A PIN works on any PC. A PIN is tied to the one device where you set it up, so someone who learns it can’t use it to sign in to your Microsoft account from another computer.

Change your password

Microsoft’s password help page says to go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options, select Password, then Change, and follow the directions. If you sign in with a Microsoft account, the change applies to that account everywhere you use it. For a full walkthrough, here’s how to change your password on Windows 11 or change your PIN on Windows 11.

Tips for a sign-in that actually protects you:

• Use a PIN of at least six digits, or turn on letters and symbols when you create it.
• Use a password of 12 or more characters that you don’t use on any other site.
• Keep a password even if you mostly use your face or fingerprint. Windows falls back to your PIN or password when the camera or reader can’t recognize you.

How to Lock Your PC

Microsoft’s user account access page lists these ways to lock Windows 11. Locking keeps your apps and files open, so nothing is lost while you’re away.

• Windows key + L locks immediately. This is the fastest method.
• Start menu: select Start, select the power icon, then select Lock. In earlier versions of Windows 11, Lock was under the account menu instead, which opens when you select your profile picture or name.

• Ctrl + Alt + Delete, then select Lock. Use this if the Start menu isn’t responding or your keyboard has no Windows key.
• Dynamic lock locks the PC for you when you walk away with your phone, as described below.

If you lock the PC often, you can make a desktop shortcut. Right-click the desktop, select New > Shortcut, enter rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation as the location, select Next, name it Lock, and select Finish. Double-click it to lock the PC. The command calls LockWorkStation, a built-in Windows function that locks the session.

If you share the PC, locking also lets someone else sign in without closing your apps. Here’s how to switch users in Windows 11.

Make Windows 11 Lock Automatically

Dynamic lock with your phone

Microsoft’s sign-in options page explains that Dynamic lock uses Bluetooth to pair with your phone and locks the PC when the signal drops, meaning you’ve moved away. Pair your phone with the PC first, then go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and turn on Dynamic lock. Windows locks within about a minute after you’re out of Bluetooth range. If it doesn’t work, check that Bluetooth is on and the phone still shows as paired under Settings > Bluetooth & devices.

Require sign-in after sleep

Under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options, find If you’ve been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again? and choose When PC wakes up from sleep. Then set how soon the PC sleeps under Settings > System > Power & battery (just Power on desktops without a battery). On a laptop, closing the lid usually puts it to sleep, so opening it brings up the lock screen. If this option is greyed out, a work or school policy controls it.

Screen timeout and screen saver

A good rule is to have the screen lock after 15 minutes or less of inactivity, with a password or PIN needed to unlock it. Microsoft’s screen saver guide shows how:

1. Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and select Screen saver under Related settings.
2. In the Screen Saver Settings window, choose a screen saver and set Wait to the number of minutes.
3. Check On resume, display logon screen, then select OK. Without this box checked, anyone can dismiss the screen saver without a PIN or password.

For more detail, here’s how to change the screen saver in Windows 11 and change the screen timeout in Windows 11.

Lock a lost PC from another device

If your PC is lost or stolen, Microsoft’s Find my device page explains how to lock it remotely. This only works if Find my device was turned on before the PC went missing.

1. Go to account.microsoft.com/devices in a browser and sign in with the Microsoft account used on that PC.
2. Open Find my device and choose the PC.
3. Select Lock, then Next.
4. Type a message for whoever finds it, and select Lock.

Microsoft then suggests resetting your password.

If You Can’t Change the Lock Screen

• Work or school PC: your organization may control the lock screen picture, widgets or sign-in rules. Ask your IT team.
• Windows isn’t activated: personalization settings, including the lock screen, are unavailable until Windows is activated.
• Spotlight images aren’t changing: Windows spotlight needs an internet connection to download new pictures. Try switching to Picture and back.
• Your picture looks cropped: use an image with the same shape as your screen, such as 16:9 on many laptops.
• The PC goes straight to the desktop after waking: add a PIN or password, and set If you’ve been away to When PC wakes up from sleep.
• The lock screen turns black after about a minute: that’s a separate display timeout for the locked screen. The screen timeout guide linked above explains how to change it.

Change the Lock Screen Background in Windows 10

Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, so it no longer gets security updates unless the PC is enrolled in Extended Security Updates. The lock screen settings still work.

1. Open Start > Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
2. Under Background, choose Windows spotlight, Picture or Slideshow.

3. For Picture, choose an offered image or use Browse to select your own; for Slideshow, choose the folder of pictures. The selection applies automatically.
4. Press Windows + L to check it.

Windows 10 also lets you pick apps that show quick status on the lock screen, such as Calendar or Weather, on the same page. To require a password, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options, the same place as in Windows 11.

Frequently Asked Questions