Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

My laptop seldom leaves my house. When I am not using it I close the lid to put it into sleep mode. I also close the lid when carrying it to another room (or perhaps into the backyard hammock). This causes a minor inconvenience as every time I open the lid I have to enter my password to unlock it. On my old (Windows 10) laptop I was able to turn this off but because Microsoft keeps changing the layout of the Settings app I had to Goggle to find out how to disable this in Windows 11. The new process was

  1. Open Settings
  2. Select Accounts
  3. Select Sign-in options
  4. Scroll down to Additional settings

Under Additional settings there is a section with the text If you've been away when should Windows require you to sign in again?" To the right of this is a drop-down box with the default text Every Time. According to Google (and Microsoft) I simply have to select a different option, like Never**.

That would be the case if the entire section were not greyed out and followed by the text Windows Hello is preventing some options from being displayed.

The recommended solution from Microsoft was to

  1. Install the latest version of Windows
  2. Apply all outstanding Windows updates
  3. Run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit
  4. Run the built-in troubleshooter
  5. Remove Windows Hello and re-install it

Since I keep my laptop current I focused on Windows Hello. Specifically, Windows Hello is used to facilitate access via PIN, facial recognition, or fingerprint. Because my laptop has a fingerprint reader I didn't want to risk breaking it by uninstalling so kept looking.

The solution was in the command line tool, powercfg.exe. This built-in tool allows access to a wide range of setting unavailable through the Settings app. The simple fix, in my case, was to run two commands in an Admin shell.

powercfg /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_NONE CONSOLELOCK 0
powercfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_NONE CONSOLELOCK 0

The first line disables automatic console locking when the machine is put into sleep mode when running off battery (DC). The second does the same when running non-battery (AC).

Now I can put my laptop to sleep and forego the password. If I want to lock and require a password I just press WINKEY+L. And I still have Windows Hello available. I have to wonder why this setting is disabled (greyed out) when it is clear that disabling the password requirement is obviously compatible with Windows Hello?

You may want to type "powercfg /?" to see the full list of options available.

  • 4 Contributors
  • 8 Replies
  • 831 Views
  • 1 Week Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Reverend Jim
rproffitt commented: "Jim, it goes to 11." reference: Spinal Tap +17

Dani AI

Generated

Nice troubleshooting from — the power-level fix you found is exactly the practical workaround many people use when the Sign‑in UI blocks changes because biometric sign‑ins are active. Microsoft intentionally limits that Settings control when Windows Hello is in use, so the UI can appear locked-down even though a lower‑level change is possible. (learn.microsoft.com)

If a persistent, policy-backed change is wanted (and you have Pro/Enterprise), set the machine policy that controls wake‑from‑sleep password prompts instead of relying on the per‑user Settings UI. The Group Policy path is under Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Power Management → Sleep Settings (the two policies are “Require a password when a computer wakes (on battery)” and “…(plugged in)”), and the same options are exposed to management (MDM/AD) via the Power policy CSP / registry mapping. That approach survives updates and user resets. (tenforums.com)

For Home editions (or as a simple fallback), keep your two powercfg changes in a small elevated script and register that script to run at boot/startup as SYSTEM so it is reapplied automatically if something resets it. Example (create a .cmd and then create/replace a scheduled task that runs it at startup):

schtasks /Create /SC ONSTART /TN "FixConsoleLock" /TR "C:\Scripts\fix-consolelock.cmd" /RU SYSTEM /RL HIGHEST /F

Use Task Scheduler’s Create Task UI and check “Run with highest privileges” if you prefer a GUI. That method is commonly used to reapply trusted system tweaks. (learn.microsoft.com)

If the complaint is the screen locking or going black very quickly after lid/lock, also look at the Console Lock Display Off Timeout (it’s hidden by default on some devices and can be unhidden via the registry so you can change it in Power Options). And double‑check whether the device is domain/Azure AD/MDM managed — those policies will override local changes. Back up the registry and test any scheduled task or policy change before relying on it. (tenforums.com)

(Quick notes: — edition matters here; Home lacks gpedit so the scheduled‑task or registry/policy route is the usual workaround. — your security point is valid: any “never require sign‑in” choice reduces automatic protection, so keep manual locking or Dynamic Lock in mind if you go that route. — these steps avoid repeatedly chasing a Settings page that keeps changing.)

Recommended Answers

All 8 Replies

Member Avatar for SCBWV

Good detective work! I really like Windows 11, but the list settings are becoming quite extensive and almost overwhelming. Some of it' quirks can drive a person nuts. The latest for me is Windows desktop Spotlight has quit working, which seems to have been an issue going back couple years for some. I made no changes to my desktop settings. It just booted up to Windows "Bloom" one morning and Spotlight wasn't working. I've tried just about all the suggestions found online to no avail. Anyway, good work.

Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

Try going into 

Personalization -> Lock Screen

Select some option other than Windows Spotlight, exit, and reboot. Then go set it back to Windows Spotlight.

Member Avatar for SCBWV

Tried that. Oddly enough, Spotlight works on the Lock Screen, but not the desktop.

Member Avatar for pcbugfixer

G'day Reverend Jim,

Could you please tell me which version of windows 11 you are using ?
Win 11 Home /or/ win 11 Pro /or/ Win 11 Enterprise ?

Also is the versioo you are on, at 22H2 ? - [23H2 comming soon]

Regards
Roger Hass / PC-Bug Fixer now in Tanilba Bay NSW 2319 Australia

Edited by pcbugfixer
Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

G'day mate. Windows 11 Home 22H2 build 22621.2134

Edited by Reverend Jim
Member Avatar for princejijk

I have to wonder why this setting is disabled (greyed out) when it is clear that disabling the password requirement is obviously compatible with Windows Hello?

This is because it will invoke a security issue for most of the non-techy people those who are not aware of this new setting. They might think that their laptop will be locked when they close the lid; but it won't if the settings are like you explained.

Edited by Reverend Jim because: Corrected formatting for quote.
Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

I don't buy that explanation. They could as easily have added text warning "you must lock your computer manually if you select this option" instead of treating their users as idiot children.

Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

By the way, Microsoft continues to be annoying as it seems they periodically reset this setting.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.