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I'm working with sensitive data and I forget to lock my Windows frequently when I leave computer. Is there a way how can I lock Windows automatically after certain idle time and get a warning before?

I know I can lock automatically after idle, but it's without warning and it's very annoying when I'm reading something and Windows gets locked after one minute. Therefore I need to get a prompt like in internet banking, where I receive something like:

You seem to be away for a while. Do you want to continue? If you don't react within 1 minute we will log you out automatically.

Any ideas?

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  • Why can't you just set the amount of time before your machine is locked for a period of time where it won't interfere with you simply sitting idle at the computer? If you have not provided any input for 5-10 minutes then you are likely not at the computer.
    – Ramhound
    Oct 19, 2017 at 12:47
  • Because I need to lock a computer once I get away from it and I frequently forget to lock it by Win+L shortcut. Therefore I need to lock it after immediate inactivity. If I go for lunch for example and forget to lock Windows then after 3 minutes anyone can come and do whatever he wants. That's why I need 1 minute lock.
    – det det
    Oct 23, 2017 at 8:20

2 Answers 2

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You can create a task in Windows Task Scheduler that displays your message and set its trigger to "after X minutes of inactivity." Just set it to a minute before you have your screensaver set to lock your computer.

If it helps, locking your computer can be done with the keyboard shortcut Win+L. I also must lock my computer before leaving my desk and have found this shortcut to be an easy habit to have.

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  • @detdet - You can use something like I posted in this answer: superuser.com/questions/1103341/… to get a pop up as Twisty mentions if it helps any. You'll need to adjust the Task Scheduler execution accordingly though as mentioned to time it out correctly but that should work.
    – Vomit IT - Chunky Mess Style
    Oct 19, 2017 at 13:22
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The OP posted this answer in their question but it has been moved here to comply with site standards.

Go to desktop in your Windows 7, click right mouse button >> Personalize >> Screen Saver (down right) >> choose your screensaver as (None) and click On resume, display logon screen and set Wait to 2 minutes. With this setting Windows turns off your screen for 3 seconds /which serves as a warning/ and then locks Windows. I tried to tweak settings, but it works this way only in this combination. Hopefully someone will find it useful in the future.

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