You may be downloading files, or you may have an app recording something in either case, your Mac won’t stop these actions. The difference between these two operations is that the first allows your Mac to continue running even when the screen is black.
Pressing a key on the keyboard, moving the mouse, or tapping or pressing the trackpad wakes it up, and presents the same password request. Command-Option-Eject puts your Mac to sleep.Now that you’ve adjusted the setting to require a password immediately after sleep or screen saver begins, waking it up brings up a password request, just like when you log in. If you press Control-Shift-Eject, the screen goes black.There are several keyboard shortcuts that can shut off your display or put your Mac to sleep. (You may need to select “immediately” in the menu.) This setting applies when the Mac goes to sleep, when a screen saver starts, and when the screen itself turns off. Click the General tab, then check Require Password immediately after sleep or screen saver begins. Go to System Preferences > Security and Privacy. But if you make a small change to a security setting, no one can access your Mac after waking up the display without entering your password. When this happens, if you press a key on your keyboard, move your mouse, or tap your trackpad, the screen brightens again. This time is set in the Energy Saver pane of System Preferences.
Method 1: Require Password Immediatelyīy default, your Mac’s display goes dark after a few minutes of inactivity.
It only takes a second, and a keypress or a swipe of your mouse, so it’s worth learning how to do this. There are several ways you can quickly lock your screen and protect your Mac from prying eyes, so no one can access your data without entering your password. You don’t need to shut down your Mac, you don’t even need to log out. In any of these cases, when you step away from your Mac - whether for a meeting or to go make a cup of coffee - it’s a good idea to lock your Mac screen. You may be researching gifts for your family, or you may be working on a project in your office that is for your eyes only. Leaving your Mac unlocked and unattended allows others nearby to read your emails, text messages, browser history, and all your files. Whether you’re at home or at work, you might not want other people snooping on your Mac when you step away. To use a modifier with the hot corner, press and hold the Command, Shift, Option, or Control key, or a combination of these keys, while viewing the pop-up menus.How To + Security & Privacy How to Lock Your Mac Screen and Protect It from Prying Eyes See Use hot corners.Ĭlick the pop-up menu for a corner, then choose Start Screen Saver or Disable Screen Saver. Start or stop the screen saver when you move the pointer to a screen corner. Let macOS choose which screen saver to use.ĭisplay the current time with the screen saver. Screen Saver Options: Set options for color, speed, and more. Shuffle slide order: Show pictures in a random order instead of their order in the source. You can use pictures that come with macOS or choose pictures from your Photo Library or another folder. Source: Choose the pictures to show in the screen saver. On the right, select options (they vary based on the screen saver you selected). The Album Artwork screen saver is most effective when your Music library contains artwork. The small preview on the right shows how it looks. On the left, select a screen saver, such as Floating, Vintage Prints, or Flurry. If you don’t want to use a screen saver, deselect the checkbox.Ī warning symbol indicates if your display is set to turn off (as specified in Energy Saver preferences or Battery preferences) before the screen saver starts.