How to Lock and Unlock Keyboard on Mac

Macbooks are so popular because they are aesthetically pleasing pieces of technology. Sometimes this can include the family cat or a young child, but in most cases, they are the last people you want touching your Mac. Here you can find a straightforward method for locking the keyboard on a Mac to prevent unauthorised access.

To secure a Mac keyboard, you’ll need to install a third-party programme like Karabiner Element, Lockey, or Keyboard Locker. There’s also the option of locking the entire system down. When a software locks the keyboard, users can still access their Macs in other ways; but, they will be unable to use key shortcuts to release the keyboard.

There’s no telling when you might need to prevent unauthorised access to sensitive information stored on your Macbook, therefore it’s a good idea to constantly lock the keyboard. There are several tips on how to lock your keyboard, clean it, and even make it cat-proof in the paragraph that follows this one. We expect that after reading this post, you will have a much better notion of how to protect your MacBook.

What Exactly is Keyboard Lock? is it Safe?

Keyboard lock is a function available on Windows and Mac computers that allows the user to temporarily disable keyboard input. This function can be useful if you are involved in a task that requires a high level of focus and don’t want to be distracted by accidental key presses.

You can buy a hardwired or wireless keyboard with a lock already on it. Similar to other function keys, it toggles the keyboard’s power on and off in most situations. On the other hand, the keyboard that came with your PC could not contain a button to toggle input. One example is how the MacBook’s keyboard doesn’t have a dedicated key for the keyboard lock.

Find out if there’s a locket- or keyboard-shaped icon on your computer’s keyboard, whether it’s wired or wifi. A desktop or laptop computer may provide you the option to record or ignore your keystrokes. If your keyboard has a dedicated button for toggling inputs, all you have to do is press it.

When your keyboard is locked, no one else can use it without your permission.

The best keyboard on the planet might not have a lock/unlock key. If your new keyboard doesn’t come with lock and unlock buttons, you’ll need to download software from an independent developer. A key combination, the Function (FN) key, or the numeric keypad can all be avoided by downloading software onto your PC or Mac that provides facilities for restricting your keystrokes.

Keyboard locking is a secure function, but it can be confusing to operate if you’re not used to computers. You may be perplexed as to why you are unable to type after pressing the key combination that locks your keyboard or after using the filter keys to lock it.

The following advice and solutions can help you unlock your keyboard, whether you’re using a Windows PC, a laptop, or an Apple computer.

How to Lock and Unlock your Keyboard?

On PCs running Windows 10 or macOS, locking and unlocking the keyboard is done in a number of different ways. All of your choices are spelled out below. If you need to temporarily disable your keyboard while using a different computer, you may need to use a physical key on the keyboard itself.

Check to see if any of the keys on your keyboard are locked.

When you don’t want any input to be recognised, you can lock the input field with a key on your keyboard. The keyboard, locket, or one of the filter keys are common graphical representations of this emblem. It could also be used as a filter key.

You might need to use a keyboard shortcut, such as pressing the Windows key while also pressing the right shift key, alt key, num lock key, caps lock key, or another function key. As each keyboard is made by a different manufacturer, the availability of this combination varies from keyboard to keyboard. Keyboard locking can be activated by pressing a combination of keys; once you’ve identified those keys, you can start pressing them to see if they work.

If you want to find out what kind of keyboards you have, hook them up to your computer and then open the Settings programme. After finding the Keyboards section, you need to verify that your keyboard’s name is listed. To see if the configuration has a key for the lock and unlock function, you can look up the model’s name and read the description.

The built-in laptop keyboard of a MacBook does not feature any predefined key combination, hence the keyboard cannot be secured in that fashion. You can buy a new wired or wireless keyboard, or you can use a special programme made for that reason, if you need to temporarily deactivate your keyboard.

Even if you have the best keyboard available, you might not have a way to lock and unlock the keys. You’ll need to download and install some software, and then when you turn it on, it’ll help you limit how much input you give.

Also Read: How To Clean Macbook Butterfly Keyboard?

How to lock keyboard on Windows

Would you like Windows to pause before responding to your keyboard inputs? You may wish to do this so that you may more easily clear the space between your keys, or so that you can let the screen sit idle for a long time without accidentally pressing a key. You could gain some benefit from doing this either way. This guide will explain the Windows method for disabling the keyboard.

Please note that while Windows 10 is used as an example throughout, the steps below can just as well be carried out on other versions of Windows or even newer ones like Windows 11 or Windows 7.
Keyboard Locker is a Windows 10 programme that can help you secure your computer’s keyboard.
The downloaded file will be labelled “KeyboardLocker.zip,” and its contents will need to be unzipped. KeyboardLocker.exe and KeyboardLocker.ahk are two items you must remember to look for in this directory.
Double-clicking the “KeyboardLocker.exe” file will launch the programme. To use this AutoHotKey script, you need not install AutoHotKey, as it has been built to run independently. It’s unnecessary to get AutoHotKey now that you’ve found this.
Whenever you use the Keyboard Locker app, a small keyboard icon will appear in the notification shade. Anyone can use the software now that it’s been released. Pressing Ctrl, Alt, and L at the same time will lock your keyboard. Once the board has been locked, the icon will change accordingly.

Using Windows 10’s Control Panel, you can remove a locking tool from your PC if you decide you no longer wish to employ its services. This resolves the issue where pressing Ctrl+Alt+L would previously lock the user’s keyboard. Having this feature disabled takes away the need to manually unlock the keyboard.

How to lock keyboard on Mac

On the same manner that a programme download is required to disable keyboard input in Windows 10, so too is this the case in macOS. Since Apple doesn’t produce its own keyboard-locking software, you’ll need to utilise one of the many third-party options.

The following are some of the most highly recommended Mac programmes for locking your keyboard:

Locking the Mac OS X Keyboard (Free)
Use the free KeyboardCleanTool if you need to clean your keyboard (Free)
Both MollyGuard 1.0 and Alfred have free downloadable versions. MachineClean is also available.

Using one of these easy and free methods, you can protect your Mac’s keyboard.

How to turn off keyboard lock?

If you’ve locked yourself out of your keyboard and need to get back in, here’s how to do it.

How to unlock keyboard on Mac

When using KeyboardLocker, if you want to re-enable keyboard input, you can do so by entering the word “unlock” into the input box. When the keyboard’s lock is removed, the keyboard icon changes back to its normal appearance, showing that the keyboard is once again usable.

You will receive a notification once you have unlocked the keyboard.

Watch How to Lock and Unlock your Keyboard (Windows/macOS)

On your Mac, you can access the bulk of the applications we covered via the menu bar and turn them on and off with the click of a button or the press of a specific keyboard shortcut. You can find this combination in the software’s support section or on the product’s official websites.

If you’re using Windows or macOS, you may learn how to lock and unlock the keyboard by watching this video.

Some Frequently Asked Questions Related to How to Lock and Unlock Keyboard on Mac

To what extent is it possible to lock and unlock the keyboard on a Mac?

To open System Preferences, select the Apple menu from the top left of your screen (it looks like a small black apple). After tapping the icon labelled “Security and confidentiality,” you can proceed to the General tab. You’ve reached the last step now. The padlock, which is on the bottom left, can be opened by simply turning the key in it.

How do I release a Windows-mapped keyboard on a Mac?

You can get in by using the keystroke combination Control-Alt-Delete.

How do you lock and unlock a keyboard on a Windows PC?

The right SHIFT key will activate a tone and the “Filter Keys” icon in the system tray if you hold it down for eight seconds. Just at that point, you’ll realise the keyboard is locked and you won’t be able to type a thing.

My Apple keyboard isn’t compatible with Windows, but I’d still like to keep my computer secure. What should I do?

Simply using the keyboard, you can lock your Mac in a flash: Press Control, Command, and Q to initiate a question. To quickly access the screen where you can lock your smartphone, use this shortcut.

How to temporarily disable the Mac keyboard.

Make use of a Shortcut Key on the Keyboard

Pressing a shortcut key will immediately disable your keyboard. You can turn off your keyboard shortcuts by pressing the Control key and the F1 key at the same time.

Final Thoughts

We think it’s now possible to lock and unlock the keyboard on a Windows or Mac machine. Thank you for taking the time to read this!

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