It can be a fun activity to personalize your Mac and tinker with the settings. Then, when you are done, the device will feel like your own.
From changing the folder icons to the desktop background and automating the four corners of the display, there’s so much to play around with. In this guide, you will learn how you can customize your Mac’s lock screen. The knowledge can come in handy, especially if you are sharing your system with multiple users.
Lock your Mac in Different Ways
You can lock your Mac’s screen in different ways. So, if you are bored with using a password to lock the screen, you can change the setting. For instance, you can use a shortcut to lock Mac. You can send your display to sleep by pressing Control + Shift + Power or lock the screen by pressing Control + Command + Q.
Alternatively, you can use hot corners to lock your Mac’s screen. Go to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Screen Saver > click the Hot Corners button > click on each of the corners and select Lock Screen. You can assign a task for each of the corners, and one of them can be to lock the screen.
Change the Lock Screen Wallpaper
On your Mac, you can keep the desktop wallpaper as it is while changing the lock screen wallpaper. Find a picture that is of the same resolution as that of your system’s display if you want the best results. If you get a large picture, you can resize it to fit your Mac’s display. You can check the resolution of your system’s display by clicking the Apple button > choosing About This Mac > going to the Displays tab.
After knowing the resolution, you must search for and download a picture you want to use. Then, you can convert it to a PNG file format by opening the picture in Preview and going to File > Export > selecting PNG from the Format menu > clicking Expert As > name the file as lockscreen > Save. The file name will be saved as lockscreen.png.
Now that your image file is ready, open the Finder tool and click Go > Go to Folder > enter /Library/Caches > click Go. This will open the Caches folder, and then you must open the Desktop Pictures option and open the folder with a long sequence of letters and numbers. Inside of this, you will find the lockscreen.png file. Drag and drop the file to replace the existing one.
When you sleep or restart your computer, you will see your chosen image as the new lock screen.
However, if you change the desktop wallpaper, the custom lock screen image will change, and you will have to follow the steps mentioned above to choose a different lock screen picture.
Choose a Different user Icon on the Lock Screen
You can customize your Mac by changing the profile picture on the lock screen page. By doing this, you will change the default picture from Apple to an image of your choice.
To change the user icon on the lock screen, go to System Preferences > select Users & Groups > move your mouse to the current icon and click Edit > select a new picture or click a picture using your system’s webcam > click Save.
You can also change the icon of the other user accounts by clicking the lock and entering the password. Then, follow the same procedure as mentioned above.
Add a Custom Message to the Lock Screen
The Find My Feature is an excellent way of finding your Mac if you have stolen or misplaced it. But this is not the only useful feature. You can use another setting that can help you recover your laptop: a custom lock screen message.
The message will be customized, and it may consist of your contact information. You can place the message at the bottom of the screen, above the different buttons on your lock screen.
The custom message doesn’t necessarily have to be for the purpose of recovering your laptop. For example, you can change it to add a bit of humor whenever you unlock your Mac.
You can create a custom lock screen message by going to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > clicking the lock in the lower-left corner > entering your password to make the changes > checking the box next to Show a message when the screen is locked > clicking the Set Lock Message button > writing your information, sarcastic or witty message > clicking OK.
The custom message will appear at the bottom of the lock screen.
The Bottom Line
These are some ways to customize the lock screen and transform your Mac into your own. With these little changes, you will be able to differentiate your Mac from the herd. Also, these changes can enhance your Mac experience and take it to the next level.