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When you have to leave your Mac for a while, the best way how to Lock Mac Screen. This won’t close or stop any apps that are already running, and you’ll need to type your password to get past the lock screen. If you think your social media profiles say too much about you, just think about how much personal and important information your Mac has.
Every IT security expert in the world now says that you should always lock your Mac when you leave it alone. So do yourself a huge favor and learn about the options for your MacBook’s lock screen. Then choose the one that works best for you and start your new habit. Remember: Lock Mac. all the time.
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How to Lock Mac Screen
- Go to the Finder.
- Choose Applications > Utilities.
- Open Keychain Access.
- Click in the Keychain Access menu and select Preferences.
- Check the box next to Show keychain status in the menu bar.
- You’ll see a lock in the Finder menu bar. Click it and choose Lock Screen to lock your Mac.
Set up a hot corner
Hot corners allow you to drag the mouse pointer to one of the four corners of the screen to initiate an action – you can use one as a sleep shortcut on your Mac. To set it up:
- Open System Settings.
- Choose the Desktop & Dock pane.
- Click the Hot Corners button at the bottom right of the window.
- In the window, choose a corner.
- Click on the menu and choose the options that work for you.
Use shortcuts
If you have the latest version of macOS on your Mac, choose Lock Screen from the Apple menu or press Command+Control+Q. This will lock your Mac and take you back to the screen where you can sign in. Press Control+Shift+Power (or Control+Shift+Eject if your Mac has an optical drive) to access older versions of the operating system. The screen will be locked.
You can also put your Mac to sleep with a key combination. Click Command, Option, and Power (or Eject). This one works like the last one, but instead of just locking your Mac, it also turns off the hard drive, puts the CPU in low-power mode, and stops any background tasks to save energy.
Using the Mac Touch Bar
- Click the Apple icon and open System Preferences.
- Click “Keyboard.”
- From the Keyboard menu, click “Customize Control Strip.”
- An icon menu will pop up from the bottom of your screen. Find the “Screen Lock” icon and drag it into the touch bar. You can arrange the buttons any way you like.
- Once complete, click “Done.” You’ll now be able to lock your screen via the Touch Bar.
FAQ
How do I set my Mac to Lock Screen only?
Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General. If the lock at the bottom left is locked, click on it and type in your password. Check the box next to Show a message when the screen is locked. Then click Set Lock Message.
How do I lock my screen so it doesn’t move?
- Open Settings > Lock screen & security > Advanced > Screen pinning. …
- On Samsung devices, head to Settings > Biometrics and Security > Other Security Settings > Pin Windows.
- Tap On.
- Enable Require unlock PIN for unpinning.
Is Lock Screen the same as sleep on Mac?
If you lock your Mac, you’ll put it to sleep and need to type in your login password on your Mac’s lock screen or unlock it with TouchID on a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar or with an Apple Watch. However, if you put it to sleep, you won’t necessarily lock it.