ZeEsH

There are a couple of ways to make your Mac require a password when you leave it. The easiest way is to set “Require password after sleep or screen saver begins” in the Security section of System Preferences. Here, you can also set a time limit so a password isn’t required right away, but only after 15 minutes for example.

If you would prefer a keyboard shortcut to lock the screen, you can create this yourself. Open up Automator (in the Applications folder) and choose a Service template. From the library choose “Run Shell Script” and drag it across to the workflow area. In the text box paste the following command:

‘/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession’ -suspend

Finally, change the “text” drop-down menu above the workflow to “no input” and then save you workflow as “Lock Screen”. To add the keyboard shortcut, go to the Keyboard section of System Preferences and click the Keyboard shortcuts tab. Select Services from the list on the left, then scroll down to the bottom of the list on the right to find “Lock Screen”. Double-click on the area to the right “Lock Screen”, then press the keyboard shortcut you want. I used Command-Control-L.

A method of locking your system is to show the login window, without actually logging out. You can do this by enabling fast user switching in the Accounts System Preferences panel. Click the Login Options button (you’ll probably have to enter your administrator password to do this), and then select the Enable Fast User Switching option. Once you have fast user switching enabled, you’ll see either an icon or a name in your menubar, depending on what option you chose on the Login Options screen. Click on your name or icon in the menubar and select Login Window from the drop-down menu. The login window will appear. When you return to your Mac, login as you usually do. All your applications will be just as your left them—even your iTunes music will start up again where it stopped playing, even if that means mid-song.