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The Fastest Way to Lock or Sleep Your Screen in macOS (Mac OS X)
Posted by Jim Tanous on July 10, 2019
Lock Screen Mac OS X
Locking your Mac’s display (or “sleeping” the display) can be a great security measure when paired with a user account password. While it won’t prevent the outright theft of your Mac, it can be a quick and easy way to prevent nosy family members or coworkers from getting access to your data.
In order for a Mac lock screen command to be effective, you’ll first need to configure System Preferences to require your user account password when unlocking or waking up. To do this, follow these instructions:
Click on System Preferences
Next, click on Security & Privacy
Make sure you’re on the General tab
Check he checkbox next to Require Password
Then, select the time interval from the Require Password pull-down menu that you want to use, choosing from these options: immediately, 5 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, or 8 hours.
If you want the highest level of security, set it to “immediately” all the way up to the lowest level of security, which is 8 hours.
If you often find yourself accidentally locking your screen, set it to 5 seconds so that you can quickly unlock the display without having to enter your password.
Lock Screen Shortcut Mac
Next, you’ll need to decide on the exact functionality you want: lock (sleep) the display only, or sleep the entire system.
Locking or sleeping the display will shut the display off but keep the Mac running in the background.
If you performed the steps above to require a password, users will need to enter the correct account password in order to unlock the display.
LOCKING YOUR MAC’S SCREEN WITH SHORTCUTS
If you have a Mac running macOS Mojave, press these three keys simultaneously to lock your screen: Command+Control+Q keys.
To lock your Mac’s screen on an older Mac, press these keys simultaneously to lock your screen: Control+Shift+Power
For older Macs with that has a built-in drive, simultaneously press the following keys to lock your screen: Control + Shift + Eject.
In both cases, you’ll see your Mac’s display shut off immediately, while the system continues to run in the background. You’ll have to login again to resume using your Mac.
Performing a lock or display sleep command is useful for situations in which you’ll only be gone for a few minutes, as it allows you to jump immediately back to work. It’s also a good idea to use if you want to lock your Mac but have applications running in the background, such as a rendering operation or an encryption sequence.
Your Mac will still chug away at its task; the only difference is that anyone without the password won’t be able to access it, interrupting the process or otherwise messing around with your Mac.
PUTTING YOUR YOUR MAC TO SLEEP WITH SHORTCUTS
This option will put your Mac’s CPU to sleep rather than just locking the screen. MacBook owners are familiar with sleep; it occurs every time they shut their computer’s lid, or automatically after a user-defined period of time.
On macOS Mojave and other newer versions of macOS, press these three keys simultaneously to put your Mac to sleep: Command + Option + Power.
If you have an older Mac with an optical drive, can put it to sleep by pressing these three keys simultaneously: Command + Option + Eject.
These commands will cause your Mac’s CPU to sleep to immediately, shutting down all functions and requiring a password to resume.
LOCKING OR PUTTING YOUR MAC TO SLEEP FROM THE APPLE MENU
If you prefer to use the Apple Menu to keyboard combinations, you can choose either the sleep or the lock option from the Apple Menu. You can always find the Apple menu in the upper left of your Mac screen, scrolling down to select either Sleep or Lock Screen.
The Apple Menu
WHEN TO PUT YOUR MAC TO SLEEP
Users running on battery power may prefer to put their Mac to sleep to save power. The practical effect is the same (preventing others from accessing your Mac), but this latter option saves battery power while the user is away.
On the other hand, putting your Mac to sleep will stop all background tasks as it puts the CPU to sleep, so it may not be the ideal option for users who want their Macs to keep working while they grab a coffee or stop for a bathroom break.
Also, it takes longer to wake up from a sleep state than from a display lock state, although on modern Macs with fast SSD storage the time difference between the two sleep options has shrunk considerably.
It”s recommended that users experiment with both options to find the one that suits them best for different situations. It’s also likely that users, especially those “on the go” with MacBooks, will find occasion to use both options more frequently than those who mostly use their Macs at home.
Regardless, having a strong user account password and taking a moment to ensure that your Mac is locked even if you only step away for a few seconds are both crucial steps to protecting your data.
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