Phenquestions
Just like all major mobile platforms, Windows 8 also comes with its own lock screen. The lock screen is one of the new features introduced in Windows 8 and displays date & time by default. Users can customize the lock screen by adding notifications and changing default lock screen background.
The lock screen is the first screen that you see after the boot screen. While lock screen displays network, battery status, and other notifications, users need to move on to the logon screen (the next screen that appears when you press the enter key on lock screen) to enter the account password.
Even though the lock screen is looks pretty good, you may want to disable it so that you can quickly move to the Start screen or desktop. When you disable the lock screen, you will see the logon screen instead of the lock screen.
Please note that Group Policy Editor isn't available in Windows 8 edition and is present only in Windows 8 Pro & Enterprise editions. So, if you are running the Windows 8 edition, you need to use the registry method (method 2) to disable the lock screen.
Method 1: Works on Windows 8 Pro and Enterprise editions only.
Step 1: Switch to desktop. Press Windows + R keys to see the Run dialog. In the box, type gpedit.msc and then press enter key to open Group Policy Editor.
Step 2: Once launched, navigate to Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Control Panel, and finally Personalization.
Step 3: Double-click on the option named Do not display the lock screen to see its properties.
Step 4: Here, select Enabled and click Apply button. You are done!
Method 2: Works on all Windows 8 editions except Windows RT.
Step 1: Open Registry Editor. To do this, open Run dialog box (use Windows + R keys to open Run dialog), type Regedit.exe and then press enter key. Click Yes for the UAC prompt.
Step 2: Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
Step 3: Look for Personalization key under CurrentVersion, and if doesn't exist, create Personalization key.
Step 4: Now, on the right-hand side of Personalization, create a new DWORD value named NoLockScreen. Once done, double-click on NoLockScreen and set its value to 1 to disable the lock screen and 0 to enable the lock screen. Close Registry Editor. You are done!
Don't like Windows 8 Screen screen? Check out how to skip the Start screen and move to desktop guide.
