See also: Quick fixes for common Windows 10 problems
Disabling the Lock Screen in Windows 10
Turning off the lock screen involves creating, or editing, a file in the registry. While this might sound a bit intimidating, in reality it’s actually a straightforward process. To begin hold down the Windows key and press R, then in the box that opens up type regedit and press enter.
Now you’ll see a file tree appear. Use this to navigate to the following folder;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows
then look for the folder called Personalization. If it isn’t already there then you’ll need to create it. To do this right-click on the Windows folder you just opened and then select New>Key and name it Personalization.
Now open the Personalization folder and in the right-hand pane right-click to open up the contextual menu. In here select New>DWORD (32 Bit) Value, and call it NoLockScreen.
Double-click on NoLockScreen and a popup box will appear with the Value Data box highlighted. In here change the value from 0 to 1 then click OK.
Now, when you reboot your machine the Lock Screen should be nothing but a distant memory.
Enabling the Lock Screen
Should you decide that you miss the welcoming sight of luscious photography when you turn on your PC, then re-enabling the Lock Screen is joyously simple. Follow the same process as above, but this time change the Value Data in NoLockScreen to 0 and the feature will be active once you reboot your device.
Martyn has been involved with tech ever since the arrival of his ZX Spectrum back in the early 80s. He covers iOS, Android, Windows and macOS, writing tutorials, buying guides and reviews for Macworld and its sister site Tech Advisor.
