How to: Password protect your Mac, set up a security hot key
Like everything else on the fairer platform, configuring your Mac to require a password to wake from sleep or turn off the screensaver is really easy and it just works. Also, with the aid of a free utility, you can configure a security hot key (aka the Vulcan death grip) combination.
First off, the easiest measure to protect your Mac when you walk away from it for a few minutes (or days) is to require a password to turn off the screensaver or wake from sleep.
1. Turn on the screensaver built into OS X
— Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu or the Dock.
— Click Desktop & Screen Saver; then click the Screen Saver tab.
— Pick one, set number of minutes required to pass before it activates (move the slider)2. Next go to System Preferences -> Security -> General
— A. Click “Disable automatic login,” which prevents anyone from simply restarting your Mac to gain access
— B. Click “Require password…” to enable protection—uses the same password you use to log in.See also:
— Customize Your Mac with a Screen Saver (Apple)
And, that’s all it takes to set up password protection. Mac simple.
To configure your Mac to use a security hot key to wake from sleep or turn off the screensaver, you will need to download and configure LockTight, a System Preference pane that adds this functionality.
1. LockTight for Intel/PPC (right click, select “Save Linked File to Download…”).
2. Navigate to this file in the Downloads, double click it to decompress the file
3. Locate the resulting file in your home folder and double click the appropriate Intel or PPC file for your Mac, then click “OK” when your Mac asks “The ‘LockTight’ preference pane…”
4. Now pick your poison! The default hot key combination is ⌘ + ⌥ + Shift + L, where ⌥ is the “alt” key. Assuming you’ve already set your Mac to require a password for screensaver/wake on sleep you are good to go.
See also:
— How to lock your Mac with a keyboard shortcut (Switching to Mac)
— OS X keyboard shortcuts! Get yer shortcuts here!
One final hint? Write down you hot key combination and keep it someplace safe, like on a scrap of paper in your wallet or taped to the underside of drawer, etc.
Got a super neato security tip the rest of us might find useful? Pop us a note with a link or three in the comments below…
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