tjluoma / lockscreen

How to lock your Mac with a keyboard shortcut

lockscreen

Windows users who switch to the Mac often want an equivalent command to "Windows Key + L" which will automatically "lock" the screen of a Windows-based computer.

This can be easily replicated on a Mac without resorting to "hot corners" or anything like that.

All it takes is two things:

1. FastScripts which is free for up to 10 keyboard shortcuts
2. An AppleScript called LockScreen.scpt

The AppleScript executes one line:

	do shell script "/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu\\ Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession -suspend"

Note the two backslashes and the quotation marks.

Installation

1. In Finder, click on the "Go" menu while holding down the Option/Alt key in order to reveal the otherwise-hidden "Library" option:

Then choose "Library"

2. Create a folder named "Scripts" in the Library folder.

3. Download LockScreen.scpt and put it into the "/Library/Scripts/LockScreen.scpt" folder (Note: "" is your home directory, sometimes referred to as "$HOME").

4. Download and install FastScripts.

5. Launch FastScripts, open the Preferences (hint: FastScripts will appear in your menu bar at the top-right of your screen).

6. In FastScript preferences, select "Script Shortcuts" as shown here:

Double-click where it says "(none)" and you press whatever keyboard combination you want, as long as:

• It includes the command key ⌘ and at least one other key
• The combination is not in use by any other keyboard shortcut

For example, if you wanted to trigger the lock screen by ⌘ + ⌥ + L it should look like this

Note: I would recommend using ⌘ + ⌥ + Shift + L since that is less likely to conflict with existing keyboard shortcuts, but it's up to you.

"But I don't want to install a 3rd-party app to do this!"

Well, tough.

Yeah, I know Windows can do this without a 3rd-party app. How nice.

Supposedly you can do this with Keychain Access but I've never been able to get it to work, and at best it requires two different keystrokes.

Computers are no longer delicate little memory-starved quirkflowers which have to be coddled. If your computer can't handle FastScripts running in the background, it's time to shoot it and put it out of its misery.

"But I want to turn the screen off and lock it!"

Download http://tobiastom.github.io/Sleep-Display/. Unzip it, and move "Sleep Display.app" to /Applications/.

Then use SleepAndLockScreen.scpt which does this:

	ignoring application responses
		do shell script "/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu\\ Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession -suspend"
		tell application "Sleep Display" to activate
	end ignoring