Like Windows L (for LOCK): password lock?

[CavemanMike]

I don't like entering a password each time my macbook wakes up.

There are times, however, I'd like to press a keyboard shortcut and force my macbook El Capitain into a locked password state.

Any 3rd party apps for this?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[motorboating]

Keychain Access (in the /Applications/Utilities folder) has a preference to place a lock in the menu bar near the clock. Clicking this then allows you to lock either the screen or the keychain.

You can also set a Hot Corner (System Prefs > Desktop & Screen Saver > Screen Saver > Hot Corners) to 'put display to sleep.' If your system is set to ask for a password after wake or screen saver, then moving the mouse pointer to the specified corner will trigger that.

If you really want a keyboard shortcut, you could trigger a key combination to execute

pmset displaysleepnow​

at the command line (which may require a bit of extra work/research.)

I'm not aware of any third party apps specifically to achieve this because I've never bothered Googling it. The hot corners and/or keychain icon work well enough.

 

[Significant1]

Enable quick user switching, it will place a menuitem in the menubar, where you can select lockscreen.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Possible solutions:

1. Setting up a Hot Corner. (see motorboating's post above).
   
2. Tap the Power button on your Mac. It immediately puts the Mac to sleep and (if you've previously set your Mac up to require a password when it wakes) forces your password to wake it up.
3. Setup a process via Automator (http://www.macyourself.com/2013/01/27/how-to-lock-your-mac-screen-with-a-keyboard-shortcut/)
   
4. Third party app: I have used Padlock, which is a $2 app.

 

[mag01]

I've been using this very simple approach for years:
http://www.macyourself.com/2013/01/27/how-to-lock-your-mac-screen-with-a-keyboard-shortcut/
No 3rd party app needed, just create a simple "Lock Screen" service in Automator and set some keyboard shortcut to trigger it.
And my keyboard shortcut set for this action is Control+Command+L

 

[Pakaku]

Keychain menubar icon is how I've always done it.

 

[chabig]

Shift–Control–(Power button or Media Eject

) Turns the display off immediately.

More here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236

 

[CavemanMike]

Alfred (alfredapp.com) has this built in (in the free version). Just activate it and type LOCK .

Problem solved!