How to Change Windows 11 Lock Screen Timeout

Locking your PC is a great way to make sure no unauthorized person accesses your computer. Preventing unauthorized access becomes paramount if you have a shared working space or in case you are working on sensitive and confidential data.

Now, this could have been a challenging task if you had to do this manually every time you are leaving your computer alone for a few minutes. Thankfully, that is not the case in Windows, you can set a time most suitable to you after which if there’s no activity your Windows 11 computer will lock itself.

Moreover, there are multiple ways you can choose to change the Windows 11 lock screen timeout; thus, you can choose which one suits you best. So, let’s get started.

Adjust Lock Screen Timeout from Settings

Lock screen timeout can be easily adjusted from the Settings app. Moreover, you can even set different timeout settings for when your device is plugged in, and when it is running on battery to help you save more power along with data confidentiality.

First, head to the Settings app either from the pinned apps in the Start Menu or by searching for it.

Next, make sure you have selected the ‘System’ tab from the left sidebar of the Settings window.

After that, from the right section of the window, locate and click on the ‘Power & battery’ tile to continue.

Then, on the ‘Power & battery’ screen, under the ‘Power’ section, click on the ‘Screen & sleep’ tile to expand the section.

Next, click on the drop-down menu following the ‘On battery power, turn off my screen after’ option. Then, select the time most suitable for you from the list. Do remember this setting will only apply when your machine is on battery power.

To toggle the setting when your device is plugged in, click on the drop-down menu following the ‘When plugged in, turn off my screen after’ option. Next, select the most suitable time duration to lock your PC.

Set Custom Lock Screen Timeout from Control Panel

If the preset durations for lock screen timeout aren’t suitable, you can also set your preferable custom duration from the Control Panel. Moreover, since they will be mapped with the various ‘Power Plans’ of your device, you can define the different duration for screen timeout under each plan.

First, head to the Start Menu and type Registry Editor. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Registry Editor’ tile.

Now, navigate to the below-mentioned registry address and double-click on the ‘Attributes’ file. This will open a separate window on your screen.

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc99\8ec4b3a5-6868-48c2-be75-4f3044be88a7

Next, from the separately opened window, locate the ‘Value’ field and type 2 in the text box present right beneath it. Then, click on the ‘OK’ button to save the changes and close the window.

Now, head to the Start Menu and type Control Panel to search for it. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Control Panel’ tile to open it.

Then, on the Control Panel screen, click on the ‘Power Options’ tile to proceed.

After that, under the ‘selected plan’ section, click on the ‘Change plan settings’ to expand the section.

Next, from the expanded section, click on the ‘Change advanced power settings’ to continue. This will open a separate window on your screen.

Now from the separately opened window, double-click on the ‘Display’ section to expand it. Then, double-click on the ‘Console lock display off timeout’ option to expand it further.

Then, click on the duration option following the ‘On battery’ option and enter your desired duration (in minutes).

Similarly, click on the duration option following the ‘Plugged in’ option and enter your desired duration (in minutes). Then, click on the ‘Apply’ button to save the changes and click on the ‘OK’ button to close the window.

And that’s it, you have now set a custom lock screen timeout as per your need.