How to Unlock an “OSD Lockout” Problem

This has most likely annoyed many of you at some point. You turn on your monitor one day and see a jeering message telling you something about an “OSD Lockout”. It doesn’t allow you to change any of your monitors settings, including the setting intended to turn off this message. While I’ve only seen this error on HP monitors I know that others have encountered it on other brands as well. The fixes I provide should work on those monitors too. (Note: OSD stands for On Screen Display.)

Fix One:

Plug in the monitor and power it up. Hold down the Power button until you get a message saying “OSD Unlocked”. If the problem persists after OSD is unlocked then unplug the monitor from the wall, wait 20 seconds and try again.

Fix Two:

Turn on the monitor and hold down the Menu button for 10-20 seconds. This should unlock the OSD.

Fix Three:

Turn off the monitor, press down the Menu button and then turn on the monitor. Wait 10-20 seconds. This should unlock the OSD.

Fix Four:

The Menu button may be stuck in a pressed in position. To get it “unstuck” you’ll usually need to open up the monitor. This could be tricky unless you know what you’re doing. Unfortunately there are too many models of monitor for me to provide detailed instructions. If you have warranty this is where you want to contact the manufacturer.

If you know of any other fixes feel free to contact me. Good luck!

176 thoughts on “How to Unlock an “OSD Lockout” Problem”

The Other One on January 26, 2017 at 8:13 pm said:

I have an HP L2245wg. I purchased it from a computer junk shop, on the understanding that it did not work correctly, and whether I could fix it or not, that was my problem. The monitor “works”, it displays an image perfectly, but the controls are dead, mostly. I use a DVI connection so resolution etc is automatically taken care of. Pushing buttons, however, doesn’t do anything, at least until a few minutes ago.

I popped the case, and physically the board the switches are mounted on appears OK. There are no signs of damage inside the unit. The wiring all appears intact. Upon reassembly the problem was not fixed. I attempted all the repairs recommended here, and some permutations of them, no success. However, a few minutes ago I was playing a computer game and was idly tapping one of the buttons, and the menu popped up. After a few seconds it went away. I have pushed all the buttons, carefully, at different speeds, with different pressures and on different parts etc etc. I have managed to get the menu up once again over about three or four minutes of button-pushing. After a few seconds the menus disappears again. To clarify, none of the physical buttons on the device work, at all.

Any suggestions? Is there some electronic voodoo I could try or do I just accept the device is frozen at its current settings?

Cheers.
The Other One on January 26, 2017 at 8:18 pm said:

Ah, addendum to last… The menus occasionally opens up on its own, and randomly scrolls around, very slowly, then closes after a few seconds.
Ian on February 9, 2017 at 8:19 am said:

My CTX X961A LCD monitor stays off as a black screen with the power button green LED lit, and the Windows desktop only stays on a few seconds if the power button is pressed on/off. It also shows “Attention OSD Locked” if the menu button is pressed. I’ve tried all of the recommended fixes but nothing works. I’ve checked cables and tried different computers, and all with the same result. Any further ideas or shall I open it up and see if I can mod it?
Divy Arora on February 21, 2017 at 6:38 am said:

My HCL Monitor is not getting osd unlocked by any of the fixes displayed above, what should i do, help please! It is very much urgent!
nike air max 90 on February 23, 2017 at 9:38 am said:

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Joe Drouse on March 8, 2017 at 1:21 pm said:

I have a LG flatron model W2361VG and I had the ocd lockout problem. I did as suggested and pressed the menu button and it went away but a different engine menu comes up. The engine menu would flicker between the different options. I clicked on a big x that was on the menu and the engine menu went away. Hopefully it will stay “fixed”. Thanks for your assistance. Without your suggestion I woulld have probably bought a new monitor.
Bob on March 11, 2017 at 6:28 pm said:

#2 Worked for my 6 year old very faithful HP ZR24w. Excellent…
CEDRIC on January 23, 2018 at 8:31 pm said:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH !! YOU FIXED MY PROBLEM! ^_^
CEDRIC on January 23, 2018 at 8:31 pm said:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH !! YOU FIXED MY PROBLEM!
Paulus Kavengere on March 5, 2018 at 9:55 am said:

i was play a computer game while i was playing i saw a message show on the screen saying OSD Lockout what i did i switched off the monitor and turn on i press the menu buttons for 20 minute the the message disappear on the screen it really worked out for me.
MIZAN on May 27, 2018 at 9:08 pm said:

THANKS THIS WEBSITE MAKER FOR SOLVE THE PROBLEM OSD LUCKOUT PROGRAME, I SOLVED YOUR INSTRTCTION. THANKS
Jonathan French on August 25, 2018 at 9:13 pm said:

Hi Everyone,

I have an HPx20LED monitor that was stuck in the OSD locked position after I tried to hook it up to another computer, then returned it to the original computer setup. I had success restoring the OSD by continuously holding the menu button after I powered the unit off, and then powered it back on .

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John Darren Drinkard on September 15, 2018 at 11:05 pm said:

Thank you so much! This was extremely helpful .
someone on November 9, 2018 at 8:50 pm said:

I think this may also occur if you have a two monitor setup and you’re trying to access the menu of the second screen.
Si Wilson on November 29, 2018 at 10:59 pm said:

My second hand LG” Flatron E2350 was not only blocked, but stuck in another language, well annoying The menu button isn’t marked but it’s the second one from the left, no need to unplug power or hold power down. Thanks for posting this great advice.
Bernard Williams on December 10, 2018 at 4:53 am said:

I followed Glenn’s advice and punched it. Bingo!
rohit on December 22, 2018 at 11:53 pm said:

thank u bro
Dinesh Kumar Panchal on March 2, 2019 at 10:15 am said:

Thanks it worked on first fix
calvyn on October 15, 2019 at 5:10 am said:

I had this issue today. Two Iiyama Prolite B1706S monitors – second monitor (recently installed) had OSD lockout. The fix for this was Press Menu and power button together for a second and instant unlock. Make sure that Menu is pressed first otherwise screen will simply turn off.
Mir Hossain on November 4, 2019 at 3:59 am said:

My hp L1706 was osd locked, then i press -(auto) button and hold then press adjust butto togethe and Switch off my monitor. Now no loght signal and i can’t turn on my monitor. Please tell me how to i can on my monitor.
Kay Bagon on May 8, 2020 at 3:42 am said:

Yay..press menu AND power button together!
Debra Russell on February 20, 2021 at 9:51 pm said:

Thank you…..you fixed my OSD Lockout issue. But….now the menu comes up and there is no way to move beyond that. Can’t figure out how to move the selector up and down. All I want to do is increase the ‘brightness’ of my screen. Please help…..
John Anderson on February 26, 2021 at 2:51 pm said:

Fix #3 worked like a charm on our HP Proliant 23CW monitor! Thanks!!
Leandro on September 27, 2021 at 4:12 pm said:

I have an AOPEN 22cx1q monitor, and for some reason, by accident, I locked the OSD, and I cant unlock it. I have tried all your techniques, but it does not work. I tried looking for help on the AOPEN website, but I cant seem to contact anyone. I cannot turn off my monitor using the buttons, they all say OSD Locked… PLEASE HELP ME!
Hoa Tran on January 8, 2022 at 6:56 pm said:

I am having a problem with BenQ RP704K
– IR lock.
– Panel buttons do not have effect (PRESS COMBINATION KEY TO UNLOCK)
Can you help me?
J D on June 8, 2022 at 11:36 am said:

Thanks for posting this. Step 2 was the one that worked. Was ready to send the blasted thing back. Appreciate the assist.

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