Your Computer is Locked

Summary

You may get a notification on your computer screen stating the computer is locked due to a virus identified on the computer, or some other reason. Microsoft does not lock people’s computers, so that message is an indication that the alert is fake.

There might be a request that you “Call Microsoft” with a number that is displayed. This is a fraudulent attempt to get access to your computer and/or get your credit card details.

Corrective Steps

Usually these messages are displayed using your browser. Follow these steps to remedy the situation.

Windows Computer Steps

1. On a Windows computer, press CTRL + ALT + DEL — This means you should press and hold these keys on the keyboard without the plus symbol, but only the keys.
2. You should see a list of options including a button for Task Manager. Click on the Task Manager option.
3. A list of running programs should show. You can click on your browser in the list, and then click the End Task button. This will force the browser to close. Any unsaved information will be lost, but the message should go away from your computer screen.
4. If these three steps don’t work, you could press and hold the power button on your computer for 5 to 7 seconds which will force the computer to turn off. This will also result in any unsaved changes in open programs to be lost.
5. When browsers are forced to close, on restarting there will generally be a message asking if you would like to open up the pages that were open during your last session. If you open the pages, this might cause the message to come back to your screen, so you will probably want to decline the option to open previous windows or tabs. For people that regularly have dozen of tabs open with, those open tabs will be closed out.

Apple Computer Steps

1. From the Apple menu, choose Force Quit. Or, if you can’t get to the Apple menu, press Command + Option + Esc — This means you should press and hold these keys on the keyboard without the plus symbol, but only the keys.
2. From the Force Quit window, you should see your browser listed among the currently running programs. Select it and then press the Force Quit button. This will cause your browser to close. Any unsaved information will be lost, but the message should go away from your computer screen.
3. When browsers are forced to close, on restarting there will generally be a message asking if you would like to open up the pages that were open during your last session. If you open the pages, this might cause the message to come back to your screen, so you will probably want to decline the option to open previous windows or tabs. For people that regularly have dozen of tabs open with, those open tabs will be closed out.

Prevention Tips

Only visit known trusted websites. Less reputable sites may be more susceptible to website malware. Always contact a tech savvy friend or your regular tech support contact to get a second opinion about any unusual messages or alerts on the computer.