The welcome lock screen in the tenth version of Windows is initially faced by all users who have installed this operating system, since it is activated by default. In other words, if the screen lock password set for a specific user is used, the screen will appear constantly when changing the account or when exiting sleep mode. Owners of home stationary computer terminals or laptops do not really need this feature by and large. But for office workers, when several users can be registered on one terminal, it will come in handy.
However, not everyone knows that the Windows 10 lock screen itself can be customized as you wish. In addition, it performs not only a blocking function, but also has a lot of informative possibilities. Further, some tips will be given on how to configure it, and if necessary, on how to disable it.
Windows 10 lock screen: purpose and main functionality
So, the main purpose of the screen, as already mentioned, when using an access password to the system is to prohibit logging in to a specific account. Roughly speaking, this is a certain function related to system security and user data protection.
On the other hand, many probably noticed that at the moment when the screen is locked, the display shows some additional elements. By default, this is the time and date. In general, it’s very convenient, but for greater comfort, the user can simply change the screensaver (background), add some additional elements in the form of standard applications or enable the display of notifications that will be displayed without directly logging in to the system under his registration.
Windows 10 screen lock: background setting
To begin, consider changing the background. In some ways, this is similar to the standard setting of the displayed image on the "Desktop", but this action is performed in a slightly different way.
The screen lock at the first stage is configured from the personalization menu, which can be accessed through the options section, called up from their main Start menu. In the left part of the window, the corresponding line is selected, after which its type is selected in the background drop-down list. For an example we will select "Photo". To select a picture, use the browse button located below, after which the necessary file is indicated, which will be displayed on the screen.
Set slide show options
However, the screen lock will be more interesting and unusual if you set the slide show mode. You can select it in the same list where the photo setup was used. In this case, you can add not one, but several pictures (adding them one at a time or specifying the whole folder containing them).
If necessary, you can use the advanced settings button to go to advanced settings. There are four main parameters that the user can enable or disable by customizing the behavior of the slide show for themselves.
Adding program widgets
But only the above settings are not limited. For more information, you can add several applications to the screen.
To do this, in the main parameters, go to the block responsible for adding programs (it is located just below). You can immediately notice that there are several buttons that are responsible for standard applications (calendar, mail, alarm clock, clock, etc.). When you click on the button, a menu appears from which the desired widgets are selected. Along the way, you can immediately configure some of the settings for the lock screen.
The only drawback of such settings is that it is impossible to add custom applications to the screen. By and large, this is not necessary. Although using some third-party programs that allow you to manage some advanced features, you can do this.
Set up notifications
After the above steps, you need to configure the display of notifications. By default, this option is active. However, as they say, for fidelity it is better to check it.
This is done in the options menu with the choice of the system section, in the menu of which you need to go to the item of notifications and actions. There is a line for displaying notifications on the lock screen, in which you need to set the slider to the on position.
Screen off
Now let's see how to turn off the screen lock if it is not required. The easiest way for the case when there is only one user registration on the terminal is to simply remove the password (section of user accounts). After applying the settings, the screen will not be displayed when you log in.
In addition, in the input parameters, you need to deactivate the so-called re-entry function by setting the option value to “Never”.
However, two alternative methods can be proposed. The screen lock in the first case can be disabled through the settings of group policies. In the editor, which is called by the gpedit.msc command, through the menu of administrative templates we find the personalization section and the option to block the lock screen, enter the editing menu and activate the “Enabled” line. We save the changes and reboot the system. After that, the screen lock will be completely disabled.
In the second case, you will have to act through the registry (regedit in the Run console). In the HKLM branch, through the SOFTWARE section, we find the Personalization directory, on the right side of the editor, through the PCM menu, create a new DWORD parameter (32 bits), give it the name NoLockScreen, double-click to enter the editing window and set the parameter to 1. As in the previous case A reboot is required.
If someone is not happy with the above methods, there is nothing easier than using third-party utilities like Ultimate Windows Tweaker or Winaero Tweaker. However, the installation of such programs will lead to the fact that they will constantly "hang" in the memory with icons with a system tray. So why clog the computer if all the actions can be performed using the tools of the operating system?
Actions on mobile devices
Since we are initially talking about the Windows 10 operating system, the actions carried out on mobile devices will be considered very briefly.
On Android devices, such as Samsung smartphones or tablets, the screen lock is configured through the personal data section and the security menu. There are several options for the actions performed. If device blocking is not required, a complete shutdown can be set.
Please note: if you use a PIN code or a graphic key as protection, when you try to access the settings, the system will prompt you to enter them.
In iPhone, the screen lock is disabled through the basic settings, where the screen section and brightness are selected. It has an auto-lock item in which you can set the wait interval or disable the lock completely. If this item is not available (grayed out), you must first turn off the power saving mode through the battery settings.
In both cases, through the initial screen or section of its parameters, you can select a picture that will be set as the background.
Finally
Summing up, it can be noted that setting up a lock screen in Windows 10 is quite simple. Compared to previous versions of the system, there are clearly more opportunities here, not to mention the information content parameters. Again, it is worth saying that the user who works on the terminal alone, this function can be completely deactivated (there is practically no sense in its use). But when there are several registration records - another thing. Mobile gadgets were considered very briefly, since the above models have nothing to do with Windows systems.
As for smartphones that work specifically under Windows, the configuration steps are almost identical to stationary systems, however, disconnection in most cases is carried out in the manner described for Android and Apple devices.