How to lock your keyboard? You know that an unguarded keyboard can spell disaster-or more likely, spell “dhjkhska,mnsd” if you have a pet or small child. We’ve got a quick keyboard shortcut for locking and unlocking your keyboard.
Keyboard Locker is a small program that does this job well and uses few system resources. Originally, it was a small AutoHotKey script written by a member of the AutoHotKey forum named Lexikos. We’ve spruced it up a bit and compiled it so that you don’t need AutoHotKey installed. If you have AutoHotKey installed, we have included the original script in the download for you to tweak to your liking.
If you have to leave your PC or laptop unattended and want to make sure nobody interferes with your work, you should use keyboard and mouse locker software. These special apps can either partially or completely lock up your keyboard or mouse when activated.
Let’s take a look at how to lock your keyboard and mouse so nobody can mess with it.
Download and Run Keyboard Locker
To get started, go ahead and download Keyboard Locker. Put the Keyboard Locker folder wherever you want on your hard drive. And open the Keyboard Locker folder. You’ll see a number of files inside. The two most important files here are “KeyboardLocker.exe” and “KeyboardLocker.ahk.”.
You will need to double-click “KeyboardLocker.exe” to run it if you don’t have AutoHotKey installed. This is an AutoHotKey script compiled to run as a standalone program, so you don’t need AutoHotKey to run it.
To run the script directly, you can use the “KeyboardLocker.ahk” file instead of AutoHotKey. If you’re familiar with AutoHotKey, then you can edit the script yourself to change the shortcuts for locking and unlocking your keyboard if you’re using the script version.
A small keyboard icon will appear in your notification area when Keyboard Locker is launched. You are now ready to use the tool.
Press Ctrl+Alt+L to lock your keyboard. The Keyboard Locker icon will change to indicate the keyboard is locked.
With the exception of function keys, Caps Lock, Num Lock, and most special keys on media keyboards, almost all keyboard input has been disabled. Some key combinations will still work, such as Ctrl+Alt+Delete and Win+L. These are extremely unlikely to be accidentally hit by a paw or tiny hand.
When you want to re-enable keyboard input, simply type in the word “unlock.” The Keyboard icon changes back to its original state to show that the keyboard is unlocked.
Kid Key Lock
Kid Key Lock is the right app if you want to lock certain keys or mouse buttons. Kid Key Lock is generally designed to keep your computer safe from kids (as the name suggests).
After installing and running Kid Key Lock, there are two ways to configure its settings. You can right-click its icon from the taskbar and set it using the displayed menu or you can select Setup from the app’s menu.
The Kid Key Lock menu is divided into three sections:
Mouse Locks
In the app’s menu, you can choose which button to lock from the Mouse section. You can lock just the left mouse button, just the right mouse button, just the wheel and the left button, and so on. You can choose any combination you want.
Keyboard Locks
Under Keyboard, you can use the slider to decide which keys you want to lock. You can select from 5 levels, and Kid Key Lock will display a message next to the slider informing you which keys you are locking.
You can lock only system combinations (Ctrl, Alt, Win keys), all keys but character keys, and so on. You can let someone type something on your keyboard, but don’t do anything else.
Passwords
There are two passwords to set up: one to load the setup and one to quit Kid Key Lock. Regardless of whether you lock all the keys and mouse buttons, Kid Key Lock can detect the password when you start typing.
Toddler Keys
By providing entertainment while a computer is locked, Toddler Keys is aimed at those with babies or kids. Unlike Kid Key Lock, this app only allows you to lock either the entire keyboard or both the keyboard and mouse. However, it allows you to lock the drive doors and the power button.
Note: Disabling the power button in Windows 10 isn’t possible. However, you can set the Power button to turn off the screen using the Control Panel.
To use Toddler Keys, right-click its icon on the taskbar and select what you want to lock or disable. The Manage Pictures/Sounds option allows you to add photos or sounds.
You can stop Toddler Keys by typing the password you set. The default password is quit, but you can change it by clicking Options.
Locking the keyboard and mouse turns the screen black, and it displays pictures in response to keystrokes. You can even hear sounds (WAV files only).
Note that if you lock only the keyboard, the program does not enter entertainment mode. This means you can still use your mouse to do things, like load and watch a movie. However, you won’t have to worry about your cat stepping all over the keyboard in the middle of it.
KeyFreeze
You might like KeyFreeze if you want to completely lock your keyboard and mouse while watching a movie. Basically, it locks your keyboard and mouse. As a result, there is no possibility of anyone accidentally pressing a key or clicking a stray mouse.
When you run KeyFreeze, you’ll see a small window with one button. By clicking this button, KeyFreeze will count down from 5 seconds before locking everything. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del, followed by Esc, to unlock it.
Lock Your Keyboard and Mouse Using an App
If you don’t think the Windows key + L lock feature is good enough, you can try one of these apps. Try KeyFreeze if you want an easy-to-use app to lock your keyboard and mouse while watching movies. If you need more configuration options, try Toddler Keys or Kid-Key-Lock.
