How to Lock Keyboard and Mouse on Windows 10: Quick Guide

For many people who spend a lot of time on their computer, it’s a valuable and precious item which they can’t do without. That’s why it can be a little bit worrying when toddlers or young children get close to your computer, especially when you’re not 100% sure what they’re going to do when they’re near it. Most of them will be quite fascinated and want to play with the keyboard or move the mouse around.

Children and pets are quite good at touching your computer when you don’t really want them to, and when they do, it could cause something untoward to happen. One of the simplest ways of stopping that from happening is to lock down the machine so when a key or mouse button is pressed, nothing happens and your system is safe. Or if you want to play a video on the screen it can’t be interrupted.

Here’s a selection of different ways you can lock the keyboard and mouse from user interaction. These tools are also useful if you want to clean your keyboard and mouse without unplugging them from a computer that is currently being used.

1. KeyFreeze

KeyFreeze is a very simple tool to use. All you have to do is install it and press the large “Lock Keyboard & Mouse” button. You will then receive a 5 second countdown timer. After the time runs down the window will fade out and then your keyboard and mouse will be locked.

As it says in the dialog window, to get back to a usable keyboard and mouse simply press the standard Ctrl+Alt+Del combination and then press Escape or click the Cancel button to return to the desktop. KeyFreeze has no options to configure and the only button you can press is to turn the lock on again.

Although it requires installation, the KeyFreeze program itself is only an 85KB executable. It can be found inside a subfolder in “C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Apps\2.0” if you want to make a portable version. The .NET Framework 3.5 needs to be installed for Windows 10 users.

Download KeyFreeze

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2. BlueLife KeyFreeze

This tool is different from the one above and is created by utility maker Sordum. It is completely portable and has some useful options to lock the keyboard, the mouse, disable mouse movement, and hide the mouse pointer. Any of the options can be used with each other and are accessible from the main user interface, right click the tray icon > Options to get there.

The default hotkey for locking and unlocking is Ctrl+Alt+F although this can be changed to another Ctrl+Alt combination if you wish. In addition, unlocking can also be achieved by using Ctrl+Alt+Del which takes you directly to the Windows lock screen. That option can be turned off if you don’t want it.

You can also set up an auto lock when the system has been idle for a period of minutes, quickly lock by double left clicking the tray icon, or right click the tray icon and choose to lock the mouse, the keyboard, or both at once.

Download BlueLife KeyFreeze

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3. Kid Key Lock

This utility can partially or completely disable mouse button and keyboard key functions to lock down things to your liking. For instance, you can lock only system key combinations, lock all keys except characters, space and enter, or everything on the keyboard. For the mouse, you can lock individual buttons, double clicks, and the scroll wheel.

By default, the middle mouse button, right mouse button, and system key combinations are locked. Open the settings window to change it or add the left mouse button and more keyboard keys (slide the slider to the right). If you’re going to completely lock keyboard and mouse actions and make the program silent (by turning off the password reminder), make sure you know the passwords to show the setup screen or quit the program.

Locks can also be changed via the tray icon context menu. Kid Key Lock has portable or installer versions available.

Download Kid Key Lock | Kid Key Lock Portable

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4. Toddler Keys

Toddler Keys is quite a feature rich locking program. Not only can it lock the keyboard and restrict mouse usage but it can also stop CD-ROM trays from opening and disable the Power button (Windows XP only). Locking both keyboard and mouse together will show a black screen that cannot be escaped from until the passphrase is typed.

Another interesting feature is you can add pictures and audio files via a media manager and every time a key is pressed during a lockdown, a new picture will be displayed and sound will be played. Useful to keep toddlers occupied without affecting Windows.

Individual functions can be toggled on or off via the tray icon context menu, and double clicking the icon will enable the lock. To exit the locked screen, just type the word “quit” which can be changed to something else in the Options window. An autolocking timer can be set up to activate after a certain period of inactivity.

Download Toddler Keys
5. KeyboardLock

KeyboardLock is an easy to use and portable program to lock your keyboard and disable mouse clicks with a minimum of fuss. To use KeyboardLock, simply enter the password you want to use in the box and press Start (the default password is “cake”).

Type your chosen password to activate the keyboard and mouse locking, and the window will disappear. Type it again when you want to unlock the system. Click “About this app” to view a small selection of supported command line arguments. KeyboardLock requires .NET Framework 3.5 to be installed for Windows 10 users and it will be offered if not already present.

Download KeyboardLock

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6. Child Lock

Child Lock has a useful Auto Lock function that allows the computer’s keyboard and mouse to be locked after a 10 minute period of inactivity. It also has the simple ability of instantly locking and unlocking using the keyboard combination of Shift+Alt+End or Shift+Alt+Home.

The Windows control keys can be disabled so if you want to lock a video into full screen, for example, it can’t be Alt+tabbed out of. The “Allow Only” button enables some selected keys like Space and Page Up/Down.  Command line options are available, look at the Help menu option for more information. Child Lock does work in Windows 10 but closes itself after an unlock, this doesn’t happen in Windows 7.

Download Child Lock

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7. Keyboard and Mouse Cleaner

While the other options listed here mostly come from a security and anti-tampering perspective, this tool is a simple locker to lock your keyboard and mouse while attempting to clean them. It doesn’t have any fancy or interesting options, just the ability to work for a specific period of time.

All you have to do is launch the portable executable and set the cleaning time for xx number of seconds. Then press the brush icon in the middle to start. A countdown timer will show when the keyboard and mouse will work again. To escape the locking early, simply press Ctrl+Alt+Del.

Download Keyboard and Mouse Cleaner (Note the executable in the archive has a Portuguese name)

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8. Lock Windows

Of course, the easiest and quickest way to lock the keyboard and mouse down without using any extra software is by using the Windows Lock function. To get there just press Winkey+L or go to Start, click on the user icon > Lock.

This does have a couple of drawbacks though; Firstly, you will need to create a password on your user account if you don’t have one or it’s very easy to get back to the Desktop by pressing Enter. Secondly, you cannot play a video or show your own photos on the screen because all you see is the Windows Lock screen.