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Mac: How to lock screen

Whether you’re new to Mac or just haven’t had a need to set up password protection in macOS before, follow along for how to customize and lock your screen.

There are a few different ways to lock your Mac’s screen. First we’ll take a look at how to immediately do this with a keyboard shortcut and with the  menu.

Keep reading below for more on customizing the lock screen settings in System Preferences.

Mac: How to lock screen

  1. Under System Preferences → Security & Privacy make sure the box next to Disable automatic login is selected if you’d like to password protect your Mac/user account
  2. Click on  in the top left corner
  3. Choose Lock Screen
  4. Alternately, you can use the keyboard shortcut command + control + Q

If you’d like your Mac to lock after going to sleep and to customize those settings, head to System Preferences → Security & Privacy and choose Require password.

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:


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