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Password after sleep or screensaver is on

Time to fix

< 1m

What

Requiring a password after sleep or when exiting the screensaver prevents unauthorized access when your computer is locked or unattended. This security measure works together with the automatic screen lock timeout to protect your device.

Why you should require a password after sleep or screensaver

If someone accesses your computer while you're away, they won't be able to access your data without your password. This is essential for protecting sensitive information, especially in shared or public environments.

How to enable password protection on Windows 11

Method 1: Enable password after sleep (recommended)

  1. Open Settings from the Start menu.
  2. Go to Accounts > Sign-in options.
  3. Under Additional settings, find If you've been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again?
  4. Select When PC wakes up from sleep to ensure password protection is always active.

Method 2: Enable password for screensaver

  1. Click the Start button and type screen saver.
  2. Click Change screen saver from the search results.
  3. Check On resume, display logon screen.
  4. Click Apply, then OK.

Note: You only need to configure one of these methods. For this feature to work properly, you must have a password set on your Windows account. If you're using Windows Hello (PIN, fingerprint, or face recognition), those authentication methods will also be required.