Why and How to Lock Mac Keyboard

The sleek, shiny, and smooth design of Mac computers draws the attention of every person. This includes adults, small children, and even pets. But letting anyone use your Mac device might be risky.

You can easily prevent interference on your Mac screen in multiple ways. But how to lock Mac keyboard to prevent any unwanted changes – whether those are changes to some important documents, or when you are playing a game or doing some work? This guide will help you with figuring out how to lock your Mac keyboard, whatever the reason is.

Why Lock Your Mac Keyboard?

There are multiple reasons you might want to lock your Mac keyboard, ranging from having pets or small kids roaming around. By locking your keyboard you can avoid any unwanted changes.

Another reason is wanting to clean your keyboard. Keyboards easily pick up grease, dust, grime, and dirt. Constant contact with your hands can make them dirty and unhygienic. You don’t need to turn off your Mac completely to clean its keyboard. You can simply lock the keyboard to disable the keys.

Yet another reason is wanting to prevent keyboard input while watching a movie.

What Is a Keyboard Lock?

Mac devices have a Keyboard Lock feature to temporarily turn off the keyboard input. This feature is useful when you don’t want your work to be disrupted due to accidental keystrokes. You can buy a wireless or wired keyboard with an integrated keyboard lock feature. But this feature has some flaws and does not always work properly.

Also, some MacBook keyboard layouts come without a dedicated lock key. To share your Mac keyboard on MacBook or another Apple device, you can use the Universal Control feature. To temporarily disable a keyboard, get a wireless or a wired keyboard.

Use the Lock Screen Option

The simplest method to lock your MacBook keyboard is to do it manually. This method will work for any Mac device. Move the cursor on the screen’s top left corner and tap on the Apple icon. Now, click on Lock Screen from the appearing menu.

You will see that your Mac screen is locked. So, input your Mac password or use your Touch ID to sign back in. This trick will help you to protect your device against unnecessary changes in the text fields or purchases. It would not lock the keyboard completely.

Use the Keyboard Shortcut

If you are interested in learning how to lock Mac keyboard completely, use the keyboard shortcut. It will help you in locking the keyboard as well as the Mac screen. Tap the Control + Command + Q keys for locking.

Once you press this keyboard shortcut or combination, you will move to a lock screen. Here, you will have to either type your system password or use your Touch ID to log in again. It will effectively lock the screen and keyboard on the MacBook.  

Ways to Lock a Mac Keyboard

Another method to lock your MacBook keyboard consists of just a few options. First, you have to simply close the lid. Now, you can use the keyword combination of the Control, Shift, and Power keys to lock your MacBook.

Press the Command, Option, and Power keys to put your machine to sleep mode. Go to the Apple menu and select the Sleep option. You can also close the lid to bring your MacBook to sleep. Press the keyboard combo of Control, Shift, and Power to lock your MacBook.

Why Disable Keys for Keyboard Cleaning?

Traditionally a keyboard cleaning is a simple process of turning off the machine. Users could turn off their MacBook by tapping Apple and then the Shutdown button. They need to clean the keyboard without turning on their MacBook.

But, for the modern MacBook, this method is no longer required. This is because any keystroke on the latest Mac computers can cause the device to start booting. It is no longer possible to open the lid without waking up a system. 

Is It Good to Use Third-Party Apps?

There are numerous apps that are considered worth downloading to manage the Mac keyboard and system. These apps lock the keyboard of Mac laptops while allowing the display to keep running.

This would be helpful when you require to watch videos without needing a Mac keyboard. These apps may stop working as your Mac system updates. Hence, you may not be able to lock your keyboard. The above methods will lock the keyboard as well as the entire system.