How to avoid BW for Windows to pop-up everytime the unlock timeout?

Christop · June 6, 2024, 8:35am

Hi, how to avoid BW for Windows to pop-up everytime the unlock timeout?
This is very annoying as BW for Windows disturbs you every time when you are focus on your work !
For example:
1/ you open BW for Windows and log on to your account. This help login to your work so you start working.
2/ As the timeout is set to 15mn for security reasons, after 15mn the BW for Windows stops being unlocked, but instead of doing this silently as it should, it is pushing BW for Windows application in front of the user !!!
Why? there is no reasons, the user does not need BW at all at that time (it is even the purpose of a timeout!)

Peter_H · June 6, 2024, 10:03am

How about if instead you set the Vault timeout to On system lock and the Vault timeout action to Lock ?
As the result Bitwarden once unlocked will be available to you all the time, but will not interrupt you. If you leave your computer - even just for a moment - you lock the system and unlock it again when you come back. Bitwarden will still be locked. So even if someone finds a way to unlock your computer that person will not be able to get into Bitwarden.

Christop · June 6, 2024, 12:20pm

Currently I have these settings:

I have currently set the timeout to 15 minutes (as I very often have to leave my computer and cannot always lock it, and having Windows automatically lock rapidly is annoying when I am reading).

Honestly, BW for Windows’s behavior of showing up in front of all applications when it has a timeout is none-sense. Who wants such behavior?

Neuron5569 · June 6, 2024, 1:37pm

This problem is most likely related to this bug:

github.com/bitwarden/clients

Windows vault timeout forces window to foreground

opened 02:56PM - 10 Jan 24 UTC

zeeZ

bug desktop

### Steps To Reproduce 1. Set vault timeout to `1 minute`, action to `Lock` 2.… Put focus on another window **without minimizing** the Bitwarden client 3. Wait until the vault locks: the client will come to the foreground and take focus away from the current window ### Expected Result The client should lock without taking away focus from the current window ### Actual Result After the timeout, the Bitwarden client returns to the foreground and becomes the focused window, capturing keyboard input ### Screenshots or Videos _No response_ ### Additional Context Does not occur when minimizing the window ### Operating System Windows ### Operating System Version Windows 10 Business Version 10.0.19045 Build 19045 ### Installation method Microsoft Store ### Build Version 2023.12.1 ### Issue Tracking Info - [X] I understand that work is tracked outside of Github. A PR will be linked to this issue should one be opened to address it, but Bitwarden doesn't use fields like "assigned", "milestone", or "project" to track progress.

But because you have the “Ask for Windows Hello on app start” checked, it pops up the Window Hello dialog as well. Why? BW has this quirk in the implementation such that when it locks, it restarts the process to clear the plaintext memory. So when it locks, it is like an “app start” and pops up the dialog.

This quirk in implementation is most likely because of how electron manages its memory, and BW restarts the process for safety reason / implementation limitation. This seems fundamental and may not go away soon.

The following are some suggestions to try so you can live with the bug. Maybe you can check the “Ask for Windows Hello on app start” off, and see if you can tolerate the entire app coming to the foreground better. Perhaps also make the lock timeout sooner, so the behavior will happen sooner and less likely to interrupt you when you are deep in the middle of something.

Christop · June 6, 2024, 4:58pm

Thanks for the clear explanation. This is the same issue I have. I am going to test with Ask for Windows Hello disabled.