The first thing users new to Windows 8 will notice when they get their hands on their new device is how quickly it will boot up compared to devices running Windows 7. made some major changes to the way users sign in to these devices.
In the days of Windows 7, what is often referred to as the login screen was sparse and mostly utilitarian in nature. If the device has multiple users or is locked with a password, users simply click on their picture and username to log into their account. Customization options were available for users, and Windows device manufacturers who chose to change the login screen background often did a pretty bad job of choosing a particular image for their users. In short, the login screen until Windows 8 was more of a pit stop than on target. The lock screen wasn’t bad, it just did what users expected of it.
But the lock screen in Windows 8 can be equipped with a picture that users choose, and if a single picture is not enough, users can also scroll through photos uploaded from Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage service or their device. .
Notifications are now prominently displayed on the Start Screen as well. Users can assign different apps to reveal relevant information there even if they are not signed in to their device.
Here’s how to customize the Windows 8 lock screen to your liking and make it more than just a landing page where your device takes you before you enter your password.
Before we begin, it is important that you have the Windows 8.1 update installed on your device. This is a free update available to users through the Windows Store. Go to the Start Screen, open the Store app and look for “Install Windows 8.1” on the left side of your screen. If the banner is there, click on it and start the one-hour installation process. If there is no title, you already have Windows 8.1 installed on your device. You can customize the lock screen in Windows 8 before downloading the Windows 8.1 update, it will just involve a different process than the one described here.
Go to the Start Screen by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard or by pressing the Windows button next to your device’s touchscreen.
Mouse users must place their cursor in the corner of their screen to open the Charms Bar. Touch users should place their fingers on the edge of their device’s screen and swipe right slightly to reveal the Charms Bar. Tap or click .
Tap or click .
By default, the Settings app provides users with a quick list of Personalization settings. Tap or click the lock screen option in the middle of your device’s screen. In the screenshot above, it’s a scenic picture with a lamppost and a sunset. Users who don’t see this option should tap or click .
Welcome to the lock screen customization area. The top area shows the last six images used for your device’s lock screen. By tapping or clicking , you can select one of them or find more images to choose from on your device.
slideshow
Tap or click the button to have your device navigate your picture. You will only see this slideshow if your device is locked.
Most tablet buyers use this feature to turn their device into some kind of digital picture frame. By default, this option pulls photos from the pictures area of your device and the Photos area in OneDrive. Use the different switches to customize how photos appear and whether your device plays a slideshow when running on battery power.
Lock screen apps
Before slideshow options, there are settings for lock screen apps. Essentially, lock screen apps running in the background on your device aren’t explicitly allowed by Windows Store apps unless you give them permission.
Tap or click each frame to assign an app’s notifications to a specific frame. For an app to work on the lock screen, it must support some kind of update functionality. For example, communication apps are often the apps that users prefer to put on their lock screens because they want to know incoming messages just by looking at their device.
Some apps may display a more detailed update on the lock screen. This is configured as a Calendar app by default, but can be changed.
Finally, users can configure the default Alarm app in Windows 8 to work on the lock screen as well. Choosing the alarm app will fill a space in the seven default lock screen apps. Without the Alarms app added here, the Alarms app cannot turn off notifications if an alarm is set.
This much. It is very important to note that selecting options here will automatically sync the same settings to all devices you have configured with the same Microsoft Account. Any changes made here can be undone by returning to the lock screen settings menu in the control panel.
