Set up your Mac to be secure (2024)

macOS Sonoma 14

macOS Ventura 13

macOS Monterey 12

macOS Big Sur 11.0

macOS Catalina 10.15

macOS Mojave 10.14

macOS User Guide

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- Set up your Mac to be secure
- Keep your data safe
- Create a passkey
- Understand passwords
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Resources for your Mac
Resources for your Apple devices
Copyright

Use secure passwords

To keep your information safe, you should use passwords to secure your Mac, and choose passwords that can’t be easily guessed. See Learn how passwords are used.

Create passkeys

A passkey is a way to sign in to an app or website account, without needing to create and remember a password. Instead of a password, a passkey uses Touch ID or Face ID to identify you. See Sign in to an account on your Mac with a passkey.

Require users to log in

If others can get physical access to your Mac, you should set up separate users for each person using the Mac, and require each user to log in. This prevents an unauthorized person from using the Mac. It also separates user files, so users only have access to their own personal files and settings. Users cannot see or modify the files or settings of other users. See .

Secure your Mac when it’s idle

You can set your Mac to log out the current user if the Mac has been inactive for a certain period of time. See Set your Mac to log out when not in use. You should also require a password to wake it from sleep or from the screen saver. See Require a password after waking your Mac. For convenience, you can set up a hot corner to click whenever you want to immediately lock your screen. See Use hot corners.

Limit the number of administrative users

One or more people can have administrator privileges for a Mac. By default the administrator is the person who initially set up the Mac.

Administrators can create, manage, and delete other users; install and remove software; and change settings. For these reasons, an administrator should create a standard user account to use when administrator privileges are not needed. If the security of a standard user is compromised, the potential harm is far more limited than if the user has administrator privileges. If multiple people use your Mac, limit the number of users with administrator privileges.

Protect the encrypted data on your Mac with FileVault

If you have a Mac with Apple silicon or an Apple T2 Security Chip, your data is encrypted automatically. FileVault provides further protection by requiring your login password to see your data. See How does FileVault work on a Mac?.

See alsoApple Support article: Report a security or privacy vulnerability

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