Last Updated on February 25, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake
Windows has long heralded the option for people to log off a computer so someone else can’t come along and pick up where you left off, or make changes to your user account.
With the addition of Microsoft accounts, logging off (or what is now more commonly referred to as signing out) is still just as important to protect everything that is associated with your account.
Microsoft has added a new feature to Windows 10 build 15002 called Dynamic Lock. With the new Dynamic Lock option turned on, your computer can automatically use the biometrics of Windows Hello to pair your smartphone with the computer and have it automatically sign out of your user account whenever Bluetooth can no longer detect your smartphone near the PC. The idea here being that your smartphone is going to be with you so that when you walk away from the PC you no longer have to put in any work to sign out.
The Windows operating system continually makes strides in making its software more efficient for people to use. There are times when a feature may be more efficient for some people but not most. On these occasions, you will likely find the feature turned off by default. Such is the case with Windows’ Dynamic Lock which needs to be turned on from the settings before you can use it. If you don’t have a smartphone or don’t always carry it around with you when you walk away from the computer screen, then Dynamic Lock may be best kept off. Conversely, Dynamic Lock can save some people a lot of time, particularly those associated with organizations, when they are continually walking away from the computer and need to make sure their user accounts are secure.
Windows Hello is still a relatively new feature to Windows computers that allows you to sign in with facial recognition of by scanning your fingerprint. Some computers have both options while other Windows Hello compatible PCs will only have an option of one of the two. If your PC is compatible with Windows Hello, you would have had the chance to set it up during the initial setup process of the computer after you bought it and started using it for the first time. Windows Hello might be compatible with your computer but isn’t necessarily turned on. You can head to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign in options > Windows Hello to check. You will need to have WIndows Hello turned on to use Dynamic Lock.
The following tutorial demonstrates how to turn on or off Dynamic Lock when you’re using a version of the Windows 10 operating system from build 15002 and up.
Method One: How to Turn On/Off Dynamic Lock with Phone from Settings in Windows 10
Here’s how you can turn Dynamic Lock on and off from the Settings application in Windows 10:
Note: Your smartphone needs to be paired with Bluetooth on the computer before you can make sure of the Dynamic Lock feature.
1. Open the Settings app and then click on the Accounts icon from the main Windows Settings menu.
2. To Turn on Dynamic Lock
a. From the Accounts menu, click on Sign-in options and then in the right side of the same window check the box next to where it says Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away. (click to enlarge screenshot below)
3. To Turn off Dynamic Lock
a. From the Accounts menu, click on Sign-in options and then in the right side of the same window uncheck the box next to where it says Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away. (click to enlarge screenshot below)
You can now close the Settings app and continue using your computer if you like.
Method Two: How to Turn on/off Dynamic Lock from Registry Editor in Windows 10
Here is how you can enable or disable Dynamic Lock from the Registry Editor application in Windows 10:
Note: Your smartphone needs to be paired with Bluetooth on the computer before you can make sure of the Dynamic Lock feature.
1. Open the Registry Editor app by pressing the Windows logo + R keys to open Run and then typing regedit and clicking OK, or by typing regedit into Search.
2. In the console tree of the snap-in, navigate through to the following keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3. From Winlogon’s right pane, double-click on the “EnableGoodbye” value. (click to enlarge screenshot below)
4. Change the EnableGoodbye’s value to 1 to enable Dynamic Lock or 0 to disable it.
You can now close the Registry Editor app and continue using your computer if you like.
That’s all.