14 DAY TRIAL // There are many ways to prevent nosy friends or co-workers from snooping on your Windows computer when you're not around, such as setting up a local or Microsoft account to be able to rapidly lock the PC by pressing Win + L and unlock it with a password.
Another way is by resorting to third-party tools made to quickly lock and unlock the keyboard and mouse while keeping the screen's contents visible. In the following guide, we're going to show you how to effortlessly do this with KeyboardLock, Child Lock and BlueLife KeyFreeze. They are free to use.
KeyboardLock
This app doesn't require installation, so you can double-click the .exe file from the downloaded package to launch KeyboardLock.
To lock and unlock the keyboard and mouse, you have to enter a password. The default one is cake, but you can change it into anything else. Click Start and simply type the password to lock the PC, and type it again to unlock it. The pointer can be moved in locked mode, but nothing happens if you click the mouse buttons or try to type something.
Note that KeyboardLock allows the Ctrl+Alt+Delete command to be triggered, so someone can do this to access Task Manager and switch to open windows.
Child Lock
Child Lock creates an icon in the systray at startup and has four buttons displayed in the main window. Click Auto Lock to make the application automatically lock the PC if it hasn't been active in the last 10 minutes. To cancel this task, double-click the tray icon of Child Lock and click Cancel in the main window.
Click Lock to block the keyboard and mouse right away or press Shift+Alt+End. While they are locked, any key press or mouse click will turn the mouse pointer into the forbidden sign.
Click Block Win Ctrl to block only control keys, namely Ctrl, Alt and Win key or click Allow Only to allow only a few keys to be pressed: Space, PageUp and PageDown. This mode starts a few seconds after clicking its button to give you time to select a window to restrict the buttons inside it. In this mode, the mouse pointer cannot be moved.
To unlock the keyboard and mouse, trigger the Shift+Alt+Home key combination. Click Options in the main app window to review the hotkeys for locking and unlocking if you forget them. It's not possible to change them.
Note that Child Lock allows the Ctrl+Alt+Delete command to be triggered (even if you activate Block Win Ctrl), so someone can do this to access Task Manager and switch to open windows.
BlueLife KeyFreeze
BlueLife KeyFreeze isn't wrapped in a setup kit, so you can double-click the .exe file from the downloaded package to run the program. It gets integrated into the systray.
To lock the keyboard and mouse, right-click the tray icon and select Lock All Keys or press Ctrl + Alt + F. There's a small delay before locking, during which you can cancel the task.
It's also possible to lock only the keyboard or only the mouse (right-click the tray icon and select Lock Keyboard or Lock Mouse).
To unlock the keyboard and mouse, press Ctrl + Alt + F. If you want to modify this combination (Ctrl + Alt + any letter or number), right-click the tray icon, go to Options, click the menu next to Hotkey for lock/unlock: and pick the desired combo. You can also block mouse movement (clear the Allow mouse movement box) or Hide mouse pointer (tick this box). Click Apply Options to commit modifications once you're done.
If someone sends the Ctrl + Alt + Delete command after locking the devices with BlueLife KeyFreeze, the computer gets locked instead.
Note: these apps cannot prevent someone from pressing the power button on your computer to shut it down, thus losing any unsaved work, and turning it on again to gain access to your data unless Windows login is requested. Therefore, you should still create a local or Microsoft account to ensure your PC's security.
Play our video guide below to see how to quickly lock and unlock the keyboard and mouse using these three programs. You can also download KeyboardLock, Child Lock and BlueLife KeyFreeze.
How to Quickly Lock Your Keyboard & Mouse When Stepping Away from the PC
Prevent nosy friends or co-workers from snooping on your Windows computer when you're not around using these three FREE tools. Read our article for more info: http://www.softpedia.com/blog/how-to-quickly-lock-your-keyboard-and-mouse-when-stepping-away-from-the-pc-504956.shtml
