Dynamic Lock: lock your PC when you walk away

Steps

1. 01

   Pair your phone to the PC over Bluetooth first

   Dynamic Lock watches a paired phone, so the pairing has to exist before the setting does anything

   • Turn Bluetooth on at both ends, then add the phone from the PC

   Windows 11

   • Windows 11:Settings›Bluetooth & devices›Add device›Bluetooth

   Windows 10

   • Windows 10:Settings›Devices›Bluetooth & other devices›Add Bluetooth or other device

   • Confirm the matching code on both screens

   ✓You should see: The phone listed as paired in the PC's Bluetooth settings.

2. 02

   Switch Dynamic Lock on

   • Settings›Accounts›Sign-in options›Dynamic lock, then tick ‘Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away’ — the same path on Windows 10 and Windows 11
   • There is nothing to configure beyond the tick — Windows uses the phone you already paired

   ✓You should see: The Dynamic lock checkbox ticked, with your phone named underneath it.

3. 03

   Understand what it actually does

   Microsoft describes it as locking the device when the Bluetooth signal drops below a certain level, which means you have moved away

   • Windows locks within about a minute after you are out of range — it is not instant, and it is not meant to be
   • Bluetooth range goes through walls, so a desk-to-kitchen walk in a small flat may not trigger it at all

   Why?

   The one-minute delay is the point: a signal that dips while you stretch should not lock your screen mid-sentence.

4. 04

   Test it once, properly

   • Take the phone and walk far enough away that the signal really drops — the next room is often not far enough
   • Wait a full minute and look at the screen when you come back
   • If it did not lock, the pairing is the first thing to check, not the setting

   ✓You should see: The lock screen when you return, rather than your desktop.

5. 05

   Keep the habit that always works

   • Windows logo key + L locks immediately, every time, with no phone and no delay
   • Dynamic Lock is the safety net for the times you forget — not a replacement for the keystroke

   !Careful: Do not rely on Dynamic Lock alone anywhere that matters. It cannot lock the PC if the phone is in your bag on the same desk, and it will not fire at all with Bluetooth switched off.

   Also see: Turn on full-disk encryption (BitLocker)