The Windows 8 Lock
screen is a feature that is borrowed from smartphones of all types: the
iPhone, the Android, and, yes, the Windows 7 phone. The idea is that
when a certain period of inactivity is detected, your device locks up
and waits for you to do something to unlock it.
The Lock screen is not just a pretty
picture—it can be your pretty picture. In Windows 8, the Lock screen
also displays the date and time, system settings (like the current power
or network status), and, optionally, notifications (like the number of
mail messages). When you first start, boot up, or wake your system from
sleep, the Lock screen is the first thing you see.
The Lock screen is
useful on a phone, less so on a tablet, and not so much on a PC. You can
make several modifications to the Lock screen.
To display the Lock screen on your device
In either the tile-based or Desktop interface, press 
+L (for Lock).
To close the Lock screen
• Swipe up from the bottom edge of the display.
• Press any key on your keyboard.
• Click your mouse button.
To change the Lock screen
1. Press +C (for Charms), and tap or click the Settings icon.
2. Tap or click Change PC Settings at the bottom of the Charms bar (the bar that appears on the right side of the screen).
3. Tap or click the Lock Screen link (if necessary, since it’s the default) to go to the PC Settings Personalize page .
The Lock screen
4. To change your Lock screen picture, click any of the picture thumbnails.
or
Click the Browse button, navigate to a picture of your choosing, and select that picture.
5. To have an app show
its detailed status on the Lock screen, click the icon in the Choose An
App To Display Detailed Status section, and then select that app. shows the Calendar app selected (the default).
6. To have apps run in
the background and show notifications (when they have any), click the
plus (+) button in the Choose Apps To Run In The Background section and
select the app from the pop-up menu .
The app notification pop-up menu
To enable an app to show notifications, turn this feature on in the Notifications section of PC Settings.
Tip
For a better effect, try to match the screen resolution of the Lock screen picture to the resolution of your display.
