Locking your computer when you leave your desk isn't complicated: the Win+L key combination is the official Windows method, but you can also access that command with the classic Ctrl+Alt+Del. However, the folks at InDeep Software offer ScreenBlur, a smarter locking software that lets you configure automatic unlocking, turn off the monitor, hide desktop content, force the computer into sleep mode, and mute the audio, among other things.
Honestly, it's not a bad habit to adopt: every time you step away from your computer, a quick Win+L will save you a lot of trouble, especially if there are other people nearby. But Windows' lock is nothing more than a simple padlock, and the only additional layer of protection is your profile's password. Fortunately, there's a more advanced way to lock your computer, and that's with the help of ScreenBlur software. The latest version is free for personal installations, and it's very easy to use.
How to lock your computer with ScreenBlur
First, we need to assign a password and configure the most important keyboard shortcuts. ScreenBlur lets you lock the computer, perform a blackout on the desktop, turn off the monitor, put the machine to sleep, temporarily disable locking while the system is idle, and run secondary commands like opening the settings menu, ScreenBlur's quick menu in the system tray, and File Explorer.
We can also tell ScreenBlur to lock the computer as soon as we start a session or return from sleep. Other options include activating the lock after a specific idle period, or scheduling it according to the day of the week. At the same time, ScreenBlur can add to the turned-off monitor, locking and standby, mute the audio (basically a mute), and minimize or hide windows.
These are ScreenBlur's 'surface' options. Much of its configuration is based on text files inside its main folder, and the help section (About -> Help) has all the technical details needed to modify them correctly. Among those modifications, replacing the lock image (a bee by default) and the intervals for automatic unlocking stand out.
To conclude, we tried to bypass the lock with Task Manager, but it always opens 'behind' the locked screen. I imagine some persistent user with the necessary technical knowledge will find a way to escape ScreenBlur, but in a general environment, it's more than enough.
Official site and download: Click here
