Use and Tweak Your Windows 10 Lock Screen

The first item that greets you when you fire up Windows 10 is the Lock screen. Clicking or tapping on it brings you to the sign-in screen, where you log into Windows. The Lock screen might seem unnecessary, but it offers some tidbits that can be useful before you even launch Windows.

From the Lock screen, you can view information from certain apps. You can also chat with Cortana, if you’ve installed the new Windows 10 Anniversary update. And you can customize the screen with your favorite background image or slideshow.

To tweak the Lock screen within Windows 10, click the Start button, then click on the Settings icon. (For those of you who’ve installed the Windows 10 Anniversary update, the Settings icon looks like a small gear.) From the Settings screen, click on the category for Personalization, then click on the setting for Lock screen. The first thing to do is pick a background image for the Lock screen. Click on the dropdown menu under Background. Let’s choose Windows Spotlight.

The spotlight option displays a different image periodically, and you get to vote on which images you like. Windows asks if you like or dislike a certain image to try to learn your preferences, and it then displays images that might strike your fancy.

The second option for Picture lets you choose a picture from one of the thumbnail images displayed. Or you can click on the Browse button to choose an image of your own. And the third option for Slideshow lets you choose multiple images that segue from one to another, to play a slideshow on your Lock screen.

The next option lets you display tips and other information about Windows and Cortana on your Lock screen. This option is available only when you set your background image as a picture.

Next, you can choose an app to see specific details from it on the Lock screen. Click on the icon under the phrase “Choose an app to show detailed status.” You can opt to see details from Weather, Messaging, Calendar, and Mail, among other apps. For example, choosing Calendar might show you an appointment scheduled today, and choosing Weather might display the current temperature.

The next time the Lock screen pops up, you should see information from the apps you chose. When you’re happy with your Lock screen image, you can keep the same one for your sign-in screen. Just turn on the next option to “Show lock screen background picture on the signin screen.”

Finally, the coolest option of all may be the ability to chat with Cortana at the Lock screen without having to log in. Just click on the link labeled “Cortana lock screen settings.” The Cortana settings pane appears, displaying this option:”Use Cortana even when my device is locked.” Make sure that setting is enabled, and you’ll be able to say, “Hey Cortana” and ask a question or issue a command to Microsoft’s voice assistant right from the Lock screen. This option is available only if you’ve installed the Windows 10 Anniversary update. Scroll down a bit farther, and you can also turn on an option to “Let Cortana manage my calendar, email, messages, and Power BI data when my device is locked.”