WinlockActive

Spending too much time in front of the computer starts being the norm, nowadays, especially when getting outside is no longer one's free choice. The back and the eyes are the most affected part of our bodies when we get to spend up to half a day or more glued to our screens and chairs. WinlockActive seeks to reduce the amount of time spent in front of the computer by forcibly locking your windows. Of course, you are the one controlling the break intervals.

The interface might let you think the app is broken or still work-in-progress. In fact, the looks are intended and that's how it is supposed to look like. Because there's not much to work with and no proper documentation, you'll have to figure out how it works all by yourself.

However, the UI appears to offer tooltips, at least for the time selector. If you slide the bar left and right, you choose the minutes until the OS will become unresponsive.

Deciding when a break should start is not a big deal. For example, if you wish to take breaks after an hour passes, you should adjust the slider until it displays a value of 59 (minutes). Adding entries can be done without a limit, so you can set up multiple intervals, as per your needs.

Regarding how long the breaks are, or how much time your OS is locked, that's a bit fuzzy. During our tests, a short break of five minutes kept the OS locked for almost an hour. As there is no data or information on how the break time works, except a loading bar that displays nothing but a percentage of the untracked time, that can be pretty annoying, especially for users who don't have too much time on their hands.

Still, in case the break time lingers too much, you can always terminate the app from within the task manager. While the break time is active, it appears that you can select an image to display on your screen.

WinlockActive's sole purpose is unsticking users from their screens. Even if a total OS lockdown sounds drastic, some individuals might appreciate that. Regarding the looks, that's not the app's strong point, but the biggest downside is the lack of information about some aspects of its core functionality.