There are probably dozens if not more applications installed on your Mac. You may feel the need to put a lock on some of them. Restricting access to certain Mac apps - such as Messages, Photos and Mail - can help better protect your privacy especially when other people can access and use your computer. This article will show you how to lock apps on Mac easily and efficiently.
macOS itself doesn’t offer a good way to do the locking. Luckily, third-party tools are available as a solution. Let’s see how to use them.
You can easily password-protect any apps, built-in or third-party, on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iMac etc. using Cisdem AppCrypt, the best app locker and website blocker for Mac.
AppCrypt main features:
1. Download AppCrypt and install it.
2. The first time you open it, set a password.
3. Click the tool’s icon in the menu bar and choose Open Main Window.
4. Enter the password, and you are in the main window.
5. Under the App Lock tab, click the plus icon.
6. Select the individual Mac app(s) that you want to lock and click Open.
Now the selected apps on your Mac are locked.
Alternatively, instead of doing steps 5 and 6, you can lock an app by dragging it into the App Lock tab.
While Mac apps normally reside in the Applications folder, it’s possible to place them elsewhere such as Desktop. This tool allows you to lock apps on Mac regardless of where they reside.
When you or someone else tries to open a locked app on your Mac, it won’t open, and a dialog box will show up asking for the password. How to unlock an app? Just enter the correct password.
If the password entered is wrong, the app will remain locked, and AppCrypt will record the failed attempt and take a photo of the intruder.
How to remove the lock from an app? If you don’t want to keep an app private anymore, you can remove the lock. Select the app under the App Lock tab and then press the Delete key. The app will be accessible.
Enable the Auto Lock if needed Click Preferences, and you will find the Auto Lock feature. If the feature is enabled, unlocked apps will be relocked automatically after a period of inactivity or after you are away from your Mac for a while.
Enable the Launch at system startup option Turn on this option in Preferences. This way, it will start locking apps right away upon Mac startup, making the locking more effective.
How to lock apps during certain hours You lock apps on Mac to protect privacy. Also, locking an app during certain times can help limit the time spent on it. And you can use the Schedule feature for this purpose. Select an app under the App Lock tab to bring up an clock icon. Click the clock icon and enable Custom Schedule.
How to quit You need to enter the password in order to quit (and uninstall) AppCrypt. This prevents people from bypassing the locking by quitting the app locker.
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As its name tells, AppLocker is a dedicated to adding a lock on your apps. It’s very easy to use and works as expected most of the time. But sometimes it stops working. If so, a user can contact the developer for help.
The tool has a free version, which lets users lock only one app, making it sort of a free app locker for Mac. To be able to lock two or more apps, users need to make a purchase.
Without further ado, let’s see how to use it.
1. Install AppLocker on your Mac.
2. Open it. Create a password when asked.
3. In the menu bar along the top of your screen, click the AppLocker icon. When prompted, enter the password. Click Enter.
4. Click the plus icon in the top right corner.
5. The Select Applications to Lock window will open, displaying a list of all the apps on your Mac.
6. From the list, click the app to which you’d like to block access, and the app will be locked immediately.
You can unlock an app by entering the password. If you use MacBook Pro 2021, MacBook Air 2022, MacBook Air 2017 or another Mac that supports Touch ID, you can also unlock an app with your fingerprint.
If one enters the wrong password, a locked app will still be inaccessible. All accesses to the locked apps, successful or failed, will be recorded in Activity Report.
To make the app lock more effective, you can go to Preferences and configure Extra Security.
This method is not that practical. But I will still talk about it for your consideration. Note that the method can’t lock any built-in Mac app.
This method to lock apps on Mac involves the use of Disk Utility, a built-in macOS utility to perform disk-related tasks, and is about creating an encrypted disk image and moving the apps of your choice to the disk image.
1. On your Mac, open Disk Utility.
2. From the menu bar, select File > New Image > Blank Image.
3. In the Save As field, enter a name for the disk image you are creating.
4. In the Where field, select a location.
5. In the Name field, give a name to the disk image once it’s mounted.
6. In the Size filed, specify a size. Make it bigger if you have a few apps to lock on your Mac.
7. From the Format dropdown list, select the format you need.
8. Select the desired type of encryption. And set a password. This is the password that you use to lock your apps.
9. Select the type of partition that you need.
10. Set it to be a read/write disk image.
11. Click Save.
12. Wait for Disk Utility to create the encrypted disk image (with the extension .dmg).
13. Now click the DMG file to open (or mount) it. Go to the sidebar of Finder and find the mounted file under the Devices section.
14. Lock the specific Mac apps by moving them from the Applications folder to the locked disk image. Make sure you hold down the Command key while moving apps by dragging.
15. In Finder’s sidebar, control-click the DMG file and choose Eject.
Now the selected Mac apps are locked in the encrypted disk image. To unlock them, click the disk image, enter password as required and go to Finder. To put on the lock again, eject the mounted disk image.
This method also is not very practical. It uses Screen Time, a feature available in macOS Catalina or later. This feature allows users to set time limits for apps and provides a “Block at end of limit” option. As a result, it’s possible to lock apps on Mac with this feature.
1. From the Apple menu, select System Preferences > Screen Time.
2. In the bottom left corner of the main window, click Options. Select the Use Screen Time Passcode checkbox. Set a 4-digit passcode.
3. In the left column, click App Limits. Click the Turn On button to enable it.
4. Click the plus button, which will bring up a new window where you can add an app to create limit. Enable Block at end of limit. When you finish setting up, click the Done button.
Note that the minimum limit that you can set is 1 minute. If your purpose is to lock a certain app on Mac so that others won’t have access to it at all, then you need to use the app for 1 minute every day to trigger the locking. When the time limit is reached, the app will be locked, and one will be asked to enter the passcode to access the app.
Why lock apps? It can prevent others who use your Mac from accessing your apps and privacy. It adds an extra layer of protection against hacking. Parents can limit children’s screen time by stopping them from opening games and other addictive apps. How to lock apps on Mac? There are easy methods. This article can help you find a straightforward and effective way to get the job done.
Rosa has worked in Mac software industry for more than eight years. She believes that the purpose of software is to make life better and work more productively. In addition to writing, Rosa is also an avid runner.
Freddy B. Greer
Thanks for your sharing, Rosa Reyes. Now I don't need to worry about someone opening some of my application without my permission. Super helpful for me!!
Glenda
Awesome! Super helpful and simple to use! It limits my child to play games on Mac frequently and it looks really cool!
Joana
Very good looking app that is feature rich and very easy and pleasing to use.
Kenyon
I loooooove AppCrypt absolutely a great program. I can't say anymore it's just awesome.
Bella
A very good third-party tool to protect apps you don't want to accidentally launched by others.
Eve
The paragon of unierstanddng these issues is right here!
Edith
I have three kids in my family, and they always use my Mac to play games and watch movies. aha, now they even can't access to my games app with the help of AppCrypt.