One of the functions of any modern operating system is to ensure the safety of user data. The easiest way to use this is to password protect your account. This approach is convenient when the user is working with confidential data or when several people are working on the same computer. But, for example, on a gaming machine, the constant need to enter a password can be annoying. About how to remove the lock from the computer and save yourself from the need to constantly enter a password, we will tell in this material.
Windows screen lock
Most computer users in the world, like most of our readers, use Microsoft's Windows operating system. There are several ways to block a computer running this OS. For forced or instant blocking, which will work as soon as you leave your workplace, keyboard combinations are usually used.
Windows allows two such combinations. The traditional Ctrl + Alt + Del brings up a blocking window, in which you must additionally confirm your desire by pressing the enter key. The second combination of Win + L works without confirmation and leads to an instant shutdown of the desktop from prying eyes.
Any user of windows should know how to unlock the computer keyboard. For this, the famous three-finger combination is used, that is, the simultaneous pressing of the buttons Ctrl + Alt + Del. Thus, you wake up the monitor from the sleep state if it was in it, or simply open the password entry window. This protection option is typically used for machines that are members of a domain or workgroup. A simpler lock option, which is usually used in home systems, opens a password entry window immediately after waking up the monitor, without using keyboard shortcuts.
Unlock Windows
Windows, starting with NT systems, uses the separation of users into three categories:
- Administrators
- ordinary users;
- guests.
In order to completely remove the lock from a Windows computer, you must have administrative access to it.
So, if your computer account is part of the Administrators group, we can get to work. First we need to call the Run menu. In order not to bother figuring out the version of the windows used, we apply another keyboard combination. In all versions of Windows, it works the same and performs the same function.
Pressing the Win + R keys brings up the Run command window. In the only data entry field, you will need to enter the access command to the advanced user data management menu. You can choose any command, at your discretion:
- netplwiz;
- control userpasswords 2.
The control window that opens contains a list of user accounts registered on your computer. Having chosen the necessary one, uncheck the box next to the “Require username and password” entry. In the same window, on the "Advanced" tab, you can immediately uncheck the combination Ctrl + Alt + Del, thus canceling its use in the system.
Windows 7 in the domain
The above method is ideal for a computer running on a simple home network or without any access to the Internet at all. Let's take a more complicated option with working in a domain network and see what to do in this case and how to unlock the computer. Windows 7, according to Microsoft's tradition, uses the registry as a database for system settings.
We take advantage of this opportunity and apply the already familiar Run command. We type regedit in the input field and get into the holy of holies "Windows" - registry editor. Here we need the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch. Following it, we get to the section SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon. You will need to make changes to the following keys:
- DefaultUserName ;
- DefaultPassword ;
- DefaultDomainName .
In each, you need to call the context menu and, using the "Change" item, enter the user name, password and domain in which the computer is running. We complete our actions by replacing the value of the AutoAdminLogon parameter from 0 to 1.
Windows 10 Features
In the latest version of windows, the number of settings designed to lock the computer has increased. All the methods described above will work in the "top ten", because this is nothing more than another beautiful candy wrapper on an old candy called Windows NT. Let's see where else you can find and how to unlock the computer.
Windows 10 carefully placed the additional security setting in the “All Settings” - “Accounts” - “Login Settings” section. Having reached this place, when asked about when Windows should require a re-entry, select "Never" from the drop-down menu. Thus, you will save your OS from the habit of requiring a password after you have gone away to pour another cup of coffee.
MacOS Lock
The Apple operating system ranks second in the world in terms of prevalence after Windows. Of course, the percentages showing user coverage for these OSs differ significantly. But this is a completely different story. Let's see how user protection is organized in MacOS, and how to unlock the screen on a computer running it.
The Apple operating system is UNIX-like. Over the years of development, she adopted and developed all the best, demonstrating stability and ease of use. Since UNIX originally contained tools for separating user rights into simple and administrative, all of this has been preserved in MacOS.
All settings here are convenient and collected in one place. To understand how to unlock the computer, just go to the "Protection and Security" section. On the first tab, we will find the parameters responsible for the safety of user data. Here we can change the password and set the time after which the system will request it after inaction.
Unlock on MacOS
You can also cancel the use of a password in the system on the settings tab described in the previous section. The OS will warn us of possible unwanted access to the stored information and offer to erase all confidential data. Consent to such an operation will delete all passwords previously saved or transferred from other devices and other data that were used to surf the Internet.
The result of our actions will be the ability to log in without a password. It will not be required when you turn on or wake up the monitor after using the screen saver. The need for its use will consist only of administrative actions with the computer, for example, to install new software or update an already installed one.
Reasonable security
Knowing how to remove the lock from the computer, the user, however, must be aware that in fact he opens access to it for anyone. This action can be compared with hanging the keys to the apartment on the carnation at the door.
By removing the lock from the computer, you endlessly trust your activities to everyone who will use it after you or together with you. A perfectly reasonable step in this case would be the use of alternative measures to protect information. For example, you can work with an encrypted external drive or password protect folders with important or valuable data.
Finally
In our material, we talked about how to remove the lock from a computer running two of the most common operating systems in the world. Knowing how to do this and what consequences your actions may entail, we leave the choice to you. Convenience or safety - this is how the available alternative looks.