Windows Hello and Dynamic Lock

Windows 11 includes two features, Windows Hello and Dynamic lock, that respectively make it easier to sign into Windows 11 and then automatically lock the PC when you’re done using it.

Both of these features are sometimes extended by PC makers with presence detection capabilities that make it even easier to sign in and provide more reliable auto-lock functionality. You will typically find presence detection, at least as an option, on premium and business-class PCs.

Windows Hello

Windows Hello is a set of technologies in Windows 11 that seemingly achieves the impossible by making it both easier and more secure to sign into your user account. It does so using a combination of two-step authentication and a biometric authentication type—facial or fingerprint recognition—or PIN.

Windows Hello works with online accounts—Microsoft accounts and work or school accounts—and local accounts, which are sometimes called offline accounts.

That said, Windows Hello is more of a convenience than an added measure of security for local accounts because they can not take advantage of the two-step authentication protections afforded by online accounts.

The first time you sign into Windows 11 using a Microsoft account, a work or school account, or a local account with a password, you are required to create a PIN, which is the most basic form of Windows Hello. Windows 11 Setup will not continue until you do so.

If your PC supports Windows Hello facial fingerprint recognition, you will likewise be given the option of configuring that during Setup as well. But you can skip by that step if you’d like and configure it later.

Otherwise, Windows Hello is set up and configured in the Settings app. Navigate to Accounts > Sign-in options to see which Windows Hello features are available.

You will see four sign-in options, though it’s likely that only some of them will be available on your PC since three of the four require specific hardware components. They are:

Sign into your PC with Windows Hello facial recognition. If your PC includes a webcam with near infrared (IR) capabilities, you can enroll an IR representation of your face with Windows Hello and automatically sign into Windows when you sit down in front of your PC and wake it up. This is the fastest and most convenient form of Windows Hello, but some may prefer the more explicit sign in provided by Windows Hello fingerprint recognition or PIN.

If you wear glasses, you may want to enroll in Windows Hello facial recognition twice, once while wearing them and once without doing so.

Sign into your PC with Windows Hello fingerprint recognition. If your PC is equipped with a compatible fingerprint reader, you can use that to sign into Windows 11. This method provides the same level of biometric security as Windows Hello facial recognition, but it works a little less automatically since you need to find and touch the sensor.

Sign into your PC with Windows Hello PIN. You probably configured this sign in type when you first set up Windows, but you can change your PIN here.

Sign into your PC with a security key. Windows 11 supports physical security keys—typically USB-based—that can be used in addition to a Windows Hello sign in type for additional security. Security keys only work with Microsoft accounts and work or school accounts.

Assuming your PC supports it, you can enable any combination of Windows Hello capabilities. For example, you can have Windows Hello facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, and PIN all enabled simultaneously.

Dynamic lock

Dynamic lock uses a Bluetooth-paired smartphone to automatically lock your PC when you walk away from it. It is somewhat unreliable, however, and we don’t recommend using this feature.

Setting up Dynamic Lock is easy enough, assuming you’ve already paired the Bluetooth device you intend to use. (You can learn how to pair a device in Bluetooth.) Open the Settings app, navigate to Accounts > Sign-in options, locate the “Dynamic lock” entry and click it to expand it in place.

Now, click “Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you’re away.” If you’ve already paired a device, you can select it. Otherwise, Dynamic Lock configuration will fail.

Because it relies on Bluetooth, there is no way to configure this feature. Instead, Dynamic lock simply senses when your smartphone is no longer in range of the PC. For this reason, you’re better off manually locking your PC—typing WINKEY + L is the fastest way–when you step away.

Better still, look for a PC with presence detection capabilities that will lock the PC as soon as you leave.