Have you been experiencing issues where Windows locks/enters standby mode even while you’re active on the device?
This is due to a program that Dell installs called Dell Optimizer. It uses proximity sensors that are on a timer, and it has a higher priority than the Windows power/security setting.
What is Dell Optimizer?
Dell Optimizer is a program that boosts security by intelligently optimizing the performance of your systems using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). It’s designed to improve user experience by being faster at launching and transitioning applications, longer battery life, automatically updating, and more.
The program uses a proximity sensor that can detect movement, or lack of movement, and decide if the device should be locked. Although this does enhance the security of the device, it can be an issue when the system locks and you’re still trying to use it. Thankfully, there’s a way to fix this annoyance.
Products Affected: The issue is most frequent with the Dell Precision 5560, but also affects the following devices:
- Latitude 7310
- Latitude 7410
- Latitude 9410
- Precision 5550
- Precision 5560
- Precision 5750
- Precision 5760
- Precision 7550
- Precision 7560
- Precision 7750
- Precision 7760
How to Fix the Problem:
Dell has provided instructions on how to mitigate the issue
- Launch Dell Optimizer and then click Start Exploring
- Select Proximity Sensor
- Under Walk Away Lock, either:
- Click ‘On’ to ‘Off’ to completely disable
- Modify ‘Set lock timer’ to change the amount of time before the device lock
- You can also completely uninstall the Dell Optimizer app as a more permanent solution