Windows
Desktop auto-lock group policy timer set incorrectly
The desktop did not automatically lock after 15 minutes of inactivity. The technician corrected the machine's auto-lock group policy timer to 15 minutes and monitored it until it locked and went to sleep.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2026-10-14.
What you see
- Desktop stays unlocked past the 15-minute inactivity timeout.
- During monitoring, the machine did not auto-lock until the policy was corrected.
Why it happens
Likely The machine-specific group policy for auto-lock was not set correctly.
When it shows up
A Windows desktop does not auto-lock after the expected inactivity period and the issue is tied to the local machine's auto-lock policy.
You are in this case if:
- The machine's auto-lock group policy timer is not set to 15 minutes.
1 fix below
The steps that killed it
The steps are behind a quick check
There are two ways in and both take a few seconds. Signing in opens the steps on every bug page; so does reading the picture.
Or answer this
Drawing a picture for you.
Can't read it? Sign in instead.
Someone from XL.net killed this on a Windows computer on 2026-10-14. It is written up from that one repair, so it cites no outside page.