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Locking your Mac screen is convenient and vital for keeping your information safe. Leaving your computer unattended, even briefly, could risk unauthorised access to your personal files, emails, and private accounts. By locking your screen, you ensure nobody can interfere with your system or access your data without your permission.
Moreover, in workplaces or shared spaces, locking your screen is helpful. It stops coworkers or strangers from snooping into your work documents or confidential information, which helps to protect your projects and maintain your professional image.
In this article, we have discussed the various methods to lock your screen on your Mac to help you keep your Mac safe.
Below we have discussed the following.
Also read: How to reset Mac password using the Terminal?
Change Require Password to Unlock Your Mac Timer
You can lock your Mac in several ways, and some of them involve putting it to sleep. However, this won’t provide much protection if you don’t set a password to access it again. For the best security, we advise always requiring a password when your Mac is in sleep mode. To do that, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Click on the Apple menu and then click on System Settings.
Step 2: In the sidebar, scroll down, find and click on the Lock Screen option.
Step 3: Click on the dropdown list beside Require password after the screen saver begins or the display is turned off and select Immediately.
Methods to Lock Screen on Mac
Below we have explained a few methods to lock the screen on Mac.
Lock screen using the keyboard shortcut
The simplest, quickest and easiest way to lock your Mac screen is through keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard shortcut to the lock screen on Mac is the Command + Control + Q keys.
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Lock screen from Apple Menu
If you do not remember keyboard shortcuts, you can lock your Mac screen through the Apple menu. To do that, follow the steps below.
Step: Click on the Apple menu and then click on the Lock Screen option in the dropdown menu.
Lock Screen using Hot Corners
Hot Corner is a special feature that lets you use your mouse cursor to touch a corner of your computer screen and make things happen. You can even use this feature to lock your Mac easily. Follow the steps below to set up hot corners for the lock screen.
Step 1: Click on the Apple menu and then click on System Settings.
Step 2: In the sidebar, click the Desktop & Dock option; on the right, scroll down and click the Hot Corners button.
Step 3: Click on the dropdown list beside the corner you want to set as a hot corner for Lock Screen, select Lock Screen, and then click the Done button.
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Lock Screen using Terminal
If you like using Commands to do tasks on your Mac, you can use Terminal to lock your Mac screen. To do that, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Launch Finder, and in the sidebar, click on Applications and then on Utilities.
Step 2: In utilities, click on Terminal.
Step 3: Type the command pmset displaysleepnow and hit Return.
Lock Screen using Touch Bar
If you own a MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, you can make a special icon that, when tapped, will lock your MacBook Pro. To do that, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Click on the Apple menu, then click on the System Settings option in the dropdown menu.
Step 2: Click on the Keyboard option.
Step 3: Under the Keyboard tab, click on Customize Control Strip button.
Step 4: A menu with several options will appear; drag the Screen Lock or Sleep button to the touch bar and then click on the Done button.
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