Timed Locker

Temporarily stepping away from the computer means locking it to make sure that no one else gains access to your personal information, not even a peek at the screen. Windows has a PC locking feature for this which, unlike sign-out or log-off, doesn't close any running applications.

Unfortunately, it doesn't let you set a delay before the lock, not through a graphical interface at least. Unless you want to resort to command prompt each time you want to do this, you can turn to Timed Locker. It's a simple tool that gives you the possibility to specify the timeout before the computer gets locked, an action which can only be stopped by setting a password (that's unrelated to the system's local or Microsoft account password).

It's portable, which means that you can double-click the .exe from the downloaded archive to reach the main window right away. Before doing so, however, you should consult the readme.txt file to find out the default password used to stopping Timed Locker ( simply "password") because a countdown until the lock begins as soon as you launch the utility.

Although there is no risk of losing unsaved data when the computer gets locked, this unexpected event can take some users by surprise. After stopping the countdown with the default password, you can configure settings. For instance, you can change the key into something else and set the timeout (default is 10 seconds).

When logging into Windows (after the lock), the main window of Timed Locker remains active, so it's still necessary to enter the password to get rid of it. On the other hand, you can ask the tool to exit on system locks, successful task abort, or in both cases. There's also a testing mode for simulating the countdown until lock.

Taking into account its straightforward interface and options, Timed Locker is ideal for any user who wants to easily set a timeout before PC locking.