How To Use Your Phone To Lock And Unlock Windows 10

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This tutorial was written by Tom's Hardware Community member knanan. You can find a list of all their tutorials here.

Among the many features of the Windows 10 Creators Update came a new and innovative way to lock and unlock your Windows 10 laptop or PC. This new feature, called Dynamic Lock, can automatically lock your Windows 10 device when your phone’s Bluetooth is out of range and unlock it again when the phone’s Bluetooth is back in range. \

In this tutorial, we will show you how to pair your phone with your PC and use Dynamic Lock.

Firstly, before we get started, confirm that latest Windows Insider Build is installed on your computer since this feature is not available on earlier versions Windows 10. You can ensure that you have the latest Creators Update by heading over to Microsoft’s Support website and enlisting in the Windows Insider Program. Now that you have the latest update, let’s begin.
 
1. Pair Your Phone with Your PC
a. On your laptop or PC go to “Settings ->Devices”

b. Click “Bluetooth & other devices” and toggle the Bluetooth switch to on. Also, ensure that the Bluetooth on your phone is switched on as well.


c. Next, click the “Add Bluetooth or other device “+” button. In the “Add a device” dialog box that pops up, click “Bluetooth”. Your phone should now appear in the list of discovered devices. If your phone was not discovered, ensure that the Bluetooth drivers on your laptop or PC are up to date.


d. Choose your phone from the list of devices. When selected you should see prompts on both your phone and PC. Click “Connect” in the Add a device dialog box on your PC and accept the connection on your phone. You should now see your phone listed under Other Devices on the Bluetooth & other devices screen.

2. Enable Dynamic Lock
a. On your PC go to “Settings -> Accounts”


b. Now go to “Sign-in options” and scroll down to “Dynamic Lock”. Under the Dynamic Lock option, select the checkbox for “Allow Windows to detect when you’re away and automatically lock the device”.


That’s it. Now you are ready to lock and unlock your Windows 10 PC with your smartphone.

Tom's Hardware Community
Tom's Hardware Community

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3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • bgmoore77
    This is an appealing process for my situation in a shared working environment. But are there ways to override, for example, if I forget my phone, can I still log in to Windows? Or if I am away and in an emergency need to have a co-worker get something from my system, can that be done?
    Thanks!!
    Reply
  • sithscout80
    It does not automatically unlock.
    Reply
  • derekullo
    On a slightly unrelated note you can also lock your Windows 10/Basically any windows that supports remote desktop by doing an RDP session to it from your phone.
    Reply