A warning on my screen says my PC is locked or infected and to call Microsoft. Is it real?

No. Real Windows warnings never show a phone number, never lock your screen and never ask you to pay. It is a web page pretending to be Windows. Close your browser and the warning goes with it.

How do I close a fake virus warning that won't close?

Press Ctrl, Shift and Esc together to open Task Manager, click your browser in the list, then End task. If the keyboard does nothing, hold the power button for ten seconds. When you open the browser again and it offers to restore pages, say no.

I already called the number. What should I do?

Hang up. Don't pay and don't give card details or codes. If they connected to your PC, disconnect it from the internet, uninstall the remote access app they had you install, change your email and bank passwords from another device, and call your bank if you gave card details.

A warning says your PC is locked and to call Microsoft. Is it real?

No. Real Windows warnings never show a phone number, never lock your screen and never ask you to pay. What you’re looking at is a web page pretending to be Windows. Close your browser and it goes with it.

VIRUS DETECTED! YOUR PC IS LOCKED Call Microsoft Support now: 1-800-xxx-xxxx Fake. Microsoft never puts a phone number in a warning.

Right now: close it safely

Don’t call the number, and don’t click anything inside the warning, not even “close” or “cancel”.
Press Ctrl Shift Esc together. A window called Task Manager opens.
In its list, click your browser (Chrome, Edge or Firefox), then click End task. The warning disappears with it.
If the keyboard does nothing, hold the PC’s power button for about ten seconds until it switches off. Wait a moment and switch it on again.
When you open your browser again and it offers to restore pages, say no. Otherwise the warning comes straight back.

OkayPC does this for you. Its Is this real? screen has a Close my browser button, then it runs a checkup to find the websites that are allowed to send you pop-ups. It’s free for everyone.

How to tell it’s fake

A phone number. Microsoft never puts one in a warning, and never asks you to call.
It fills the whole screen and won’t close. Real Windows messages are small, sit in the corner, and go when you click them.
A voice, an alarm or a countdown. Made to stop you thinking it over.
It appeared while you were on a website. It belongs to that page, not to your PC.
It wants money, gift cards or your card number. Windows Security is part of Windows and never charges for anything.

A real notice from Windows Security opens the Windows Security app, with its blue shield, where you can read the details yourself. It never opens a phone line.

If you already called

Hang up. You don’t need to be polite, and you don’t need to explain.
Don’t pay, and don’t read out card numbers, bank details or any codes from a text message.
If they connected to your PC (they usually ask you to install something like AnyDesk, TeamViewer, UltraViewer or Supremo, or to open Quick Assist), turn off the Wi-Fi or unplug the network cable first. Then open Settings, Apps, find that app and Uninstall it. If it was Quick Assist, close its window.
Change your passwords for email and online banking, from a different device such as your phone.
If you gave card details, call your bank on the number printed on your card. They deal with this every day.
Run a checkup. OkayPC looks for remote access apps on your PC, tells you whether one is open right now, and shows you how to remove it.
Tell someone you trust. These scams work by keeping people quiet. Being caught by one is nothing to be ashamed of: they are built by professionals to catch anyone.

A phone call from “Microsoft”

Microsoft doesn’t phone people about their PC. Neither does your internet company, Amazon or your bank’s “fraud team” asking you to move money. If someone calls and says there is a problem with your computer, it is a scam. Hang up. If you want to be sure, phone the company yourself on a number you look up, not one they give you.

An email or a text

The same trick arrives as an invoice for antivirus you never bought (“Norton renewal $399, call to cancel”), a parcel that couldn’t be delivered, or a road toll you owe. The link or the phone number is the trap. Don’t click it and don’t call it. If you think it might be real, go to the company’s own website yourself or ask a family member to look.

Pop-ups in the corner, even when the warning is closed

If small warnings keep appearing in the corner of the screen, a website was allowed to send you notifications, often by a single click on “Allow”. To stop them in Chrome: the three dots at the top right, Settings, Privacy and security, Site settings, Notifications, then remove the sites under “Allowed to send notifications”. In Edge: Settings, Cookies and site permissions, Notifications. OkayPC’s checkup lists these sites and walks you through it.

OkayPC’s “Is this real?” is free for everyone

It sits on your desktop. When something scary appears, click it and choose Is this real?. It tells you plainly what’s fake, closes the browser for you, and checks your PC for remote access apps and pop-up websites. No account, no cost, no scary numbers. For Windows 10 and 11.

or Download free

Both come from Microsoft. OkayPC is an honest checkup for your Windows PC, from the makers of SimplifyPC. More about OkayPC