Setting the screen saver timeout is important to keep the system locked when the user is inactive. This is useful to keep the system secure from unauthorized access when you’re not around. Another key factor to enable the screen saver timeout is to consume less battery power; this increases battery time.
In Windows 11, the built-in advanced features also include enabling the lock screen and screen saver timeout and updating its settings. You don’t need to install any third-party tool or another access; there are multiple ways within Windows 11 to change its timeout settings.
How to Change the Lock Screen and Screen Saver Timeout Settings on Windows 11
This article will cover two different sections; the first will cover all the possible ways to change the lock screen on Windows 11, and in the next section, you will see how to change screen saver timeout in Windows 11.
How to Change Lock Screen Timeout Settings in Windows 11
We have six techniques to change the lock screen timeout settings on Windows 11. You can follow any of them or try all the processes to learn different approaches.
- Change Lock Screen Timeout Using the Windows Settings Option
- Change Lock Screen Timeout Using the Edit Plan Settings (via Control Panel)
- Change Lock Screen Timeout Using the Advanced Power Options (via Control Panel)
- Change Lock Screen Timeout Using the Registry Editor
- Change Lock Screen Timeout Using the Command Prompt Tool
Let’s get into all of the above techniques one by one:
1. Change Lock Screen Timeout Using the Windows Settings Option
Settings is the most commonly used process to perform any task; you can update anything using the Settings app, including lock screen timeout.
Step 1: Press the shortcut keys Windows + I to get the Settings screen; move to Personalization in the left panel and click it:
Step 2: You will see multiple customization options in the displayed Personalization screen, find the Lock Screen and click on it:
Step 3: In the Lock Screen, move to the Screen Timeout in the Related settings section:
Step 4: Change the Screen and Sleep time according to what suits you:
2. Change Lock Screen Timeout Using the Edit Plan Settings (via Control Panel)
Control Panel is the tool that lets you configure the system settings, including the lock screen timeout settings.
Step 1: Open the Control panel by typing it in the Windows search bar and hit its icon from displayed results:
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Step 2: In the Control Panel, search for the Power Options and select it:
Step 3: There, move to Change plan settings located at the right side of the Power Options screen:
Step 4: Navigate towards the Turn off the display option and set its timer when battery is On or Plugged in:
Step 5: Update the timer and click the Save Changes button to make changes in the system:
3. Change Lock Screen Timeout Using the Advanced Power Options (via Control Panel)
You can visit the Advanced Settings to update the lock screen timeout, so let’s get into it.
Step 1: Open the Control Panel, move to Power Options, and select it:
Step 2: Select the Change plan settings from the Power options displayed screen:
Step 3: Now, select the Change advanced power settings to get into the more advanced settings:
Step 4: Now, move to Display > Turn off display after and update the timeout, and click the Apply button to update changes and then OK button to save it:
4. Change Lock Screen Timeout Using the Registry Editor
Another manual way to add the Lock Screen Timeout is using the Registry Editor tool.
Step 1: Open the Registry Editor through the Windows search box or the Run box. Press Windows + R to get the Run box, type Regedit in it, and click the OK button:
Step 2: Copy the following path mentioned below, paste it into the Registry Editor address bar to directly get the key without any confusion, and hit enter:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc99\8EC4B3A5-6868-48c2-BE75-4F3044BE88A7
Step 3: There, move to the Attribute option and double-click on it:
Step 4: Set the value 2 to log the file in the database and Click OK button:
Step 5: Now, come to Edit Power Plan through the Control Panel > Power options > Change plan settings:
Step 6: There, click on Change advanced power settings to get more settings on screen:
Step 7: In the Advanced Settings box, you will see an additional option, the Console lock display off timeout option. Set the On battery and Plugged in time and click to Apply button to save changes:
5. Change Lock Screen Timeout Using the Command Prompt Tool
If you’re good at running commands for the runtime processes, then the command prompt is the best way to manage the system’s operations:
Similarly, if you want to add the lock screen timer in Windows 11, you can do so using the command prompt.
Step 1: Open the command prompt by pressing the Windows + R keys, type cmd in the run box, and click the OK button:
Step 2: In the Command Prompt, execute the following commands to set lock screen timeout. Make sure you’re running these commands individually:
powercfg.exe /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOCONLOCK 60powercfg.exe /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO VIDEOCONLOCK 60powercfg.exe /SETACTIVE SCHEME_CURRENT
Now, restart your system to let the changes save successfully. The system will be locked after 10 minutes; you can also update according to what suits you.
How to Change Screen Saver Timeout Settings in Windows 11
Just like we have used multiple ways to add lock screen timeout, let’s explore various methods to change Screen Saver Timeout in Windows 11:
- Change Screen Saver Timeout Via Settings
- Change Screen Saver Timeout Via Registry Editor
- Change Screen Saver Timeout Via Local Group Policy Editor
1. Change Screen Saver Timeout Via Settings
Step 1: Open the Settings app window by pressing the Windows + I keys from the keyboard:
Step 2: In the Settings search box, type Screen Saver, and from the appeared results, choose the Change Screen Saver option:
Step 3: Note that you can only set the screen saver timeout when it is enabled, as you can see, it is disabled in my Windows 11 system:
Step 4: Click on the dropdown arrow to let it enable and choose the preferred option:
Step 5: Once you select the option, set the minutes in the Wait box using arrows; click on the Apply button and then navigate to the OK button to save updates:
2. Change Screen Saver Timeout Via Registry Editor
Another easy way to add the Screen Saver timeout is using the Registry editor, but be careful while using this tool as it has all configuration files.
Step 1: Open the Registry Editor tool using the Run box, press Windows + R, type regedit in it, and hit Enter button:
Step 2: In the Registry Editor tool, type the following path in the address bar and press Enter:
Step 3: Now, double-click on the Desktop folder and search for the ScreenSaveTimeout option from the displayed list:
Step 4: Make sure the screen saver option is enabled in your system; if not, you can enable it using the above-explained method “Change Screen Saver Timeout Via Settings”.
Double-click on the ScreenSaveTimeout option; there, you can change its value in the Value Data Box (in seconds) and click the OK button to confirm changes:
Reboot the Windows 11 system to let the changes be added successfully.
3. Change Screen Saver Timeout Via Local Group Policy Editor
If you’re using the Windows 11 Pro version, then this method will work in the system. You won’t find the Local Group Policy Editor (LGPE) in the Windows Home version. Before starting with the steps, let’s define what LGPE is for those unaware of it.
The LGPE is the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that helps to manage and configure Windows Local Group Policy settings. These changes apply to all systems or users that fall under the specific group’s umbrella.
Step 1: Type gpedit.msc in the Windows Run box and hit the OK button (you can get the run box by pressing the Windows + R keys):
Step 2: Navigate the cursor towards the User Configuration in the left panel and click its drop-down arrow. You will get its sub-menu folders there; move to Administrative Templates and click on it:
Step 3: When you click on the Administrative Templates, its further sub-directories will be displayed on the left panel. Move your cursor towards the Control Panel, and select Personalization.
All of the Personalization settings will have appeared; search for the Screen saver timeout option and select it:
Step 4: enable the screen saver timeout, then move to the Options section and set the time duration. Select the Apply button and click OK; restart the system to save changes successfully.
Conclusion
Locking screen and screen saver timeout are essential to keep the system secure and prevent it from unauthorized access when you’re not around. Moreover, setting the timeout duration keeps the battery power safe and increases its life.
Windows 11 has already amazed its users with its additional features and interface. Similarly, if you want to change the lock screen and screen saver timeout, you don’t need to get this done from a third-party app. Windows 11 offers various ways to update the timeout duration when the system is inactive like through Settings, Control Panel and Registry Editor etc.