Secure your Computer System: Lock Your Computer Before Leaving Your Desk
Other Safe Computing Principles
Any time that you step away from your computer, get in the habit of locking it.
Locking your computer is an easy and effective step to take to protect the information on your computer system while it's
unattended. When you lock your computer you safeguard your data without having
to shut down your system. Follow these instructions to perform this function:
Windows
Windows XP
- To lock your computer, press the Windows Logo
key +L. (The Windows logo key is
located between your CTRL and ALT keys).
- To unlock your computer, type your password (the password you use to log in to your
computer system at start up), and then click OK or press Enter.
- To unlock your computer if you use a client, such as Novell's Client, press CTRL+ALT+DEL, type your password, and then
click OK or press Enter.
Windows 2000
- Press CTRL+ALT+DEL, and then click the Lock Workstation button.
- To Unlock your computer, press CTRL+ALT+DEL, type your password (the password you use to log in to your
computer system at start up), and then click OK.
Note: The above steps will only work if you have a password-protected account. To create a password for your
account see our User Accounts page.
Macintosh
Mac OS X
To set up:
- On the Apple menu, click System Preferences.
- Under the Personal heading, click Security.
- Check the box next to Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver.
- Close the Security control panel.
When you want to lock the computer:
- On the Apple menu, click Sleep.
When you want to awaken the computer:
- Click the mouse, or strike any of the keys on the keyboard.
