How to lock an app on Windows
What Windows can lock
Checked against Microsoft's documentation on 2026-10-26.
| Method | What it locks | Who can use it | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win+L with Windows Hello | The whole PC | Everyone | You can't keep working while it's locked |
| Family Safety → Block app | Starting an app on a child's account | The family organizer, at account.microsoft.com/family | Only for child accounts in a Microsoft family group |
| AppLocker | Which apps a user or group may run | Administrators | It blocks the app outright instead of asking for a password, and leaves windows that are already open alone |
| A separate user account | Everything in that account | Anyone with a second account | You have to switch accounts to use the app |
| Hushwin | One window, or every window of an app | Anyone | It locks windows, not the app's launch (see below) |
None of the built-in options asks for a password when you open one app. Since update KB5024351, AppLocker can be enforced on every edition of Windows 10 (version 2004 and later) and Windows 11, but it's built for admins who decide which programs may run at all.
Lock an app's window with Hushwin
- Run Hushwin. It lives in the system tray and doesn't need administrator rights.
- Look at the window you want to protect and press Ctrl+Win+S. It becomes a hidden window.
- In Settings, turn on the 🔒 lock next to it. To lock every window of the app, check Whole app as well.
- Press Ctrl+Win+E to hide it. It disappears from the screen, the taskbar and Alt+Tab.
- Hold Ctrl+Win+E to open it. Because it's locked, Windows asks for your fingerprint, face or PIN first.
If the app tries to show a locked window by itself — when you click its tray icon, for example — Hushwin hides it again at once and asks for Windows Hello. Cancel, and it stays locked; the attempt is listed under Unlock attempts in the tray menu.
For the other shortcuts, hiding styles and automatic hiding, see How to hide a window on Windows with a keyboard shortcut.
Use a Hushwin password
In Settings you can create a Hushwin password. Locked windows then open only with Windows Hello or that password, so even someone who knows your Windows PIN can't open them.
- It must be at least 8 characters, and very common passwords such as
12345678are refused. - It's never stored as text — only as a salted PBKDF2-SHA256 hash with 600,000 rounds.
- After 5 wrong tries in a row, password entry pauses for 30 seconds, and each further miss doubles the wait, up to an hour. Windows Hello still works during the pause.
- Changing it or turning it off asks you to confirm it's you first, so nobody can swap it while you're away.
What it doesn't do
- It locks windows, not the app's launch. If the app is closed and started again from the Start menu, its new window isn't locked until you hide it. While a whole app is hidden, new windows it opens are hidden right away. To lock windows as they open, use Auto-lock by title keyword in Settings — any window whose title contains a keyword is hidden and locked the moment it appears.
- Admin apps need an admin Hushwin. Windows stops normal apps from hiding windows of apps that run as administrator, so run Hushwin as administrator to lock those.
- While Hushwin isn't running, nothing guards the windows. If it's ended in Task Manager, the windows stay hidden, and the next launch takes them back and locks them again.
FAQ
Can I password-protect an app in Windows 11 without third-party software?
Not per app. Windows can lock the whole PC with Win+L, block apps on a child's account with Family Safety, or let admins decide which apps run with AppLocker, but none of them asks for a password when one app opens.
Does Hushwin stop an app from opening?
No. Hushwin locks windows that are open: they're hidden from the screen, the taskbar and Alt+Tab, and open only after Windows Hello or your Hushwin password. To stop an app from starting at all, use Family Safety or AppLocker.
What happens if someone ends Hushwin in Task Manager?
The windows stay hidden, but nothing guards them until Hushwin runs again. On the next launch it takes them back still hidden, and locked windows are locked again — they aren't shown without Windows Hello.