Lock your Windows PC from your Android phone
Lock your PC with one tap from your phone, or let it lock itself when your phone has been away for a set time. Unlocking stays on the PC.
Tap Lock PC on the phone and the PC’s screen locks. For a hands-free version, turn on Walk-away lock on the PC: when your phone’s connection has been gone for the time you choose, the PC locks itself. Unlocking from the phone isn’t supported, so you sign in on the PC as usual.
At a glance
- One tap: Lock PC on the phone.
- Walk-away lock after 30 seconds to 10 minutes without your phone.
- Unlocking from the phone isn’t possible.
- From another PC, Lock › Lock now does the same.
Step by step
Allow screen lock on the PC
On the PC open your phone › Permissions and set Screen lock to Allow.
Lock it now
Tap Lock PC on the phone. From another PC, open the device and choose Lock › Lock now.
Turn on walk-away lock
On the PC open Settings › Security & organisation › Walk-away lock, choose your phone and a time under Lock after.
Test it
Walk away with the phone and check that the PC locks after the time you set.
If it locks sooner than expected
Walk-away lock reacts to your phone’s connection disappearing. If a battery saver stops the phone app, the PC may lock early. Allow unrestricted battery use for Personal Bridge: Stop Android from pausing the app.
If your phone is lost
On another of your devices, open the phone and choose Remove device so it can no longer connect. Then turn off walk-away lock for that phone (Manage devices and permissions).
Questions
Can the phone unlock my PC too?
No. Unlocking from the phone isn’t supported; you sign in on the PC as usual.
What counts as “away” for walk-away lock?
The PC locks when your phone’s connection has been gone for the time you set under Lock after, between 30 seconds and 10 minutes.
Is there a command for it?
Yes: pdb lock <device> locks a PC, and pdb presence --device <phone> --grace 60 sets up walk-away lock.