Ohio University

Make it a habit to lock your computer with a password whenever you need to be away, even if you are only going to be away for a few minutes.  When going home for the day, make sure to shut down your computer.
 
Locking & Unlocking a Windows Computer

• Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete.
• Choose Lock Workstation
• To unlock, enter your password in the "Workstation Locked" dialog.  If this is not visible, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete.

To lock your workstation, you also can hold down the "Windows" key and press "L".

Password Protecting a Macintosh

To set up a Macintosh with a password-protected screen saver and sleep mode:

• Select "System Preferences" from the Apple menu
• Select "Accounts" in the System section
• Ensure that there is a password in place for each account
• Select "Show All"
• Select "Desktop & Screen Saver" from the Personal section
• Ensure that the Screen Saver kicks in after a reasonable time (e.g., 10 or 15 minutes)
• Select "Show All"
• Select "Security" from the Personal section
• Ensure that the check-box is filled in for "Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver" and for "Disable automatic login."
• Close System Preferences

To put your Mac to sleep or activate the screen saver:

• On the Screen Saver system preferences panel, click the "hot corner" button to establish any corner of the screen as an immediate activation of the screen saver.
• In the Apple menu, choose "Sleep" to put your computer to sleep.  Please note that inducing immediate sleep on your Macintosh carries a higher risk of disrupting active software, such as Mulberry or Oracle Calendar, than activating the screen saver does.

To wake your Mac from sleep or screen saver mode:

• Move the mouse or strike a key on the keyboard and wait for the password prompt.
• Enter your Macintosh password.