# Lock Screen and login window

> Lock the screen when you step away, choose when it locks by itself, and sign in from the login window, with a hint after three wrong passwords.

Source: https://wolos.org/manual/lock-screen

## What it is

The **lock screen** covers your desktop with the time, the date, your picture and a password field. Your apps keep running behind it. The **login window** is the same screen before anyone has signed in: it lists the accounts on this computer, and has **Sleep**, **Restart** and **Shut Down** at the bottom.

![The lock screen: the time and date at the top, the account picture with initials and the name below, and an Enter Password field.](/img/manual/lock-screen.png)

## Why

A computer left open is an open account. Locking has to be quick enough that you do it, and automatic for the times you forget. The lock also has to hold: if the lock screen itself stops, the desktop stays covered and a new lock screen takes its place, so a crash never opens your session.

## How

### Lock now

- **Ctrl+Super+Q**, or
- the WolOS menu (the logo at the top left) > **Lock Screen**.

To unlock, type your password and press Return (or the arrow button). The eye button shows what you typed. While Caps Lock is on, you see "⇪ Caps Lock is on" under the field.

![The lock screen with a password typed and the line Caps Lock is on under the field.](/img/manual/lock-screen-caps-lock.png)

A wrong password says "Incorrect password", and you can type again.

### Lock by itself: Settings > Lock Screen

![Settings, Lock Screen: 1 Lock screen when inactive, set to 5 minutes; 2 Lock when the computer sleeps, turned on. The display turns off a minute after the lock.](/img/manual/settings-lock-screen-annotated.png)

1. **Lock screen when inactive**: after 1, 2, 5 (the default) or 10 minutes without input, or **Never**.
2. **Lock when the computer sleeps**: on, the lock screen is up when the computer wakes.

The display turns off one minute after the screen locks. Both settings are recorded like any other setting, so `wol undo` or **Restore > Recent Changes** takes a change back ([Recovery](/manual/recovery)).

### The login window

![The login window after three wrong passwords: the account alice is chosen, and under the password field a line reads Hint: white rabbit; Back, Sleep, Restart and Shut Down are below.](/img/manual/login-window-hint.png)

1. **Click your account.** The password field opens under it; **Back** returns to the list.
2. **Type your password** and press Return.
3. **After three wrong passwords** (here and on the lock screen) the password hint of that account shows under the field (Setup asks for one; it is optional), as "Hint: …". With no hint, nothing is shown.

**Sleep**, **Restart** and **Shut Down** work from the login window without signing in.

## A worked example

Alice walks away from her desk for a coffee and presses **Ctrl+Super+Q**. The screen shows the clock and her picture, and her video call keeps running behind it. When she is back she types her password and presses Return. The desktop is exactly as she left it. For the days she forgets, Settings > Lock Screen locks it after 5 minutes.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Incorrect password" | Check Caps Lock and the keyboard layout, then type it again. After three tries the login window shows your hint. |
| "Your password can’t be checked right now. Try again, or restart." | The password check did not answer. Wait a moment and try again; if it keeps saying this, restart. |
| "This computer can’t restart right now. If someone else is signed in, they need to sign out first." | Restart from the lock screen does not end another person's session. Ask them to sign out, or unlock and restart from your account. |
| "This computer can’t shut down right now. Try again." | The request was not taken. Wait a moment and try again. |
| "No Accounts" on the login window, with "No account on this computer can sign in here. Ask the person who looks after it for help." | No account here can sign in at the login window. The person who looks after the computer can add one in Settings > Users & Groups. |
| The screen locks too soon, or never | Settings > Lock Screen > **Lock screen when inactive**. |