Tips: Enable Screen Lock for your Devices

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Why is it important to secure your devices and computers with a screen lock?

Setting your device screen to automatically lock after a period of inactivity can protect it from unwelcome access. Using auto-lock, along with a password, ensures malicious users cannot easily access your device, even when left unattended. Screen locks offer your devices an important extra layer of security. Each time you want to unlock your device or computer, or switch it on, you'll be asked to enter a PIN, password or fingerprint.

How to Lock Your Computer

MacOS

Using a simple combo of keys is the easiest way to instantly lock screen on Mac.
Ctrl + ⌘ + Q Just make sure to press the keys carefully when using this shortcut to lock Mac, so that you don’t hit just ⌘ + Q by accident. Without the Ctrl key, it will result in shutting down the app you’re working with, which makes it more likely to lose any unsaved work.
Ctrl + Shift + Power A simple Mac lock screen shortcut to send your display to sleep.
Ctrl + ⌘ + Power Another good option to consider, which sends your entire Mac to sleep as well but also saves more energy by turning to low-power mode and stopping background tasks.

Complete instructions from Mac can be found here.

Windows

There are multiple ways to lock your PC when you leave its vicinity.

Option 1: Windows Key + L

Hit the Win Key + L on your keyboard. Keyboard shortcut for the lock.

Option 2: Ctrl-Alt-Del

Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete. On the menu that pops up, click Lock.

Option 3: Start button

Tap or click the Start button in the bottom-left corner. Click your user icon and then select Lock.

Option 4: Auto-lock via Screen Saver

Go to Control Panel > Appearance & Personalization > Change screen saver and then check the box for On resume, display logon screen.

How to Lock Your Device

iOS

Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode. On devices without Touch ID, go to Settings > Passcode. If you have an iPhone X, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode.
Tap Turn Passcode On.
Enter a six-digit passcode. Or tap Passcode Options to switch to a four-digit numeric code, a custom numeric code, or a custom alphanumeric code.
Enter your passcode again to confirm it and activate it.

Complete instructions from Apple can be found here.

Android

Go to the Settings menu on your device.
Scroll down until you find “Security” or “Lock Screen and Security” and tap it. This is typically located under the “Personal” section on Android 4.2 or higher.
Under the “Screen Security” section, tap the Screen Lock Type option. By default, this option is set to “Swipe,” which means no password or pattern is needed.
From here, select which lock type you want to use:
- Pattern: swipe to draw an unlock pattern you want to use. If you messed up, hit retry. Otherwise, hit continue. It will then ask you to draw that pattern again to confirm.
- PIN: insert a 4-digit PIN that you’re comfortable with. It’s a good idea not to use repeating numbers (don’t use more than two if you absolutely must). Hit continue. Re-enter the PIN to confirm.
- Password: type the password you’re comfortable with. The password must be at least 4 characters, must be no more than 17 characters, and must contain at least 1 letter. Use an alphanumerical password with symbols that’s at least 8 characters long for ultimate security, but anything will do. Hit continue. Re-enter the password to confirm.
- Fingerprints: If available on your phone, a PIN or Password must be set as a backup before you can enable Fingerprint Security.

Complete instructions from Google can be found here.