Dynamic Lock in Windows 11: Lock Your PC When You Walk Away

Pair your phone to your PC over Bluetooth, then go to Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, Dynamic lock, and tick the box. When you walk away with your phone in your pocket, Windows locks the session on its own after roughly 30 seconds. No shortcut to remember, no willpower required.

You step away from your desk for two minutes to grab a coffee, and your session stays wide open. Anyone can sit down, read your email or copy a file. In a small business, that is one of the easiest security gaps to close, and one of the most often forgotten. The good news: Windows 11 has a built-in feature that locks your machine for you.

It is called Dynamic lock. The idea is simple: your PC pairs with your phone over Bluetooth, and when you walk away with the phone on you, the computer locks the session after about 30 seconds. Here is how to turn it on, and why it is worth doing for a Mauricie business.

1. What is Dynamic lock?

Dynamic lock is a security feature in Windows 10 and Windows 11. It uses the Bluetooth signal between your computer and a paired device, usually your phone, to work out whether you are still at the desk. When the signal weakens because you have moved away, Windows waits about thirty seconds, then locks the session.

In practice, you come back to the sign-in screen exactly as if you had pressed Windows + L. The difference is that it happens without you thinking about it. That helps distracted people, open-plan workstations, and anyone who forgets to lock half the time when they head to lunch.

• It locks the session; it does not close your programs or your files.
• It does not replace your password or PIN; it triggers them more often.
• It works with an Android phone or an iPhone paired over Bluetooth.

2. Why does it matter for a Quebec business?

An unlocked workstation is an open door. A curious colleague, a visitor, a client in the waiting area: any of them can see what is on screen. For a company handling client data, it also becomes a compliance question. Quebec’s Law 25 requires organizations to protect the personal information they hold, and an unattended open screen runs against that obligation.

Dynamic lock will not solve everything, but it is one more layer, free, already in Windows. It is the kind of small setting we deploy across every workstation at once when we take on an environment. At OKTO Solutions, we build that basic hardening into our managed IT services for companies in Trois-Rivières and the Mauricie, along with group policy locking on shared computers.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security also lists automatic device locking among the basic habits worth adopting. It is simple, but it closes off an entire category of accidental internal leaks.

3. How do you turn on Dynamic lock in Windows 11?

There are two steps: pair your phone, then tick the box. Two minutes in total.

Step 1: pair your phone over Bluetooth

• Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and keep the screen awake.
• On the PC, open Settings, then Bluetooth and devices.
• Click Add device, choose Bluetooth, and select your phone from the list.
• Confirm the code shown on both screens to finish pairing.

Step 2: turn on Dynamic lock

• Open Settings, then Accounts.
• Go to Sign-in options.
• Scroll down to the Dynamic lock section.
• Tick the box that allows Windows to automatically lock your device when you are away.

That is it. Keep your phone on you, step a few metres away, and the session locks itself. To test, walk down the hall with the phone in your pocket and wait a minute.

4. What if Dynamic lock does not work?

A few details sometimes get in the way. Before giving up, check these points in order.

• Bluetooth has to be on for both the PC and the phone, and the pairing has to be active, not merely saved.
• The machine needs a Bluetooth module. Most laptops have one, but many desktops do not, unless you add a dongle.
• If the Dynamic lock box is missing, it is often a Bluetooth driver that is absent or disabled in Device Manager.
• Keep the phone powered on. If it shuts off or loses Bluetooth, Windows can no longer gauge the distance.
• The delay is roughly 30 seconds, not instant, and the range is measured in metres, not centimetres.

If you manage ten machines or more, configuring this by hand on each one gets long fast, and an employee can untick the box without telling anyone. That is exactly the kind of thing we automate and monitor remotely. If you want a hand standardizing workstation security, you can get in touch with our team.

5. Which habits take this further?

Dynamic lock is a good reflex, but it works better with company. Here is what to add to genuinely reduce risk on your machines.

• Keep the Windows + L shortcut in mind. It is the fastest manual lock, and it is instant, unlike the Dynamic lock delay.
• Set an inactivity lock under Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, so the screen also locks after a few minutes without activity.
• Turn on Windows Hello, face or fingerprint unlock, so getting back in stays quick even with more frequent locking.
• Require a password or PIN on wake. A lock with no password serves no purpose.
• On shared machines, use a group policy to impose locking on everyone, rather than depending on individual goodwill.

The point is not to pile on constraints, but to make the right behaviour automatic. A workstation that locks itself is one less worry for you and for your employees, in Trois-Rivières as anywhere else in Quebec.

Frequently asked questions

Does Dynamic lock work with an iPhone?

Yes. As long as the iPhone is paired to the PC over Bluetooth and stays powered on, Windows uses its signal to detect that you have moved away. It behaves the same as with an Android phone.

Why does my PC not lock right away when I leave?

That is normal. Windows waits about thirty seconds after losing the Bluetooth signal before locking, so the session is not cut off at the slightest movement. To lock instantly, use Windows + L.

Does Dynamic lock close my programs?

No. It only locks the session, like a screensaver protected by a password. Your open files, your tabs and your applications stay exactly where they were, and you find them again when you sign back in.

Secure your workstations in Trois-Rivières and the Mauricie

Dynamic lock is a small move that closes a large door, but it is rarely enough on its own for a company. If you want a managed environment where every machine applies the same security rules with no effort from employees, take a look at our managed IT services or write to us through our contact page. We help small businesses in Trois-Rivières, the Mauricie and elsewhere in Quebec sleep easier about their IT.