Lock just covers the screen and asks for a password — nothing else about the machine stops. Sleep powers down most of the hardware and parks your session in memory — the CPU essentially halts. Sign-out ends your user session entirely, and anything running under your account (including background automation) shuts down with it. The three have completely different effects on "does the computer keep working," and that's exactly what determines whether your automation tools — PowerDoze included — keep running behind a locked screen.
What's actually happening in the background when you lock the PC?
The CPU, network, and every running program keep working exactly as before — only the display is covered by the lock screen, waiting for a password. That's why downloads, cloud sync, and remote sessions never drop when you lock: the system never paused, it just became invisible and inaccessible.
How is sleep different from locking?
Sleep cuts power to most hardware and writes your current state to memory — the CPU essentially stops, and anything mid-download or mid-run gets interrupted. That's the real reason so many people find their downloads cut off after sleep kicks in: sleep isn't just "screen off," it's the whole machine dropping into a low-power standby state.
And signing out — what does that actually mean?
It ends your current user session — every program running under your account, including background utilities, gets shut down until you log back in. The key difference from locking: when locked, your programs are still "alive," just invisible; signing out actually terminates them, and they only come back once you log in again.
Does a background tool like PowerDoze keep running behind the lock screen?
Yes. We checked the engine's logic — locking just means input devices stop receiving signals; the app itself has no code that listens for "has the screen been locked," so idle timers, scheduled rules, and other automation keep running exactly as before. Concretely: PowerDoze's idle detection was already based on "how long since the last keyboard/mouse input" — locking naturally produces no input, so the idle clock keeps climbing, the same as if you'd simply left it alone unlocked. There's no special-cased "is it locked" branch at all.
What about sleep and sign-out, then — does PowerDoze keep going?
No. Sleep pauses the entire machine, background processes included; signing out terminates anything running under your account — both stop PowerDoze along with everything else, until you wake the machine or log back in. That's a limitation shared by every locally-running background tool, not something specific to PowerDoze.
Side-by-side comparison
| State | CPU/programs | Background downloads/sync | Tools like PowerDoze | How to resume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lock | Runs normally | Uninterrupted | Runs normally | Enter password |
| Sleep | Nearly halted | Interrupted | Paused | Key/mouse/power button |
| Sign out | All user programs closed | Interrupted (except system services) | Stopped, needs sign-in | Sign back in |
FAQ
Will PowerDoze still switch power modes on schedule after the PC is locked?
Yes. Locking doesn't affect background processes — PowerDoze's scheduling and idle-detection logic keep running exactly as normal, the screen is just covered.
Why does sleep interrupt downloads but locking doesn't?
Because sleep cuts power to most hardware and parks state in memory — the CPU nearly halts. Locking only covers the display; nothing else about the machine stops.
Is signing out the same as shutting down?
No. Signing out just ends your user session — the computer itself stays powered on (you can switch users or sign back in). Shutting down powers the entire machine off.
Stepping away for a bit — should I lock or sleep?
For short breaks, lock (background work keeps running, and it's instant to resume). For longer absences, sleep or hibernate (better power savings, at the cost of interrupting background work).
Where this stands, honestly
PowerDoze has no code that listens for "the screen just got locked" — the same effect happens naturally because idle time keeps accumulating with no input. Sleep and sign-out genuinely stop it from running; that's a hard limit shared by every locally-installed background tool, not something to work around.
Want to know whether your automation survives the lock screen? PowerDoze's scheduling and idle detection keep running exactly as normal while locked — only sleep or sign-out actually stop it.