A while ago I was looking for a way to easily lock my computer's keyboard and mouse, to prevent my children (ages 6 and 4) from clicking around while I was showing them cartoons on my computer.
On Windows, there is no native solution to this need but I was lucky enough to come across a very effective little free software that does the job very well: BlueLife KeyFreeze.
KeyFreeze is a FREE Windows app that locks your keyboard and mouse without locking the screen. So your kids can safely watch a cartoon or video chat with their grandparents while banging the keyboard as much as they want. You can lock the keyboard and mouse individually or together.
The software weighs only 447 KB on Windows 10 and is quite trustworthy according to VirusTotal (which allows you to test files online to detect possible viruses).
Once you have unzipped the downloaded file, simply double-click on the executable (KeyFreeze.exe) to launch the program.
Warning: when you launch the software for the first time, your keyboard and mouse will automatically lock after 5 seconds. So remember to remember the manipulation that will allow you to unlock everything, namely, the key combination Ctrl+Alt+f !
Please note that when launching the software, you still have 5 seconds to click on the red bar at the bottom right of your screen to cancel the lock. In a second step, you can also uncheck the "Lock at startup" box in the program options.
When the software is launched, you will see a small padlock in the notification area (the bar at the bottom right where the time is located). It is green when the keyboard and mouse are unlocked and it turns red when they are locked.
At any time when KeyFreeze is launched, you can press Ctrl+Alt+f to lock or unlock your mouse and keyboard.
By clicking on the small padlock you will have access to some options allowing you to configure KeyFreeze with, for example, the possibility of locking the keys after a certain period of inactivity. Useful for making your computer inaccessible without locking it at the system level.
In short, KeyFreeze is a very small program but it can nevertheless be very practical in certain cases… especially with children!
KeyFreeze works with Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and is translated into French!
