How to Unlock a Locked Laptop? Quick Tips to Resolve Laptop Locking Issues

There are many errors and unexpected problems that you may encounter while using a computer. Laptop locking or laptop getting locked is a common issue that many users face, so when this problem occurs suddenly, you may be at a loss for how to handle it and fix it quickly.

Let’s find out about locking errors on laptops and some of the most effective ways to unlock your computer below.

Signs of a laptop locking error

Locking is when a laptop is suddenly locked, accompanied by an error message on the screen: “This computer is in use and has been locked. Only an administrator can unlock this computer.” At this point, users try to log in or unlock the laptop but cannot use it. All tasks cannot be processed, causing a lot of inconvenience.

Understanding the reasons why a laptop gets locked and how to fix it

So why does a laptop that is being used suddenly get locked? There are 2 common reasons why a laptop gets locked.

• Users use a password to log into the laptop, but the screen protection is faulty, so it cannot process the operation.
• The laptop screen protection and screen driver do not exist or are not installed.
• You have set the screen lock timeout.

3 quick ways to unlock a laptop, fix a locking error

As mentioned above, when a laptop is unfortunately locked, users will not be able to operate, access or use any features on the device. The only solution to fix a locking laptop is to find a way to unlock it, and you can refer to some methods below.

Method 1: Unlock the laptop with another administrator account

If you have multiple Admin accounts on the laptop, you can log in to the device with another account, use administrative privileges to reset the password for the locked account. Follow these steps.

Step 1: Log in to the laptop with another Admin account.

Step 2: Right-click on My Computer and select Manage.

Step 3: In the Computer Management utility, click on Local Users and Groups in the left sidebar, select Users.

Step 4: Find the locked login account, right-click and select Set password to set a new password. Now when you restart the computer, you can access the device normally with the old account and fix the laptop locking error.

Method 2: Unlock the locked laptop with software

Currently, there are many professional software programs that help users unlock laptops quickly with just a few simple mouse clicks. You can use the Professional PC Unlocker software to fix the locking error on your laptop with the following steps.

Step 1: Visit the website https://www.pcunlocker.com/ to download and install the Professional PC Unlocker software.

Step 2: Click here to access the website and download the Windows Password Key software to help unlock the user account password.

Step 3: Plug in a USB or other media such as a flash drive CD/DVD into the laptop. As soon as the computer starts up, quickly press F2 or F12, depending on the machine you are using. Select the USB device you just installed to boot.

Step 4: In the PC Unlocker software, select Reset User Local Password > Reset Password and enter a new password. At this point, you have successfully removed the old password and can log in to the laptop with the new password you just created.

Method 3: Disable the laptop screen lock timeout

The screen lock timeout is a useful feature that helps you secure your documents on your computer in case you leave it in a hurry without turning off the computer. However, sometimes this feature causes a locking error on the laptop, making you have to spend time logging in multiple times to access it. You can disable the automatic screen lock feature following these instructions.

Step 1: Press the Windows + I key combination to access Settings, select Personalization.

Step 2: Click on the Lock Screen section, scroll down and select Screen timeout settings.

Step 3: In the Screen section, select Never for both small items to disable the automatic screen lock feature. In the Sleep section, you can select Never if you do not want the computer to automatically go into sleep mode after a period of activity.

Conclusion

The methods to unlock a laptop mentioned above do not guarantee a 100% success rate, as they depend on the actual error situation on your device. It is best to contact a reputable warranty center or repair shop to get support in fixing the laptop locking error.