Complete guide: How to set up and activate Avalw Shield
From download to full protection in under five minutes. This guide walks you through every step of setting up Avalw Shield, enrolling your face, understanding what each feature does, and configuring the system to match your workflow.
Step 1: First launch and permissions
When you open Avalw Shield for the first time, the application will request two essential permissions: camera access and notification permissions. Both are required for Shield to function properly.
- Camera access is the foundation of everything Shield does. Without it, face detection, presence monitoring, and shoulder surfing protection cannot operate.
- Notification permissions allow Shield to inform you when it locks the screen, detects an unauthorized viewer, or captures a security screenshot.
Grant both permissions when prompted. Shield uses your camera exclusively for local face processing and never transmits video or images over the network.
Quick tip
If you accidentally deny camera access, you can re-enable it from your system's privacy settings. On Windows, go to Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Camera, and toggle Avalw Shield on.
Step 2: Face enrollment
Face enrollment is the process of teaching Shield to recognize you. It takes approximately 30 seconds and requires no special preparation.
How to enroll
- Sit in front of your computer at your normal working distance.
- Ensure your face is well-lit. Avoid strong backlighting such as a window directly behind you.
- Click the "Enroll Face" button in the setup wizard.
- Look directly at the camera. Shield will capture multiple reference frames automatically.
- When prompted, slowly turn your head slightly left, then right. This improves recognition accuracy at different angles.
- The enrollment confirmation will appear when the process is complete.
You only need to enroll once. Shield stores your face data locally on your device in an encrypted format. It is never uploaded anywhere.
Verification
After enrollment, Shield will ask you to verify by briefly looking away and then looking back at the camera. This confirms that the system can reliably distinguish between your presence and your absence. If verification succeeds, you are ready to activate.
Step 3: Activation
Once enrollment is verified, click "Activate Shield." From this moment, the system is live and protecting your computer. Three core protections activate immediately:
What activates immediately
Presence detection begins monitoring whether you are at your desk. Automatic unlock recognizes your face and unlocks without a password. Shoulder surfing protection watches for additional faces near the screen.
What Shield does after activation
Presence detection and automatic locking
Shield continuously checks whether your enrolled face is visible to the camera. When you leave your desk, Shield detects your absence and locks the screen after a configurable grace period. When you return, it recognizes you and unlocks automatically. No password required. No keyboard interaction needed.
Automatic unlock
The moment you sit down and Shield recognizes your face, your computer unlocks. This works even if the lock screen is active. The recognition process takes less than 200 milliseconds, so by the time you reach for your keyboard, your desktop is already visible.
Shoulder surfing protection
While you work, Shield watches for additional faces in the camera frame. If someone looks over your shoulder or stands behind you, Shield detects the second face and instantly blurs your screen content. The blur lifts automatically when the unauthorized viewer leaves.
System key blocking
When Shield locks the screen, critical system keyboard shortcuts are blocked. This prevents an unauthorized person from bypassing the lock screen using key combinations like Alt+Tab, Alt+F4, Ctrl+Alt+Del, or Win+D. The computer remains fully locked until the enrolled face is detected.
Post-enrollment settings
Sensitivity
The sensitivity slider controls how quickly Shield reacts to your absence. Higher sensitivity means faster locking when you leave. Lower sensitivity allows a longer grace period. For most office environments, the default medium setting works well. If you frequently glance away from the screen (checking notes, talking to colleagues), consider lowering sensitivity to avoid unnecessary locks.
Blur intensity
You can adjust how aggressively the shoulder surfing blur obscures your screen. The default setting makes content completely unreadable, but you can reduce it if you prefer a lighter visual effect while still hiding sensitive details.
Recommended configuration
For most users, we recommend medium sensitivity and full blur intensity. This provides strong protection without interfering with normal work habits.
Troubleshooting
Shield does not recognize me
If Shield fails to unlock when you sit down, check your lighting conditions. Dramatic changes in lighting compared to your enrollment conditions can affect recognition. If you have changed your appearance significantly (new glasses, major hairstyle change), consider re-enrolling your face from the settings menu.
Screen locks too quickly
This usually means sensitivity is set too high. Open Shield settings and lower the sensitivity slider. Also check that your camera has a clear, unobstructed view of your face. If something partially blocks the camera (a monitor stand, a sticky note), Shield may intermittently lose sight of you.
Camera issues
If Shield reports that the camera is unavailable, check whether another application is using it exclusively. Video conferencing apps sometimes take exclusive control of the camera. Close the conflicting application or check your system's camera settings to allow shared access.
A note on data safety
Everything Shield does happens locally on your computer. Your face data is stored in an encrypted format on your local drive. No images, no video frames, and no biometric data are ever transmitted over the internet. Shield does not require an internet connection to function after initial setup.
Your face data never leaves your device. There is no cloud processing, no remote storage, and no way for anyone, including Avalw, to access your biometric information.