Guide
Lock a Windows PC but keep the screen visible
Windows’ own lock hides the display: Win+L and a password-protected screen saver protect the PC, but nothing on the screen stays visible. To lock the screen and still keep it visible – for a dashboard, a plant display or a running measurement – you usually need an extra program: a transparent (see-through) screen lock that locks only keyboard and mouse while every program stays visible and keeps running.
Why: control rooms, dashboards, measurement PCs
Some workstations must be watched but not operated – look, don’t touch:
- control-room and operator PCs whose plant displays and alarms must stay visible
- dashboard and wallboard PCs in production, warehouses or IT that show key figures
- measurement PCs in the lab running a measurement nobody should cancel by accident
- long runs – a build, a data import or an AI agent working in the background or in a terminal – whose progress you want to keep an eye on
In regulated environments, only authorised people may operate a system as well – in pharma, for example, under 21 CFR Part 11 and EU GMP Annex 11. At the same time, Microsoft points out that automatic locking can hinder productivity, for example in a restricted manufacturing area used by trusted people. What is needed is a lock that protects without hiding the display.
What Windows offers – and why the display disappears
Locking with Win+L
Windows shows the lock screen, and the program windows are no longer visible. Programs keep running; unlocking needs a Windows sign-in. Ideal for protection – not for a display that must stay visible.
Screen saver and automatic lock
After an idle time the screen saver starts; with password protection or the machine inactivity policy it locks the session. The display is covered here too.
Kiosk mode (assigned access)
Restricts a device to one full-screen app or a fixed set of apps. Those apps stay usable, though: kiosk mode decides what may be used, not that nobody can interfere.
Keyboard Filter
Suppresses single keys and key combinations in the Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise editions. It is meant for dedicated devices, is set up by administrators (for example through WMI) and filters the keyboard only.
No lock
Without an automatic lock the display stays visible, but the PC is open: anyone can use it – exactly what a lock is meant to prevent.
So the lock functions of Windows protect the PC by hiding the display. For “locked but visible”, a separate program is the usual way.
Lock keyboard and mouse, keep the screen visible: the transparent screen lock
A transparent screen lock – also called a see-through or transparent lock screen – intercepts keyboard and mouse system-wide and lays a see-through layer over the screen. Underneath, every window stays visible and programs keep running; unlocking needs a sign-in. Several vendors offer such programs – a factual comparison with well-known products is on the Vitrine product page.
What to look for when choosing one:
- Unlocking: Windows password and Windows Hello, or a separate password? Who may unlock – only the signed-in person or others too?
- Confidential content: can areas be covered, or the whole screen, when not everything should be visible?
- Screen stays on: are screen saver and sleep suppressed while locked, so that a wallboard does not go dark?
- Several monitors: does the lock cover every monitor, even with different scaling?
- Audit trail: is it recorded who locked, unlocked or tried and failed, and when?
- Deployment: MSI package, Group Policy or Intune for many PCs?
- Maintenance: is the program built for current Windows versions and still actively maintained?
Vitrine: the see-through screen lock by ICT Baden
Vitrine is our transparent screen lock for Windows 10 and 11. Ctrl+Alt+L or a click in the notification area locks keyboard and mouse; programs stay visible and keep running, with only a light dimming on top. Optionally a notice such as “Measurement running – please do not touch” is shown. Unlock with the Windows password or Windows Hello.
Lock in many ways
Hotkey, notification area, idle time, schedule or right at startup – for control-room and wallboard PCs.
Screen stays on
No screen saver and no sleep while locked; one overlay per monitor, matched to its scaling.
Covered where needed
Covered mode with a large clock, covered areas, or only the windows of selected programs visible.
Who may unlock
The signed-in person, administrators, groups or single accounts – set in the settings or by policy.
Audit log
Every lock, unlock and failed attempt with UTC time and method. The SHA-256 hash chain makes changes visible but cannot prevent them; a copy on a network share and the Windows event log add independent records.
Central deployment
MSI for silent installation, 52 policies as ADMX/ADML templates for Group Policy and Intune.
For GxP workstations, Vitrine provides building blocks: access control, an audit trail, electronic signatures and automatic locking. It is not a validated product; ICT Baden makes no compliance claim, and validation and risk assessment are up to the operator.
Honestly: Vitrine is a pre-release (0.5.0), not code-signed yet and not yet tested end to end on real devices – Windows Hello, multiple monitors, Remote Desktop and touch input, among others, are still open. It protects against people at keyboard and mouse, not against malware in the session, and administrators can stop it. Transparent means visible: choose the covered mode for confidential content. Vitrine is free of charge under the MIT licence. The download follows with the public release.
Our product
Vitrine – Transparent screen lock for Windows
Keyboard and mouse locked, every program visible and running – unlock with the Windows password or Windows Hello; for Windows 10 and 11.
Status: Coming soon · Coming soon
The options at a glance
| Option | Display visible | Programs keep running | Keyboard and mouse locked | Unlock | Extra software |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win+L (lock screen) | no | yes | yes | Windows sign-in | no |
| Screen saver with password | no | yes | yes | Windows sign-in | no |
| Kiosk mode (assigned access) | yes, the allowed apps | only the allowed apps | no, the allowed apps stay usable | – | no |
| Keyboard Filter | yes | yes | only selected keys | – | no |
| No lock | yes | yes | no | – | no |
| Transparent screen lock, e.g. Vitrine | yes | yes | yes | depends on the program; Vitrine: Windows password or Windows Hello | yes |
Kiosk mode and Keyboard Filter are Windows features for dedicated devices: assigned access is available in Pro, Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise, Keyboard Filter in Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise.
Which option fits when?
-
The PC must be protected, the display may disappear
Win+L and the automatic lock of Windows are enough.
-
The display must stay visible, nobody should interfere
A transparent screen lock, for example Vitrine.
-
The device should show one app that stays usable
Kiosk mode (assigned access) in Windows.
-
Confidential data on the screen
Lock with the screen covered, or cover areas – see-through means readable.
-
Measurement PC in a GxP lab
A lock with an audit log, including an independent copy, and defined unlock permissions, embedded in your own validation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I lock my PC and still see what is on the screen?
Not with Win+L or the screen saver – both hide the display. A transparent screen lock such as Vitrine locks only keyboard and mouse instead; programs stay visible and keep running. Vitrine is currently a pre-release (0.5.0). The download follows with the public release.
Do programs keep running when I lock Windows with Win+L?
Yes. The session stays open and programs are not closed, but their windows are hidden behind the lock screen until someone signs in.
How do I lock keyboard and mouse without locking the screen?
With a transparent screen lock. In Vitrine, Ctrl+Alt+L or a click in the notification area is enough; keyboard and mouse are then locked, and you unlock with the Windows password or Windows Hello. Windows Hello has not yet been tested on real devices.
Does Windows kiosk mode help?
Only if the device should be restricted to certain apps. Assigned access decides which apps run, but those apps stay usable. It is not a lock that keeps everyone from interfering.
Can Ctrl+Alt+Del be blocked?
An application cannot intercept it – Windows reserves this key combination for its own security screen. Windows itself can suppress it with Keyboard Filter in the Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise editions. While locked, Vitrine hides Task Manager, Sign out and Change a password there; Lock and Switch user remain.
Is a see-through lock suitable for measurement PCs in a GxP environment?
As a building block, yes: Vitrine brings access control, an audit trail, electronic signatures and automatic locking. It is not a validated product, though, and version 0.5.0 has not yet been tested on real devices; whether its use meets 21 CFR Part 11 or EU GMP Annex 11 is for the operator to assess in their validation.
More guides
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- Find orphaned SIDs and Everyone permissions on Windows file servers – Account Unknown, Everyone can write, inheritance broken: how to find risky permissions on a file server – with built-in tools or a report.
- Check Windows hardening offline – without an agent, on plant, lab and control-room PCs – Built-in commands, central tools or a portable collector: how to check Windows hardening on plant PCs without installing anything – compared honestly.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows Hello and Intune are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. They are named only to describe features and compatibility.
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