OS X: How to Lock Your Computer from the Menu Bar

Contributed by Rob Rogers April 20, 2011  
Tagged: Mac OS X Leopard  

First we need to add Keychain Access Status icon to the menu bar.

1. Open Finder.

2. Click Applications in the left pane.

3. In the right pane, click Utilities and select Keychain Access.

4. When Keychain Access opens, go to the menu and select Preferences.

5. From the General tab, check the Show Status in Menu Bar checkbox.

6. A lock icon will appear in the menu bar.

7. Close Preferences, Keychain Access and Finder windows.

Now that we have the Status icon on the menu bar, we can lock the desktop easily by clicking it and selecting Lock Screen. Your credentials will need to be entered to unlock the computer.