Step-by-Step
When you walk away from your computer, to prevent unauthorized access while you are away, without having to shut down, do the following:
Windows
To Lock:
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Del
- Press Enter
Or, use the keyboard shortcut: Windows+L
To Unlock:
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Del
- Enter your password.
Mac (without Touch bar)
To use the lock screen keyboard shortcuts you first must enable the lock screen ability in OS X. With this enabled, you can then lock down the Mac instantly and require a password for it to be usable again. Here's how to enable the lock screen in Mac OS X:
- Launch System Preferences, found in the Apple menu
- Click on Security & Privacy and look under the General tab
- Click the checkbox next to Require password after sleep or screen saver begins from the drop down menu select either immediately or 5 seconds as the time interval to require the password
- Exit out of System Preferences
To Lock:
Control+Shift+Eject is the keystroke for Macs with an Eject key, and for external keyboards
Control+Shift+Power is the keystroke for Macs without the eject key, like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Retina
To Unlock:
- Press any key
- Enter your password.
Mac (with Touch bar)
One-time setup is needed to set up the Screen Lock button on Touch Bar:
1. Go to the Apple menu and choose “System Preferences” and then go to “Keyboard”
2. Under the “Keyboard” tab choose “Customize Control Strip”
3. Expand the Touch Bar and then drag the “Screen Lock” button into the touch bar screen (drag it down off the Mac display and it will pop up on the Touch Bar)
4. Click on “Done” and exit out of Keyboard preferences, the Screen Lock button is now available on the Mac Touch Bar
To Lock:
Tap on the Touch Bar “Screen Lock” button.
To Unlock:
- Press any key
- Enter your password.
Anything that was open on your computer when you walked away will still be there.