Screen lock
Screen locks offer your devices an important extra layer of security. Each time you want to unlock your device or switch it on, you’ll be asked to enter a PIN, password or fingerprint. This means that if someone gets hold of your device they can’t easily access the data that's on it.
You should always lock your device when you leave it or put it down, but it's worth ensuring that it automatically locks itself just in case you forget. If you're using a University managed device then automatic locking is already configured. For instructions on how to configure automatic locking on other devices please see below.
Enable automatic locking on your device
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Windows
Windows 10
- Right-click on the desktop and choose Personalize
- Click on Lock screen
- Click Screen saver settings
- Tick On resume, display logon screen and set the Wait time to no more than 10 minutes
- Click Apply and then OK
Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and Windows Vista
- Right-click on the desktop and choose Personalize
- Click on Screen Saver
- Tick On resume, display logon screen and set the Wait time to no more than 10 minutes
- Click Apply and then OK
Remember: You can lock a Windows device manually at any time by pressing Windows key + L on the keyboard.
Mac OS X
- Go to System Preferences
- Click on Desktop & Screen Saver
- Click on the Screen Saver tab
- In the bottom right corner, set Start after to no more than 10 minutes
- Now return to the main System Preferences screen and click on Security & Privacy
- Under the General tab, tick Require password after sleep or screen saver begins and set this to immediately
You can lock your Mac manually at any time by pressing Command + Option + Power simultaneously. Providing you have Require password immediately after sleep or screen saver begins enabled (as described above) the password will then be needed to unlock the device.
Linux
The following instructions are based on Ubuntu 14.04. Other Linux distros may be similar but not identical.
- Go to System Settings
- Click on Brightness & Lock
- Switch on Lock and select a timeout of no more than 10 minutes from the dropdown list
You can lock your Linux machine manually at any time by clicking on the system menu in the menu bar and selecting Lock Screen.
iOS
- Go to Settings
- Select General
- Select Auto-Lock and set to a time no more than 10 minutes
You can lock your iOS device manually at any time by pressing the Sleep/Wake button.
Android
The following instructions are based on the stock version of Android 5 Lollipop. Other versions of the Android operating system may be similar but not identical.
- Go to the App menu andselect Settings
- Select Security
- Select Automatically Lock and set this to Immediately
- Go back to the main Settings screen and select Display
- Select Sleep and select a timeout of no more than 10 minutes
Disable smart lock
Android
Android 5 Lollipop introduced a new Smart Lock feature.
This allows the phone to automatically disable your device password/passcode under certain conditions (eg when at home or when paired with a smartwatch).
This feature should be switched off.
The following instructions are based on the stock version of Android 5 Lollipop. Other versions of the Android operating system may be similar but not identical.
Please note, not all Android 5 devices will necessarily offer the Smart Lock feature.
- Go to the App menu and tap on Settings
- Select Security
- Select Smart Lock and make sure this is set to Off
