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Set a Password on Mac Email Application

jusacruiser

jusacruiser

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 15, 2009
343
14
Palm Beach, Florida
I have not been able to figure out how to set a password on the Apple email application.

When I called AppleCare, they said you can't set a password.

Does anyone know anything about being able to set a Password for access to their Mac email?
:confused:
 
You can set a password for an email account, but you can't set a password for launching the Mail.app.
 
You can set your computer to lock whenever you're idle for more than a few minutes... then you'd need to enter a password to unlock it.

And if you don't enter a password for your email account into the Mail application, you'll be forced to enter that password every time you want to send or receive an email.

And you can also set up FileVault to encrypt all of your home folders (including your email database).

But as far as I know there's no way to set a password on a specific application.
 
NorCalLights said:
You can set your computer to lock whenever you're idle for more than a few minutes... then you'd need to enter a password to unlock it.

And if you don't enter a password for your email account into the Mail application, you'll be forced to enter that password every time you want to send or receive an email.

And you can also set up FileVault to encrypt all of your home folders (including your email database).

But as far as I know there's no way to set a password on a specific application.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Now to log into my MBP you need to enter a password. But if I am away from my MBP for a few minutes anyone can just walk up to my computer and look through my mail?

Or sometimes a friend or someone work will want to borrow my computer for a little while, and I am supposed say....By the way, please don't look at my mail?

I am hoping in the new version of Lion they will address this issue.

Thanks for the comment.
 
As NorCalLights said, you can easily require a password to access your account after the computer sleeps or the screen saver starts - If you are in an environment where others have easy access to your computer, you should do that anyway.

Unless you don't care what someone does with your computer, you shouldn't let them use your account under any circumstances. Create a guest account for them to use - and make them log into that if you loan them your mac. That way they won't have access to any of your data, and you can control what applications they can use.
 
dholaday said:
... That way they won't have access to any of your data, and you can control what applications they can use.
Click to expand...
To follow-up, a guest account does not allow the user to save data or to make unapproved changes to the system. However, it does allow access to the web and such like.
 
jusacruiser said:
But if I am away from my MBP for a few minutes anyone can just walk up to my computer and look through my mail?
Click to expand...
This is simple to solve. Just set a screen saver and require a password to wake from sleep or screen saver. Then you can either close the lid or set up a hot corner to activate the screen saver with a swipe of the mouse or trackpad when you step away.
 
MisterMe said:
To follow-up, a guest account does not allow the user to save data or to make unapproved changes to the system. However, it does allow access to the web and such like.
Click to expand...

You can limit the applications [including internet access] available to the guest account by using parental controls. I have two "guest accounts" with separate passwords: One that severely limits what the guest can do [e.g., no internet access] and one for "trusted" folk that allows less limited access.

I've found the best way to control what happens to my computer is to "Just Say No" whenever anyone asks to use it. :)
 
ryanide said:
This program can password protect entire applications or folders, including Mail. It is well worth the money and works great. Check it out.
Click to expand...
It doesn't password protect applications. It password protects application data.
 
dholaday said:
You can limit the applications [including internet access] available to the guest account by using parental controls. I have two "guest accounts" with separate passwords: One that severely limits what the guest can do [e.g., no internet access] and one for "trusted" folk that allows less limited access.

I've found the best way to control what happens to my computer is to "Just Say No" whenever anyone asks to use it. :)
Click to expand...

I know I can always say "no", but I always feel like a scrouge, debbie downer, and all sorts of bad stuff. :(
 
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