The Windows 11 lock screen will time out and shut off your display in less than 30 seconds — but what if you want it to stay on longer? You’ll need to edit the registry to enable the timeout settings in Windows 11. Here’s how to edit the registry.
Enable the Setting in the Registry Manually
Windows 11 doesn’t display the option to change the lock screen timeout setting anywhere by default. The most similar settings are the display timeout settings when your PC is not locked.
Warning: The Windows Registry is critical to the Windows operating system and most programs you have installed. Incorrectly modifying or deleting registry entries can result in system instability or inoperability. You should read about the Windows Registry and how to use the Registry Editor safely before trying this.
You’ll need to use the Registry Editor (RegEdit) to enable the setting before you can change it.
Begin by launching Regedit — open up the Start Menu, type “regedit” into the search bar, then hit Enter or click “Open.”
Navigate to the following address in RegEdit:
Tip: You can just paste the path provided into the address bar in RegEdit.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlPowerPowerSettings7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc998EC4B3A5-6868-48c2-BE75-4F3044BE88A7
Double-click the DWORD named “Attributes” to modify its value.
Change “Data Value” from 1 to 2, then click “OK.”
That is the only thing you need to change in the registry, so close out RegEdit.
If you ever want to disable the option, just change the value back to 1.
Use Our REG Files to Automate The Process
If you don’t want to go digging through the registry manually — and there are plenty of reasons to want to avoid it — you can just use our pre-made REG files to apply the changes automatically.
Warning: REG files just apply preset changes to the Windows Registry based on the contents of the file. Generally, you shouldn’t trust random REG files you download off the Internet — they could be malicious. You can check any REG file by opening it in a plain text editor. It is normal to see a warning popup whenever you try to apply a REG file you downloaded or made yourself. If the source is trustworthy or you’ve checked the file, just hit “Run” and “Yes” when prompted.
Download our REG files from the link below:
Open the ZIP file in any archival program that you like. Windows can open ZIP files in File Explorer, but If you want a dedicated file archiving program, 7-Zip is a great all-around choice.
RELATED: The Best File Archiving Program for Windows
Double-click “Add Lock Screen Timeout Setting to Power Options.reg” and click “Yes” at the security prompt. The change to the registry will take effect immediately.
Double-click “Remove Lock Screen Timeout Setting From Power Options.reg” to disable the lock screen timeout option again.
Open Up Power Plan Settings in the Control Panel
Note: This registry hack will not enable the timeout options in the Settings app.
The options that let you control the lock screen timeout are now enabled in the Control Panel’s Power Plan settings. Click the Start button, type “Control Panel” into the Start Menu search bar, then click “Open” or hit Enter.
Tip: If you want to save yourself some clicks you can type “edit power plan” and select that result instead.
Click “Hardware and Sound” if your Control Panel is set to “View By: Category.”
Note: If your Control Panel is set to “Small” or “Large,” you can just click “Power Options.”
Look for a large section titled “Power Options,” then click “Edit Power Plan” underneath “Power Options.”
Click “Change Advanced Power Settings” near the bottom.
You need to navigate to Display > Console Lock Display Off Timeout. Then adjust the timeout for both “Plugged In” and “On Battery.”
There are a few important things to be aware of here.
You probably won’t see two options if you’re on a desktop — don’t worry, that is normal. Just adjust the option you have. Additionally, the timeout you set will be slightly wrong. Windows 11 has a minimum timeout of about 30 seconds, and that will be added to whatever time you enter into the box.
If you want to disable the timeout entirely, just enter 0. Additionally, the maximum timeout defined in the registry is 4,294,967,295 seconds (71,582,788 minutes) — which is just over 136 years. If you need longer, you’ll have to wait for an update from Microsoft.
