Lock Down the MAC

[vonedaddy]

I am a windows user and recently (well about a couple months ago) bought a mac and am just getting around to using it. I am using the MAC as my second machine in an office setting. I was wondering if there is a way to lock the mac when I walk away from it.

With a windows machine you can CTRL-ALT-DEL and lock it. I was wondering if there is something similar for MAC OS X??

Thanks

 

[fearlessfreap24]

i could be wrong and someone will correct me, there is a shortcut key for the screen saver. then have the screensaver be password protected.

 

[KuruMonkey]

There are a few steps to this, but the short answer is "yes"...

Go to system settings, then to the screensaver settings.
Pick a nice screensaver, somewhere there is the option to require a password after the screensaver, choose that.

Elsewhere on the screensaver page you can set up a "hot-corner" to activate the screensaver, and one to disable the screensaver; set one for activating the screensaver.

Now you can send the mouse to that corner when you want to leave the machine unnattended, and the screensaver will kick in, requiring the password to let you back to work.

(forgive my vaguery; I'm not at a mac at the moment, otherwise I'd find the exact controls to describe for you)

That should do what you want.

If you go to the user settings, and find the login options button, you can disable the list of users to give a more secure login, too. (but fast user switching still exposes ALL account names to all accounts, for some reason)

Whether there's a mac equivalent to WinXP's "Windows + L" keyboard shortcut to lock the workstation, I don't know.

 

[vonedaddy]

ok that works

thanks

 

[Murlyn]

Yep that's what I do and then set it so that the screensaver comes on in say 10 minutes of idle time, that way if you forget to set the screensaver using the hot corner, then your computer will only be vulnerable for 10 minutes then the screensaver will kick in.

 

[NightCrawler]

for windows:

Windows key + L = Lock too =P i love that trick.... *evil*

 

[technologist]

If you don't want to mess with hot corners and the screensaver, you can enable Fast User Switching and choose "Login Window" from the user menu when you want to lock the machine.

 

[Icicle]

If you don't want to mess with hot corners and the screensaver, you can enable Fast User Switching and choose "Login Window" from the user menu when you want to lock the machine.

I agree, I guess I dont understand why you dont just hop over to the login window if you need to leave for something

 

[rman]

If you are just making a trip to the bathroom then locking the screen, is okay. As for any longer, that is left to the discretion, lock screen or log out. Mostly it come down to how fast you can log back in.