Guide · Device habits

Lock your screen when you walk away

By Christopher Smith, MS Cyber Security, penetration tester·Published October 18, 2026·Updated October 18, 2026·5 min read

An unlocked, unattended laptop lets anyone nearby read email, copy files, or send messages as that employee — no hacking required. The Short's fix fits in one line; this guide adds the settings behind it, the shared-space situations teams forget, and a low-effort way to make locking a norm instead of a nag.

Quick verdict

• Short timeout, every device. Set automatic lock to a few minutes of inactivity on laptops and desktops — then lock manually anyway when you stand up.
• Keyboard habit: Windows key + L on Windows; Control + Command + Q on Mac. Every time, even 'just for a second.'
• Require the password to return. A lock that anyone can wave away is a screensaver, not a control.

Settings to set today

Windows

1. Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options: require sign-in when the PC wakes from sleep.
2. Settings → Personalization → Lock screen → Screen timeout / or Power settings: set screen off and sleep to short intervals on battery and plugged in, appropriate to the workplace.
3. Practise Win+L until it is automatic.

Mac

1. System Settings → Lock Screen: set 'Turn display off' to a short interval and 'Require password after screen saver begins or display is turned off' to immediately.
2. Set a Hot Corner to 'Lock Screen' if your team likes a mouse gesture, and teach Control + Command + Q.

Apply the same thinking to phones and tablets used for work: short auto-lock with a strong passcode or biometrics. Screen locking pairs with disk encryption — lock for the running device, encryption for the powered-off or stolen one.

Where unlocked screens actually bite

• Shared offices, clinics, shops and front counters, where customers and visitors pass within arm's reach of staff screens.
• Home offices during deliveries, repairs, or guests — 'home' is not a locked room.
• Conferences, coworking, and travel, where a coffee run leaves a laptop among strangers.
• Insider risk you do not want to test: an unlocked session can send, approve, or export as that person, and your logs will blame their account.

Make it a team norm (without nagging)

Announce it once as a house rule, put the two shortcuts on a small card near shared workstations, and have managers visibly lock their own screens. If you spot an unlocked screen, lock it for them (Win+L / Ctrl+Cmd+Q) and let them know — helpful, not theatrical. Add 'timeout set + password required' to new-device setup alongside automatic updates and endpoint protection.

Bottom line

Short timeout, every device. Set automatic lock to a few minutes of inactivity on laptops and desktops — then lock manually anyway when you stand up. The expanded steps above turn the Short's rule into a process with an owner and a check — do the first section today, schedule the rest this week, and write down what you changed so the next person does not have to rediscover it.

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