Chrome Remote Desktop: Lock Screen with Curtain Mode

Chrome Remote Desktop lock screen

By default, the host computer shows as usual when you use Chrome Remote Desktop to control PC. It's possible to lock screen with Chrome Remote Desktop access. There’s a thing called Curtain mode for Chrome Remote Desktop. With this mode enabled, when you remotely log onto a host, the host will automatically show a locked screen, preventing someone physically present at the host machine from seeing what you’re doing when remotely connected.

How to lock screen on Chrome Remote Desktop [2 methods]

This part provides two ways to enable Curtain mode for Chrome Remote Desktop to make Chrome Remote Desktop lock screen during remote sessions.

Method 1. Enable Curtain mode using Registry

On Windows 10/11, you can set the following four keys using Regedit to enable Curtain mode:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\fDenyTSConnections to 0.
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\UserAuthentication to 0.
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\RemoteAccessHostRequireCurtain to 1.
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\SecurityLayer to 1.

In case you don’t know how to do this, we’ll take the first key as an example, teaching you how to set it. For the next three keys, repeat the previous steps.

Step 1. Press WIN + R and then type in “regedit” to open the Registry Editor.

Step 2. Navigate here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > Terminal Server. On the right pane, find and double-click fDenyTSConnections.

Step 3. Set its value to 0.

Method 2. Enable Curtain mode using Command Prompt

Another way to enable Curtain mode is to use the Command Prompt.

Step 1. Press WIN + R and then type in “cmd” to open the Command Prompt.

Step 2. Copy and paste the following command into the Command Prompt and then press Enter:

reg add HKLM\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome /v RemoteAccessHostRequireCurtain /d 1 /t REG_DWORD /f && reg add “HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server” /v fDenyTSConnections /d 0 /t REG_DWORD /f && reg add “HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp” /v SecurityLayer /d 1 /t REG_DWORD /f && reg add “HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp” /v UserAuthentication /d 0 /t REG_DWORD /f && net stop chromoting && net start chromoting

Chrome Remote Desktop alternative: Protect privacy with AnyViewer

Locking the screen during remote sessions is surely a great feature to protect privacy. But Chrome Remote Desktop lock sreen has some unavoidable defects:

• Both the host and the client machines need to be running the Pro (or higher) version of Windows to enable Curtain mode. For example, you can’t access your Windows 10 Pro computer from a Win 7 Home laptop and successfully instantiate Curtain Mode.
• Curtain mode is not available for mobile devices like smartphones or tablets. For example, when you’re using Chrome Remote Desktop on an iPad to control a computer remotely, you can’t lock the screen of your host computer.

Here we would like to introduce professional remote desktop software for Windows, AnyViewer to you, which has the Privacy mode feature enabling users to black the screen of the remote device when remotely controlling it. Its following advantages have made it the best Chrome Remote Desktop alternative:

• Its Privacy mode is available on various versions of Windows, including Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 and Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012 R2. And the host computer should run Windows 10 2004 or a later version.
• AnyViewer for iOS/Android supports Privacy mode as well. You can black the computer screen when remotely controlling your PC from your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone.
• The remote computer's physical keyboard and mouse will be disabled to protect your remote computer completely.

Download the software and let’s get started with AnyViewer right now. To access PCs from mobile devices, download AnyViewer mobile apps on the local device. 

Step 1. Install and launch AnyViewer on both devices. Go to Log in > Sign up to create an AnyViewer account (If you already have signed up on its official website, you can log in directly).

Step 2. Log into the same AnyViewer account on both devices. Your device will automatically be assigned to the account you’ve logged in to.

✍ Importance: As the privacy mode is only available in Professional or Enterprise, you need to upgrade your account. After upgrading, you can also enjoy other rights, including assigning more devices for one-click unattended access, high-quality image, etc.

Step 3. On your local device, go to Device, click the remote computer, check tick Connect in privacy mode, then click One-click control.

Once connected successfully, the host computer will become a black screen, and no one on that side can see what you're doing on it or operate it. Also, its mouse and keyboard will be blocked; no one can control it except you.

► Note: If you remotely control your computer from your iPhone/iPad/Android, you can connect to your PC at first and then find Privacy mode in the menu.

Conclusion

How to enable Chrome Remote Desktop lock screen on Windows 10, 11? The answer is to enable Curtain mode for Chrome Remote Desktop. There are two methods to enable Curtain mode. The first is through Registry, and another is through the Command Prompt. After enabling Curtain mode, you’d be able to remotely control a computer without anyone seeing what you’re doing. Or you can switch to AnyViewer to enjoy its Privacy mode.