Windows
Auto-lock did not trigger after inactivity
The affected account was not auto-locking after 5 minutes of inactivity. The auto-lock settings were updated and then verified by leaving the machine idle for 5 minutes until it locked.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2026-01-07.
Affects
Versions
- Windows
What you see
- The session stays unlocked after 5 minutes of no use instead of locking automatically.
Why it happens
Likely The account's auto-lock settings were not set to the intended inactivity timeout.
When it shows up
A Windows account on a shared computer does not lock after 5 minutes of inactivity.
You are in this case if:
- The inactivity lock or screen saver timeout for the affected account is not set to 5 minutes.
- Leaving the session idle for 5 minutes does not lock the screen.
1 fix below
The steps that killed it
The steps are behind a quick check
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Someone from XL.net killed this on a Windows computer on 2026-01-07. It is written up from that one repair, so it cites no outside page.