2021-01-12 03:49:00 / Posted by Rosa Reyes to Utility Follow @ Rosa
This article mainly talks about how to lock apps on Mac effortlessly in different ways. You probably have dozens if not over a hundred of applications installed on your Mac. Sometimes, you may feel the need to put a lock on certain apps such as Messages, Photos and Mail. By restricting access to the personal apps on your Mac, you can better protect your privacy especially when others can easily access and use your computer.
Use AppCrypt to prevent unauthorized access to your apps.
macOS (previously Mac OS X, then OS X) doesn’t come with a (direct) way to do the locking. Luckily, third-party apps are available as a solution.
You can easily password lock any built-in and any third-party apps on iMac, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, etc. using Cisdem AppCrypt, the best app locker and website blocker for Mac.
Now the selected Mac apps are locked.
Alternatively, in Step 5, you can block an app by dragging it into the tool's sidebar.
While Mac apps are usually in the Applications folder, they can also be in other places such as a particular folder of user's choice. This tool enables you to lock any apps regardless of where they are.
When you or someone else tries to open a Mac app locked by AppCrypt, a dialog box will show up asking for password. If the password entered is correct, then the app will open successfully. If not, the app will remain locked.
In addition, AppCrypt will record the failed attempt with information like date, time and a photo of the person who's tried to break in. The photo in the screenshot below is blurred for privacy. If you'd like to delete such a record, control-click the record and click the Delete option that appears.
Here's how to unlock a locked app. To remove the password protection, select the app in the sidebar and click Remove App in the toolbar. Note that four apps are locked by default. They are Activity Monitor, Console, Terminal and System Preferences. You can remove them if you want to.
Disk Utility is a utility built-in to macOS, which can be used to perform disk-related tasks. You can use it to encrypt folders. It’s actually also possible to use this utility to lock apps on Mac, but only third-party ones. Note that the method doesn't apply to any built-in app.
The method is basically about creating an encrypted disk image and moving the apps of your choice to the disk image. The steps below can help you better understand how it works.
Now your important apps are locked in the encrypted disk image. To launch them, click the disk image, enter password as required and go to Finder. To put on the lock again, eject the mounted disk image.
Depending on the macOS version your Mac is using, the interface and options may appear slightly different. Despite that, you can still follow the steps described above.
Note: Some apps may don't work properly if they are not in the Applications folder.
This method doesn’t apply to systems prior to macOS 10.15. Previously only available on iOS, Screen Time came to Mac with the release of macOS Catalina.
As you can tell form its name, the feature is designed primarily for the purpose of controlling screen time. If you are looking for an easy way to protect apps on Mac with a strong password, this method is not effective or practical enough.
Note that the minimum limit is 1 minute. If your purpose is to lock an app on Mac so that others won't have access to it, then you need to use the app for 1 minute every day to trigger the blocking.
When a time limit is reached, the app will be locked, and one will be asked to enter the passcode to access the app again. Therefore, it provides a solution to lock apps on Mac.
iOS has a built-in feature named Guided Access. It can help you lock apps on iOS devices. You can enable this feature on your iPhone with following the steps.
This is it! Now, you are safe to hand over your Mac and iPhone to your kids, friends or with whom you are not comfortable to share applications.
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? If you are asking this question, then I hope this article can be of some help. There are a few methods available. If you are not comfortable with Disk Utility or if you want to put lock on pre-installed apps, the dedicated app locker recommended in the first method can be the best choice. With it, things are easy, quick and straightforward.
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6 Comments Leave a Reply
Awesome! Super helpful and simple to use! It limits my child to play games on Mac frequently and it looks really cool!
Very good looking app that is feature rich and very easy and pleasing to use.
I loooooove AppCrypt absolutely a great program. I can't say anymore it's just awesome.
A very good third-party tool to protect apps you don't want to accidentally launched by others.
The paragon of unierstanddng these issues is right here!
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.