Enable or Disable Mac asking for Password after Sleep or Screen Saver

In this article, I will be showing you how to enable or disable Mac asking for a Password after Sleep or Screen Saver. This is paramount to help keep the information on your Mac secure. Especially, when you are not sitting directly on your PC. When set to require a password when it wakes from sleep or screen saver. You will be required to enter your login name and password to continue working. Please see how to “Enable or Disable hibernation: How to fix the missing fast startup option on Windows.

Here are some related articles. How to disable the sleep mode in Windows 10 to never turn off the display, How to disable Lock Screen on Windows 10, How to disable power plan in Windows via GPO and Windows Settings, and how to Disable modern standby on Windows 10 and 11.

Enable Password for MacOS

Note: To enable the password after sleep or when the screen saver is activated, kindly follow the steps below.

Click the Apple Menu on your Mac and choose System Preferences. Please see how to Prevent users from saving RDP Credentials on Windows 11.

Alternatively, you can access system preferences from the LuanchPad or if you have it attached to the dock of your device.

Locate and click the option Security & Privacy in System Preferences as shown below.

This will load the Security and Privacy Settings and will launch the below window.

Please check the button close to “Require password [X time (immediately)] after sleep or screen saver begins.

Note: You could also increase that time while still maintaining a high level of security.

You will be asked to enter your Password to apply the changes. 

You can use your administrator name and password to unlock the screen for yourself or a standard user when locked.

The settings have been set to require a password immediately. After sleep or the screen saver begins.

Note: Locking the screen doesn’t prevent other users from turning off the Mac, restarting it, and logging in. To prevent loss of work, be sure to save your work before you leave your Mac.

Please see UEFI, TPM, BitLocker FAQs: Disable Sleep Mode. Also, see how to enable or disable Screen Saver in Windows 10 or Windows 11 via Windows Settings or Group Policy.

Why you should not disable Password Requirement for Sleep or Screen Saver

Disabling the password requirement after sleep or a screen saver on a Mac can introduce security risks as mentioned above. Here are a few reasons why it is generally not recommended to do so.

1. Unauthorized access: If you disable the password requirement, anyone who has physical access to your Mac while it is in sleep mode or when the screen saver is active will immediately have access to your device, except when you manually lock it. This can include sensitive files, personal information, and online accounts if you have them saved in your browser as we will see shortly.
2. Data theft: If your Mac is stolen or accessed by someone without permission, having a password in place acts as a deterrent and adds an additional layer of security. It helps protect your data from being accessed or stolen by unauthorized individuals, and this can lead to some Privacy concerns where anyone can view your open applications, documents, emails, or any other personal information without your knowledge or consent. This compromises your privacy and can lead to unauthorized access to your sensitive data.
3. Compliance requirements: In certain industries or organizations, there may be regulatory or compliance requirements mandating the use of passwords or authentication mechanisms to protect sensitive information. Disabling the password requirement can violate these requirements and expose you to legal or compliance-related consequences.

While it may be more convenient to bypass the password requirement after sleep or a screen saver.

Note: It is strongly recommended to keep it enabled for the security and protection of your Mac and personal data.

If the above does not also help deter you from disabling the password requirement. Please follow the steps below to disable macOS asking for a password after sleep or screen saver.

How to Stop macOS from Asking for Password after Sleep or Screen Saver

This step is necessary if security is of no importance to you and if every time your Mac goes to sleep or the screen saver kicks in, you are tired of always entering your user password to wake it up.

Below are some reasons why I would kick against disabling password requirements. Follow the same steps above to get to the System Preferences window.

On the Security and Privacy screen. Uncheck the Require Password. Then you will be prompted to enter your administrative password to disable “require password”.

On the next prompt (pop-up), you will be asked.

Are you sure you want to turn off the screen lock? Select Turn Off Screen Lock. Please see “Unable to connect to Eduroam WLAN: WiFi Username remembered on MAC”.

Next, you will be asked, “Do you want to turn off iCloud Keychain?” You can choose to Keep Using the Keychain or turn it off for this Mac.

For issues. Take any of the options that is applicable to you. Because I will have to re-enable this setting to require a password after sleep etc. I will select to keep using the keychain.

When this is done, you will not have to enter your password every time you wake your Mac after it goes to sleep or after the screen saver is activated.

I hope you found this blog post helpful on how to Enable or Disable Mac asking for Password after Sleep or Screen Saver. Please let me know in the comment section if you have any questions.